Choosing the right print model

Each Braille embosser has several internal print tables with different language Braille encodings. Biblos does not make use of these characteristics, because they are too limiting. For an advanced software such as Biblos, the ideal would be if every printer were limited to printing what the software indicates to it. Ideally, an ignorant printer should not make any decisions. Unfortunately, the choice of having a printer that ignores character encodings is strangely a privilege of a few devices, so the software faces character encoding problems. For this reason in Biblos it was necessary to introduce braille models, generic or specific encoding drivers for communication with printers.

Biblos can potentially print with any Braille printer, current or dated (even very old ones), as long as these printers are correctly installed in the operating system. To meet this need, generic braille models have been developed that make these types of printing possible. If you know the model of Braille table set in your printer, it is easy to choose it also in Biblos. For example, if your printer is set to American encoding, simply choose the Braille model "Generic American". If you do not know which coding table is set up in your printer, you can find the right model by empirically testing the generic models of Biblos.

Finding a correct braille model is a simple procedure. When the dots of a braille character are printed correctly, it means that the pattern you choose is the right one. To do this it is advisable not to use the letters of the alphabet, because the letters in almost all the codings have the same points. It is useful to print the punctuation characters and check if the printed dots correspond to the dots in the Braille table used.

If your list of Braille models contains a specific driver for your printer, it is advisable to use it: usually a specific driver always communicates correctly with the printer, and therefore it is not necessary to find and calibrate the correct encoding between the program and the printer. In addition, a specific driver allows you to adjust various printer parameters, such as 6 or 8 dots, line spacing, print type, graphic dots, etc.