[Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...

Mike Freeman k7uij at panix.com
Sun Nov 11 15:03:21 UTC 2012


I wouldn't use a Braille embosser to create covers. That's a good way to 
wear an embosser out! I'd just buy cardboard covers and label with a 
slate and stylus.
Mike Freeman

On Sun, 11 Nov 2012, James Kelm wrote:


> Dear Heather and gang...
Mike Freeman
>
>   I sincerely appreciate all of your guidance and help!  Obviously the 
> purchase of an embosser is a sizable investment, so I am trying to 
> gather as much information as I can in order to make the correct 
> choice for me.
>
>   One of the things which concerns me about having only the tractor feeder, 
> without the additional feature of being able to use individual cut sheets, is 
> when I do covers for books, or other such specialized printing. Of course 
> since this is new to me and I may be misunderstanding, but I do not want to 
> have to buy a large and costly roll of plastic covers, only to print a few 
> covers at a time.  I can foresee having to print a large number of 
> sheets/pages for a particular job, but only a few covers.  If I can only use 
> a tractor feeder, does this mean that I either can not print specialized 
> covers, or that I have to have a large and very expensive amount of plastic 
> for covers and such?
>
>   From what I have understood from the postings that I have read, along with 
> my personal research, is that I may be better off buying the machine that 
> offers both options.  This way I will have the stability of the tractor 
> feeder for the majority of my printing needs.  But I will also have the 
> "luxury" of being able to use individual cut sheets  for the jobs that would 
> best be suited for these types of projects.  For the little extra, it may be 
> better to have both options?
>
>   Take care, and again, thanks for all of your wise guidance!
>
>
>
> Respectfully Yours in Christ,
> James Kelm
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Heather Field" <missheather at comcast.net>
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 11:16 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>
>
>> Hello James,
>> In my opinion, it is wise to spend more money at the start and purchase the 
>> machine that can take cut sheet paper. I personally have far better things 
>> to do with my life than to sit and pull the tractor-feed strips off the 
>> edges of 4 or 5 volumes of newly embossed braille sheets every week or two.
>> I use an Everest embosser which takes cut sheet paper and it's great. The 
>> first model had some issues, as one would expect with ground breaking 
>> technology, but that's been fixed for over ten years and now all models 
>> work great without the tractor feed mechanism. I just go to my local office 
>> depot or Staples and buy heavy weight paper of the size I require and use 
>> it in the embosser. It's much cheaper than purchasing specialised braille 
>> paper. And, I can be binding and reading my books only minutes after the 
>> pages have been embossed. No tearing fan fold paper apart, trying to keep 
>> track of the page numbering, and no tearing fiddly edge pieces.
>> 
>> If you are convinced that the Juliet is your embosser of choice, and they 
>> are a very good embosser, then I strongly encourage you to choose the more 
>> expensive one that will give you choices. It is human nature to tell 
>> ourselves that we can save some money by purchasing the cheaper embosser. 
>> We can convince ourselves that it won't be that much trouble to tear apart 
>> the fan fold pages and rip the edging off. However, if you are a busy 
>> person, this soon becomes a frustrating drudgery and one sees the 
>> deception. This, of course, depends somewhat on how much braille you 
>> produce per week. I emboss a lot of pages every week and don't have time to 
>> spend preparing tractor feed paper for binding.
>> 
>> Now, to all of you great folks who have tractor feed embossers and don't 
>> mind that monotonous job of de-edging thousands of pages of braille, I did 
>> say this was only my opinion.
>> Regards,
>> Heather Field
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message----- From: James Kelm
>> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 1:35 PM
>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>> 
>> Okay...  Another question about the embossers...
>>
>>    I have noticed that the lower priced machine only allows printing via
>> the tractor feeding, while a bit more expensive machines also allow you to
>> feed cut sheets through the machine.  My question is...  How often do those
>> of you who use an embosser use cut sheets rather than tractor feeding?  In
>> other words, is the additional cost justified by the extra feature of being
>> able to feed individual cut sheets through the machine?
