ÿWPCN ûÿ2 BVP Z¦ Courier 10cpiÿÿ‰?xxx S ôxþ6X@É“8ó X@ÿÿÿþþþþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿDOS Text PrinterDOTEXPRI.PRSÛx Œ @ɇÏq ºX@ÐÐûÿ2<L3|x HOW FAST IS IT REALLY? by David Andrews From the Editor: One of the most exciting aspects of the recent technology revolution for the blind is our increasing access to Braille. Using a personal computer, a Braille- translation program, and a printer that generates Braille rather than ink-print, almost anyone can now produce readable Grade II Braille. The result is that virtually any computer text file can today be produced in Braille by the insertion of a few formatting commands that do not require any knowledge of Braille. The quality of the Braille turned out by this process depends in large part on the printer (called an embosser). How clear is the Braille it produces? How well does it stand up to the demands made on it? And, of course, how rapidly does it print a document? As the price of embossers drops, more and more individuals and organizations can consider actually investing in such equipment. Deciding which one to buy gets harder as the choices multiply. Every manufacturer should be prepared to provide samples of the Braille produced by its embossers, and with a little investigation one can learn about the reliability of the equipment other people have purchased and the dealers in the area. These are subjective measures, but they are important matters to consider. The question of the speed of Braille production is a different matter. For years manufacturers have been reporting embosser speed in characters produced per second. How accurate are their claims? How does each embosser stack up against its competition? Potential buyers need objective information in order to make sound decisions. Enter the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind (IBTC). While David Andrews was still director of the IBTC (he is now with the Minnesota Agency for the Blind), he conducted tests to determine the accuracy of manufacturer ratings of the speed of their embossers. The following article is the result. Here it is: People who are buying a Braille embosser (printer) and who consult the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind always ask us two questions: how much does it cost, and how fast does it print--not necessarily in that order. Until now, the speed figures we have given them are those published by the manufacturers or distributors themselves. While we thought that some of those figures might be exaggerated slightly, we did notÔh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒknow by how much, so we decided to find out. The Test We began by devising a test--that is, producing a Braille file that could be sent to all the printers. Our goal was to devise a test that, while hard, was also a real-life document. We chose the July, 1995, issue of the Braille Monitor. We used a leading Braille translation program, the Duxbury Braille Translator Version 10.1, to produce a Grade II translated and formatted file. Our test file contained straight text and other styles that occurred naturally or that we added. These included regular and outdented paragraphs, partially and fully blank pages, centered and right-justified lines, two columns of words, print and Braille page numbering, lines of dots and table-of- contents guide dots, and more. We chose to include a range of formatting and layout variations because different embossers handle these complications in different ways, some more efficiently than others. We also decided to place twenty-five 40-character lines of text on each page. While some printers will print up to 27 lines and/or 44 characters a line on an 11-by-11.5-inch page, we chose to use less ambitious requirements. First, the 25-line-by-40-cell page is commonly used, so it represents a real-life test. Second, while some printers can emboss more than 40 cells on a line, not all can. But with the exception of the Braille Blazer, which can print only 34 cells a line, all units can produce 40-cell lines. Consequently, by using a 40-cell line, we had a basis of comparison. We formatted the Blazer test for 32 cells, which allowed room for binding, as was done in the other tests. We also had to format the Ohtsuki BT-5000 file for 19 lines since it will not print 25 on a page. This machine embosses both print and Braille on the same page, which takes more room. Finally, using the 25-line by 40-cell page, the file we generated using Duxbury was 187 pages in length--long enough to even things out. Of course the Blazer and Ohtsuki files contained more pages, but the same amount of data. The appropriate test file was then sent to the embosser. The "PRINT" command was used from the MS-DOS command line, and the already-translated file was sent. This combination allowed a more accurate measurement of embossing time than other methods that could have been used. The timer was started at the same instant that the "Return" ("Enter") key was pressed on the computer. One of the Braille 'n Speak family of products from Blazie Engineering--Braille 'n Speak, Type 'n Speak, or Braille Lite-- was used to time all tests. The timer was stopped as the embosser ceased printing. The resulting time was converted into seconds and divided by the size of the file, yielding a characters-per- second rating. What follows is an alphabetical list of all the tested embossers and what they did. The "CPS" acronym stands for "characters per second" and "IBTC" stands for the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind." Ôh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒBraille Blazer: manufacturer-rated speed, 15 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 8.0 cps; percent of variance, 47 percent; price, $1,695; price per cps, $211.88 Braille BookMaker: manufacturer-rated speed, 80 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 59.9 cps; percent of variance, 25 percent; price, $7,995; price per cps, $133.47 Braillo 200: manufacturer-rated speed, 200 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 193.1 cps; percent of variance, 3 percent; price, $37,995; price per cps, $196.76 Braillo 400S: manufacturer-rated speed, 400 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 274.4 cps; percent of variance, 31 percent; price, $77,995; price per cps, $284.24 Braillo Comet: manufacturer-rated speed, 75 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 54.6 cps; percent of variance, 27 percent; price, $3,795; price per cps, $69.51 Braille Express: manufacturer-rated speed, 150 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 109.0 cps; percent of variance, 27 percent; price, $14,995; price per cps, $137.57 Elekul-03: manufacturer-rated speed, 300 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 263.2 cps; percent of variance, 12 percent; price, $42,500 approximately; price per cps, $161.47 Express 100: manufacturer-rated speed, 100 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 78.6 cps; percent of variance, 21 percent; price, $10,500; price per cps, $133.59 Everest (Telesensory): manufacturer-rated speed, 100/60 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 51.7 cps; percent of variance, 48 percent/14 percent; price, $5,995; price per cps, $115.96 Everest-D: manufacturer-rated speed, 79 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 68.0 cps; percent of variance, 14 percent; price, $3,695; price per cps, $54.34 Index Basic: manufacturer-rated speed, 50/40 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 28.5 cps; percent of variance, 43 percent/29 percent; price, $2,795; price per cps, $98.07 Juliet: manufacturer-rated speed, 40 to 56 CPS (one line per second); IBTC-rated speed, 33.5 cps; percent of variance, 16 percent; price, $3,995; price per cps, $119.25 Marathon: manufacturer-rated speed, 200 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 167.0 cps; percent of variance, 17 percent; price, $12,995; price per cps, $77.81 Ohtsuki BT5000: manufacturer-rated speed, 8 cps (print and Braille); IBTC-rated speed, 6.4 cps; percent of variance, 20 percent; price, $4,695; price per cps, $733.59 Porta-Thiel: manufacturer-rated speed, 10 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 7.8 cps; percent of variance, 22 percent; price, $1,895; price per cps, $242.95 Resus RS-214: manufacturer-rated speed, 140 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 103.3 cps; percent of variance, 26 percent; price, $15,995; price per CPS, $154.84 Romeo RB-20: manufacturer-rated speed, 20 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 17.2 cps; percent of variance, 14 percent; price, $2,495; price per cps, $145.05 Romeo RB-25: manufacturer-rated speed, 25 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 23.8 cps; percent of variance, 5 percent; price, $2,295; price per cps, $96.43Ôh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒRomeo RB-40: manufacturer-rated speed, 40 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 28.1 cps; percent of variance, 30 percent; price, $3,495; price per cps, $124.38 Ted 600: manufacturer-rated speed, 350 CPS approximately; IBTC- rated speed, 295.2 cps; percent of variance, 16 percent; price, $37,500; price per cps, $127.03 Thiel BAX-10: manufacturer-rated speed, 300 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 183.0 cps; percent of variance, 39 percent; price, $66,000; price per cps, $360.66 Thiel Beta X/3: manufacturer-rated speed, 130 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 116 cps; percent of variance, 10 percent; price, $13,995; price per cps, $120.64 Thomas: manufacturer-rated speed, 40 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 37.0 cps; percent of variance, 8 percent; price, $2,995; price per cps, $80.95 VersaPoint: manufacturer-rated speed, 40 cps; IBTC-rated speed, 27.4 cps; percent of variance, 32 percent; price, $3,795; price per cps, $138.50. As you can see from these data, the results we obtained from some of the printers varied greatly from their manufacturers' published figures. There are a number of reasons for this variation, some of which are understandable and acceptable, and some of which are not. First, remember that manufacturers naturally rate their machines in the way that shows them in the best light. While this is understandable and mostly acceptable, we think that some of them have gone too far and should revise their figures. One long-time marketing executive in the printer field said to us, "Lots of mud is going to be slung here, and some of it will stick to us all, but we [the embosser producers] will be better off for it in the long run." A number of embossers, such as the BookMaker and the Braille Express from Enabling Technologies, take approximately the same time to print a line, whether there are 30 characters on it or 44. Since these printers will print up to 44 characters on a line, the manufacturer naturally computes the CPS rating using the longer