<div dir="ltr"><div>Hello Justin and list,</div><div><br></div><div>We too do our tactile graphics production primarily using Adobe Illustrator and with a dab of Tiger Design Suite.<br></div><div><br></div><div>We are fortunate to have the support of space and funding to have more than one embosser for our needs. Currently our set-up is as follows:</div><div><ul><li>Tactile Graphics:
<a href="https://viewplus.com/product/vp-elite/" target="_blank">ViewPlus Elite</a><br></li><li>Text and simple in-line tactile graphics:
<a href="https://www.indexbraille.com/en-us/braille-embossers/basic-d-v5" target="_blank">Index Basic-D v5</a>
</li><li>Standby/Back-up:
ViewPlus Delta v1
</li></ul></div><div></div><div></div><div>We used to have a ViewPlus Tiger Pro for tactile graphics alongside an
Index Basic-D embosser for documents that were text only.<br></div><div><br></div><div>When we finally replaced our Tiger Pro, we went with the <a href="https://viewplus.com/product/vp-premier/" target="_blank">ViewPlus Premier</a>. The Premier felt like a modern upgrade to the Tiger Pro sans the ability to handle roll paper when it came to producing tactile graphics.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Index Basic-D had been tried and true when embossing text. Especially as the dots were rounder and firmer than what the Tiger Pro or Premiere would produce (which were more like crosses/plus punches).</div><div><br></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>
We eventually acquired a ViewPlus Delta v1 in hopes that it could be a combination of the dots delivered by the Index Basic-D but still allow us to create tactile graphics. As the Delta punches Braille dots more like the Index, we found it less flexible in finer details of tactile graphics than we would have liked. Additionally we've had a number of
issues with the sheet feeding mechanism but have heard that was improved
in the <a href="https://viewplus.com/product/vp-delta-2/" target="_blank">ViewPlus Delta v2</a>. And there's the new Rogue that they've been showcasing though I'm not sure as to the nuances. As it stands, our Delta is relegated to back-up
in case either of our other embossers misbehaves and we have to limp by.</div><div><br></div><div>As the ViewPlus Delta could not produce tactile graphics that we felt were similar to the Tiger Pro / Premier, we were able to get by and eventually get the ViewPlus Elite to replace our aging Premier, especially given our increased volume. The Elite, for all intents and purposes, is just a faster version of the Premier.<br><div></div>
</div><div><br></div><div>While most of our tactile graphics went through our ViewPlus Premier / Elite embossers via the Adobe Illustrator route, occasionally our Braillist was able to embed very simple tactile graphics and we would emboss it through our <a href="https://www.indexbraille.com/en-us/braille-embossers/basic-d-v5" target="_blank">Index Basic-D v5</a> via
TactileView embedded in a Duxbury file.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Hope this helps give you some insights.</div><div><br></div><div>-Paul<br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jun 21, 2022 at 7:36 AM Romack, Justin <<a href="mailto:justinr@disability.tamu.edu" target="_blank">justinr@disability.tamu.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal">Howdy y’all!<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve spoken with a couple of colleagues as we’re researching and preparing to upgrade our Braille embosser (a Viewplus Tiger Pro from the early 2000s).<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I’d love any feedback from folks who have done similar research on embossers within the past couple of years.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Our list of requirements aren’t too lengthy: (1) The ability to produce tactile graphics is imperative. (2) We have produced larger volumes of Braille, so a characters-per-second of 100+ is important. WE have a couple of blind students
now, with tactile graphics production possibly needed for math and economics classes in the next two semesters. We have managed to do several tactile graphics projects with Illustrator and Tiger Design Suite in the past, but I’m also open to exploring any
other products, solutions, or workflows if we move away from the Viewplus family of embossers.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve looked at the Delta 2 by Viewplus and the Everest by Index. These seem to be efficient solutions that meet our requirements and also stay around $5-$6K with an extended warranty. The next tier of embossers jump into the $10-$15K+ and
seem to do more than what we may need.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Curious if anyone else has recommendations or other thoughts I may not be considering right now.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Grateful for y’all!<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">J<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:"Open Sans",sans-serif;color:black">Justin Romack</span></b><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:"Open Sans",sans-serif;color:black"> | Assistive Technology Coordinator<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:"Open Sans",sans-serif;color:black">Disability Resources | Texas A&M University<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:"Open Sans",sans-serif;color:black">ph: 979.845.1637 | <a href="mailto:justinr@disability.tamu.edu" target="_blank">justinr@disability.tamu.edu</a></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times",serif">
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