>> 
>> 
>> Respectfully Yours in Christ,
>> James Kelm
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Judy Jones" <jtj1 at cableone.net>
>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 1:00 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>> 
>> 
>>> Very good point, and very true!!!
>>> 
>>> Judy
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
>>> To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 11:02 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> James:
>>>> 
>>>> I agree with you completely on the importance of reading well and on the
>>>> fact that a decreasing number of people (blind or sighted) read more than 
>>>> a
>>>> headline or two. It's going to catch up with us (society) eventually when 
>>>> we
>>>> wonder why China is out-innovating us and when the citizenry thinks
>>>> Presidential debates are a substitute for understanding economics, 
>>>> foreign
>>>> policy and the consequences of proposed governmental actions in detail.
>>>> 
>>>> That said, I'm perfectly happy with a refreshable Braille display. It's
>>>> getting the Braille that counts, not the form it takes. But all bets are 
>>>> off
>>>> when it comes to math Braille. Math Braille should *always* be on paper.
>>>> 
>>>> Mike Freeman
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of James 
>>>> Kelm
>>>> Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 9:16 PM
>>>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>>>> 
>>>> Dear Jasmine and group...
>>>>
>>>>    It is nice to hear that so many folks still enjoy reading in general,
>>>> and who enjoy reading the physical book format.  It is sad that so many
>>>> people now days, both blind and sighted, simply do not read!  I 
>>>> personally
>>>> think that they are missing so much, and while a lot of information can 
>>>> be
>>>> gotten via the Internet and all of the magical forms of technology, it
>>>> simply is not the same as actually reading a book.
>>>>
>>>>    Perhaps this will be controversial, and please know that I do not 
>>>> intend
>>>> 
>>>> for it to be!  I am simply stating my own personal opinion...  But I 
>>>> think
>>>> that a large degree of social and occupational empowerment can be 
>>>> achieved
>>>> by the blind, simply by actually having the skills to read.  Of course 
>>>> this
>>>> applies to reading refreshable Braille as well, but I know that for me
>>>> personally, simply having the ability to sit down with a book or magazine
>>>> has afforded me a nice feeling of equality and compatibility with the
>>>> sighted world.  I think that it is a shame that so many young blind 
>>>> people,
>>>> are no longer being taught Braille in school!  It is nice to have the 
>>>> luxury
>>>> 
>>>> of when I want, not to have to depend on technology or other advancements
>>>> such as this, but to actually sit down and read a book, magazine, or
>>>> whatever.  Perhaps this is largely because I am of an age when books held
>>>> actual power and a sort of magic.  There is an intimacy when you actually
>>>> lay your hands on the words that an author has written, rather than 
>>>> having a
>>>> 
>>>> rather sterol relationship with technology.  Now don't misunderstand me! 
>>>> I
>>>> love my technology, and I spend way too much of my time on the Internet!
>>>> But there is still something about grabbing a book off of the shelf, 
>>>> sitting
>>>> 
>>>> in my favorite armchair, and reading.  Also, I can read in bed at night,
>>>> without having to bother my sighted wife.  LOLL  Sighted folks can't say
>>>> that!  *smile*
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Respectfully Yours in Christ,
>>>> James Kelm
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jasmine Kotsay" 
>>>> <jasmine.kotsay at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 6:07 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I couldn't agree with you more about having an actual hard-copy book to
>>>>> read by the fire rather than a refreshable display.  I have a 
>>>>> BrailleNote
>>>>> Apex, and wouldn't trade it for anything, but I still love my hard-copy
>>>>> books! LOL!
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>> Jasmine
>>>>> 
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "James Kelm" <jameskelm at earthlink.net
>>>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Date sent: Thu, 8 Nov 2012 20:18:29 -0600
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>>>>> 
>>>>> Dear Judy,
>>>>>
>>>>>    I debated over getting an embosser VS.  something like a refreshable
>>>>> Braille display, and I came to the following conclusion.  Firstly, I 
>>>>> hope
>>>>> to
>>>>> produce material for other blind individuals, churches, etc.  With an
>>>>> embosser I will be able to produce material that I can then pass on.