line, which raises the rating. Thus our results, which are based on a 40-character line length, should legitimately be increased by at least 10 percent, making our figures very close to Enabling's. Other manufacturers may measure only a single Braille page of text because the page change takes time. We suspect that this is in part how Index arrived at its initially unrealistically high rating of the original Everest. Still others use a burst rate--timing the printing of just one line. This is what Blazie Engineering did with the Blazer, according to Deane Blazie. Putting it into Perspective What follow are our observations concerning individual embossers as well as information we believe necessary to interpret the individual results. Please remember that printing speed is only one aspect of choosing a Braille embosser. Others include price; quality of Braille produced; reputation ofÔh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒmanufacturer; reliability; reputation of local dealer; past experience; availability of timely service and support; ease of operation; clear and understandable documentation; manuals available in well-formatted, Grade II Braille; and more. The manufacturer-provided speed figure for the Braille Blazer is a bit optimistic and should be reduced in our opinion. While a good deal of variance from our test can be expected, a 47 percent difference seems too much to us. Prior to testing, our hypothesis was that a 10 percent variance would be acceptable. After conducting the tests, we now conclude that a 20 percent variation is probably acceptable, although less is better. As already pointed out, at least a 10 percent variance can legitimately be accounted for in some cases. The Braille BookMaker from Enabling Technologies is one of the units that was rated by its manufacturer using a 44-cell line, so its 80 CPS rating is not unrealistic. We were surprised by how close the Braillo 200 came to its rated speed and how far off the Braillo 400S was from its rated speed. With a 31 percent variance, a re-rating by Braillo Norway might be in order. A 350 CPS rating would make more sense. The Braille Comet missed its mark because it is slow in moving paper when going to a new page from a partially printed page. The Braille Express and the Express 100 were both rated by Enabling Technologies using a 44-cell line, so their figures are not as different from ours as would first appear. The Elekul-03 came fairly close to its manufacturer's rating; in fact its speed is directly related to the voltage of the electrical supply. Since ours is on the low side of average, the speed could be increased by raising the voltage. The Everest-D (originally sold exclusively by Telesensory) has two figures listed: 100 and 60 CPS. When it was introduced in 1992, Index and Telesensory both widely touted its 100 CPS figure. As you can see from our results (51.7 CPS and a 48 percent variance) its actual performance doesn't even come close. In June of 1995 Index published a newsletter in which it provided speed figures for all their printers. Interestingly enough, all figures were lower--considerably so in some cases--than those previously published. Even figures for embossers the company no longer manufactures were adjusted downward. Further, Index has developed its own speed test and has been circulating it to other printer manufacturers in an attempt to get all of them to use the test. At least one company (Enabling Technologies) has resisted, feeling, they say, that the testing should be done by an independent entity like the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind. They also believe that the test was devised so as to put Index products in the best light. We have looked at the Index test and have even run it on a few machines. It yields faster times than the IBTC-developed test. While it is not a bad one, we concluded that it wasn't very realistic. It was almost entirely straight text with most lines filled. It also included no form feeds, leaving page breaks to the embosser which, with most machines, is usually faster. However, most Braille translation programs insert form feeds so that they can control page size, accurately supply page numbers,Ôh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒand easily change page sizes. One Braille translator author described Index's revised figures as "preemptive revisionism." Index knew we were working on printer speed ratings and has very recently publicly revised its figures to be more realistic. While these are now quite accurate and more realistic than those of many and though the efforts of Index to get a handle on measured printer speeds are laudable, the fact still remains that in the past, and for a long time, Index used some very inflated figures. We can only hope that everyone will start using more realistic figures now that attention has been drawn to this issue. Other Index embossers tested include the new Everest-D and the Index Basic. The new Everest came relatively close to its revised rating of 79 CPS. The Index Basic missed its rating by an unacceptable level. Index has marketed the embosser as a 50-CPS machine for years, touting it as faster than the competition, the Romeo RB-40 and the VersaPoint. At 28.5 CPS, it is little faster than the others, particularly the Romeo, which we rated at 28.1 CPS. Its revised rating of 40 CPS is more realistic than before, but its 29 percent variance is still too high. According to Enabling