Braille Labels: Makers, Tape and Clothing Tags
Braille labels are how many blind people tell apart cans, spices, medicine, files and clothes. The most common way to make them is to emboss braille onto clear adhesive tape, the same half-inch tape used by Dymo label makers, with a braille label maker or a slate and stylus. For clothing there are washable braille tags and tapes, and for quick jobs there are ready-made tactile labels and dots.
Below: each method, what it costs, and the words people label most, written in braille.
Key points
- Most braille labels are embossed on clear adhesive tape, usually half an inch wide, the size used by Dymo label makers.
- You can emboss that tape with a braille label maker, a slate and stylus, or a Perkins brailler.
- The 6dot electronic braille label maker types labels from a six-key or QWERTY keyboard; one US dealer sold the kit for $1,345 on October 7, 2026.
- For clothes, APH's Tactile Clothing Tape ($42.77) stays readable through washing, drying and ironing.
- In English, labels are usually written in contracted (grade 2) braille, so "sugar" and "pepper" take fewer cells than letters.
Clear tape and how to emboss it
The standard material is clear vinyl tape with an adhesive back, about half an inch wide, sold in rolls for Dymo label makers. Braille is pressed into it and the label is stuck on the item; because the tape is clear, sighted people can still read what is under it, and some readers add a print label too.
There are three common ways to emboss it:
| Tool | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Braille label maker | A handheld or electronic device that embosses braille onto the tape | Many labels, quickly |
| Slate and stylus | A labeling slate holds the tape while you punch the dots by hand | Cheap, portable, a few labels |
| Perkins brailler | Tape is fed into the brailler like paper | If you already own one |
Writing on a slate means working right to left, because the dots come out on the other side; see how to write braille. A brailler writes face up; see Perkins Brailler.
Electronic label makers
The 6dot Braille Label Maker is an electronic labeler: you type on its six-key braille keyboard, or on a QWERTY keyboard that it translates into braille, and it embosses the tape. The kit sold by Independent Living, with the label maker, AC adapter, QWERTY keyboard and ten rolls of 3/8-inch Dymo tape, cost $1,345 on October 7, 2026 (Independent Living).
Labels for clothing
Clothes go through the wash, so they need something tougher than adhesive tape:
- Tactile Clothing Tape from the American Printing House for the Blind lets you braille colors or laundry instructions and attach them to clothes and linens. APH says the braille stays readable after washing and drying, and even under an iron if a layer of fabric is kept between the iron and the label. It cost $42.77 on October 7, 2026 (APH).
- Braille clothing identifiers, small washable plastic tags with a few braille letters, are sewn or pinned on.
- Non-braille systems work too: APH's guide lists colored tags on safety pins, buttons in different shapes, and simply a number of safety pins per color (APH ConnectCenter).
Without braille: tactile marks
Not everything needs words. The same APH guide suggests rubber bands, Velcro, pipe cleaners, raised dots such as Bump Dots or Loc-Dots, iron-on patches and fabric paint to mark items by touch: a rubber band around one can to tell it from another, a dot on the "start" button of a microwave. APH notes that adhesive dots should not be used directly on clothes.
Words people label most, in braille
English labels are usually written in contracted braille (grade 2). Both versions are shown, generated with liblouis, the same library as our braille translator:
| Word | Grade 1 | Grade 2 |
|---|---|---|
| salt | ⠎⠁⠇⠞ | ⠎⠁⠇⠞ |
| sugar | ⠎⠥⠛⠁⠗ | ⠎⠥⠛⠜ |
| pepper | ⠏⠑⠏⠏⠑⠗ | ⠏⠑⠏⠏⠻ |
| flour | ⠋⠇⠕⠥⠗ | ⠋⠇⠳⠗ |
| coffee | ⠉⠕⠋⠋⠑⠑ | ⠉⠷⠋⠑⠑ |
| tea | ⠞⠑⠁ | ⠞⠑⠁ |
| rice | ⠗⠊⠉⠑ | ⠗⠊⠉⠑ |
| milk | ⠍⠊⠇⠅ | ⠍⠊⠇⠅ |
"Sugar" ends in the one-cell ar, "pepper" in the one-cell er, "flour" uses the one-cell ou, and "coffee" uses of, a contraction that also applies inside words: c, of, f, e, e. The full list is in braille contractions.
Medicine
In the European Union, medicine packaging must carry the name of the product in braille, under Article 56a of Directive 2001/83/EC. Elsewhere, ask the pharmacy whether it can provide a braille, large-print or talking label.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make braille labels?
Emboss braille onto clear adhesive label tape, about half an inch wide, with a braille label maker, a slate and stylus, or a Perkins brailler. Then stick the tape on the item.
What tape is used for braille labels?
Clear vinyl tape with an adhesive back, the half-inch tape made for Dymo label makers. Magnetic versions exist for metal surfaces.
How do blind people label clothes?
With washable braille tags or tape sewn or attached to each garment, such as APH's Tactile Clothing Tape, or with simple tactile systems like safety pins or buttons of different shapes for each color.
Do braille labels use grade 1 or grade 2?
In English, usually grade 2, the contracted braille that most readers use. For a learner, grade 1 is easier to check against a chart.