>>>>>
>>>>>    Secondly, and this may just be a matter of my old age...  LOLL  But
>>>>> there is something magical about actually sitting down in the evening 
>>>>> with
>>>>> an actual physical book.  For some reason, and maybe this is again just 
>>>>> a
>>>>> matter of my experience, but the image of sitting down in front of a 
>>>>> fire
>>>>> in
>>>>> the fire place in the evening, and holding a refreshable display on my
>>>>> lap,
>>>>> just doesn't have the same pizzazz.  LOLL
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Respectfully in Christ,
>>>>> James Kelm
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Judy Jones" <jtj1 at cableone.net
>>>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 7:10 PM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hi, James,
>>>>> 
>>>>> I have the Juliet Pro 60 and have been very happy with it.  It's a real
>>>>> workhorse and does a good job.
>>>>> 
>>>>> As a braille user, I have to ask this question.  Rather than having all
>>>>> the braille hard-copy taking up shelf room, do you have a note taker or 
>>>>> a
>>>>> portable device you can use on which to store digital files?
>>>>> 
>>>>> I have a note taker for home and one for the office, and can carry all
>>>>> electronic files on the note taker, or on a thumb drive to download as I
>>>>> need them.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Just curious.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Judy
>>>>> 
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "James Kelm" <jameskelm at earthlink.net
>>>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 5:30 PM
>>>>> Subject: [Blindtlk] Questions about embossers...
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Dear friends,
>>>>>
>>>>>    I am hoping that you will be able to assist me!  I am looking to make
>>>>> a rather sizable purchase, and I am looking for advice on which machine
>>>>> will best meet my needs, while also offering the most for the money.
>>>>>
>>>>>    First of all, let me tell you what uses I will be needing a new
>>>>> embosser for...  First of all, as a pastor, I obviously present a Sunday
>>>>> message each week.  So I would like to be able to produce my notes each
>>>>> week on my computer, and then push a button to have my notes "printed"
>>>>> out in Braille for use when I give my message.  These notes will range
>>>>> from 3 to 10 pages of Braille at a time.
>>>>>
>>>>>    Secondly, I want to begin producing material for distribution to 
>>>>> other
>>>>> churches, organizations, etc.  This means that I will produce a book
>>>>> ranging from 50 to 200 pages, and then I want to be able to "print" from
>>>>> my computer the material that has been E-mailed to me via pdf, doc, etc
>>>>> files.
>>>>>
>>>>>    Thirdly, of course within a professional office setting, there are a
>>>>> number of different situations in which having the ability to print a
>>>>> Braille copy of material would be of great use.  This would range from
>>>>> copying an E-mail, copying study material that has been produced either
>>>>> myself or others, etc.  I would not be producing great numbers of 
>>>>> Braille
>>>>> pages per week, but the quality and easy of use would be a huge plus!
>>>>>
>>>>>    The two embossers that I am looking at is the Index Basic-D V4, and
>>>>> the Juliet Pro 60.
>>>>>
>>>>>    What are your impressions of these two machines, or do you have other
>>>>> suggestions for me?  Also I should tell you that while I am quite 
>>>>> capable
>>>>> at general computer usage, I have never worked with an embosser before.
>>>>> Do I need any additional equipment such as sound proofing boxes and 
>>>>> such?
>>>>> I understand that any embosser can be quite loud?
>>>>>
>>>>>    Thank you so much for your guidance in this matter!
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Respectfully Yours in Christ,
>>>>> James Kelm (senior pastor)
>>>>> True Hope Church of Duluth
>>>>> E-MAIL: office at thcduluth.org
>>>>> Web Site: www.thcduluth.org
>>>>> Phone: (218) 727-4186
>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
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