Technologies, the Juliet prints one line per second. Since it can print up to a 56-character line, its potential speed can be as high as 56 CPS. We found that the machine comes acceptably close to its published rating. Also the Marathon, Ohtsuki, and Porta-Thiel come reasonably close to their published specifications. As an interesting aside, the Ohtsuki took over 7 hours to run the printing test. The quickest machine ran it in just under 9.5 minutes. The Resus RS-214, which is no longer available, missed its specifications by a little more than we would have preferred. It seems a bit slow in moving paper through blank lines. The Romeo RB-40 is not rated accurately. The machine misses its mark by 30 percent. A longer line might have helped it a little, but not much. The RB-20 and the RB-25, on the other hand, came quite close to their published specifications. The RB-25 in particular represents a good bargain. For $1,100 less than the RB-40, you sacrifice only 4.3 CPS, and the Braille quality is quite good. The RB-20 is primarily marketed to sign makers now. Some components have been strengthened to allow it to emboss on light metal and plastic materials reliably. The Ted 600 was originally rated at 450 CPS. The manufacturer later slowed down the machine to make it more reliable. They estimate the slowed-down version at 350 CPS, and at 295.2 CPS we consider our rating to be in line with theirs. The Thiel BAX-10 was a disappointment, while the Beta X/3 was quite near its published figure. Considering its 183 CPS and a 39 percent variance figure, the BAX-10 should be re-rated. The Thomas is another one of Enabling's new printers that comes quite close to its published figure, produces good Braille, and is a good bargain. Finally, the VersaPoint missed its mark by a good deal. It is slower than the Romeo RB-40, which is its main competition. At 27.4 CPS and a 32 percent variance, it should be reclassified by Telesensory.Ôh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒ™ Conclusions While we have devoted a good deal of time and energy to rating Braille embossers, we reiterate that speed is only one consideration in making a printer decision. The actual numbers themselves are probably not as important as their comparisons to each other. It is more important to know that the Romeo RB-40 is slightly faster than the VersaPoint or that the Braillo 200 is faster than the Thiel Bax-10 (which is considerably more expensive) than it is to remember the exact numbers. Also, as noted earlier, there are other factors which should be considered. In addition to the speed ratings, we have provided a dollar- per-CPS figure. While it is hard to resist this measure, it does involve a couple of dangers. First, there is a tendency (especially by government types who are writing specifications for equipment bids) to use measures like this as their sole means of decision-making. These measures do not take into account Braille quality and other important factors. Second, when designing a printer, the manufacturer has to make certain tradeoffs and compromises. It may be possible to gain some apparent speed by using a shorter line--at the cost of flexibility. And an embosser employing a long line and rated by a conservative but arduous test such as that developed by the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind may look more unattractive than it actually is. In short, a variety of factors should be considered and balanced when making the decision to buy an embosser. The prices of Braille printers have dropped over the past few years. There are also many more models available now than formerly. However, past a certain point, the only way to achieve more speed or lower price is to sacrifice the quality of the Braille produced. While we applaud consumer choice and lower prices, we do not want to see the quality of the Braille produced by computer-driven embossers reduced dramatically. We urge the Braille printer industry to take a new look at measuring embosser speed. While we may not have designed the definitive speed test, we do believe that we have designed a fair, real-life test that can be used to draw valid comparisons. We also urge consumers, agencies, and government entities not to look only at our speed figures when making purchasing decisions. They are a useful comparison and guide, but they should be only one of many considerations. The data presented here, while interesting, do not represent complete reviews of the Braille printers. However, the NFB's International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind has been working as a sub-contractor on a Braille Literacy Training grant that was awarded to the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Among other activities in connection with the NIDRR grant, the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind has now reviewed all of its Braille-related technology. The resulting document is being published in ink-print and Braille by APH and electronically byÔh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒthe National Federation of the Blind. By the time you read this article, the entire report should be available. For more information about Braille embossers, translation software, or other technology matters, call the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind. You can reach us afternoons at (410) 659-9314. You can also reach us via NFB NET, the NFB's computer bulletin board service, by calling (612) 696-1975.