Perkins Brailler: How a Braille Typewriter Works
The Perkins Brailler is a mechanical braille typewriter. It has six keys, one for each dot of the braille cell, plus a space key, a backspace key and a line key. You press the keys for a letter all at once, and the machine embosses the whole cell on heavy paper. It needs no power, writes face up from left to right, and has been made by Perkins School for the Blind, near Boston, since 1951.
Below: how the keys work, what paper it uses, the models and what they cost today, where it came from, and the alternatives.
Key points
- Six dot keys, pressed together. From left to right they are dots 3, 2, 1, then the space bar, then dots 4, 5, 6.
- It writes face up, left to right, so you can read what you wrote straight away. A slate and stylus, by contrast, writes from the back, right to left.
- The classic model is all metal, weighs 4.8 kg (about 10.6 lb) and fits up to 42 cells per line and 26 lines per page.
- Prices on Perkins' own store on October 7, 2026: $810 for the classic Perkins Brailler, $1,895 for the SMART Brailler, and $300 for the Braille Bloom, which connects a Perkins to a computer or phone.
- It was designed by David Abraham, a teacher at Perkins. The prototype was built in 1941, World War II delayed production until 1951, and more than 375,000 have been made.
How the keys work
The Perkins has nine keys in a row. In the middle is the space bar. To its left are the keys for dots 3, 2 and 1, pressed with the left ring, middle and index fingers. To its right are dots 4, 5 and 6, for the right index, middle and ring fingers. At the far left is the line spacing key, which moves the paper to the next line, and at the far right the backspace key.
The dot keys match the braille cell the way you read it: the left hand writes the left column (dots 1, 2 and 3) and the right hand the right column (dots 4, 5 and 6). To write a letter, you press all its dots at the same time:
| Letter | Braille | Keys pressed together |
|---|---|---|
| a | ⠁ | 1 (left index) |
| c | ⠉ | 1 + 4 (both index fingers) |
| t | ⠞ | 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 |
So cat is three presses: 1+4, then 1, then 2+3+4+5. Each press embosses one cell and moves the head one space to the right. The rollers that hold the paper are grooved, so they do not flatten the dots you have already written.
This six-key arrangement is now known as the Perkins layout or Perkins keyboard. The Perkins was not the first machine to use it, but it made it standard: notetakers, braille displays and the braille keyboards on phones use the same six keys. More on those in braille keyboards.
Paper
A brailler needs heavy paper, much thicker than printer paper, so the dots hold their shape under a finger. Perkins suggests paper of 32 to 41 kg, a basis weight that roughly matches the 70 to 90 lb braille paper sold in the US. The classic model takes sheets up to 29.2 × 35.6 cm (11.5 × 14 in), and a full page holds up to 26 lines of 42 cells.
Plain printer paper will emboss, but the dots soon flatten. For practice it is fine; for anything someone will read many times, use braille paper.
The models and what they cost
Prices are from the Perkins Brailler store on October 7, 2026. Specifications come from Perkins' official comparison table.
| Model | What is different | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perkins Brailler (classic) | The original all-metal design | 4.80 kg | $810 |
| Electric Perkins Brailler | Electric keys need far less force: about 0.37 kg per press against about 1.36 kg | 5.08 kg | $1,030 (sold out when we checked) |
| APH Light Touch Perkins Brailler | Lighter key action (about 1.10 kg), sold by APH | 4.80 kg | — |
| Large Cell Perkins Brailler | Bigger dots and spacing for readers who need them; 28 cells by 13 lines | 4.80 kg | — |
| Unimanual Perkins Brailler | Can be used with one hand | 4.80 kg | — |
| SMART Brailler | Plastic body, a screen that shows what you write in braille and large print, and speech; 28 cells per line; not suited to complex math; paper up to Letter size | 3.90 kg | $1,895 |
| Perkins Braille Bloom | Not a brailler: an add-on that turns any Perkins into a keyboard for a computer, tablet or phone, over Bluetooth or USB | — | $300 |
The Braille Bloom is the most interesting recent addition. It lets a Perkins user send text and email from the brailler, and lets a sighted teacher or parent see on a screen, in real time, what a student is writing in braille.
Where it came from
The Perkins was not the first braille typewriter. Frank Hall, superintendent of the Illinois Institution for the Education of the Blind, built the first typewriter-style braille writer in 1892. Perkins made its own, the Model A, in 1907, but early machines were handmade, inconsistent and hard to repair, and Perkins stopped making them in 1931.
The school's director, Gabriel Farrell, then asked industrial arts teacher David Abraham to design an inexpensive, reliable machine. Abraham worked with math teacher Edward Waterhouse and built the prototype in 1941. Wartime manufacturing restrictions held up production, and the first Perkins Brailler was sold in 1951. The design has barely changed since: more than 375,000 have been produced.
A lighter, quieter Next Generation model for students came out in 2008 and was replaced by the SMART Brailler in 2012. The classic model is still made.
Perkins, slate or keyboard?
A Perkins is not the only way to write braille. What each option is good for:
| Tool | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Perkins Brailler | Learning to write braille, schoolwork, labels, notes that will be read many times | Heavy and loud; costs hundreds of dollars |
| Slate and stylus | Carrying everywhere; quick notes; costs little | You punch one dot at a time, from right to left |
| Braille display or notetaker with a Perkins-style keyboard | Writing digital text, email, documents | Expensive; needs charging |
| Phone braille keyboard | Typing messages on a touchscreen | No paper copy, no tactile output on its own |
All of them use the same dot numbers, so what you learn on one carries over. How to write with each is in how to write braille, and the electronic options are in refreshable braille displays.
Is it still worth it?
For many blind students, yes. A Perkins needs no battery, survives classrooms for decades, gives instant tactile feedback, and teaches the physical shape of each cell in a way a screen cannot. That is why schools still buy them, decades after the design was finished. For adults who mostly need digital text, a display or notetaker with a Perkins-style keyboard often makes more sense, and the Braille Bloom now bridges the two.
If you are just starting with braille, learn the alphabet first. A brailler writes the dots you tell it to, and you need to know which ones. Start with how to learn braille and the braille alphabet chart.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Perkins Brailler?
A mechanical braille typewriter made by Perkins School for the Blind since 1951. It has six keys, one for each braille dot, plus space, backspace and line keys. Pressing several keys at once embosses a whole braille cell on heavy paper.
How much does a Perkins Brailler cost?
On October 7, 2026, the classic Perkins Brailler cost $810 on Perkins' own store, the electric model $1,030 and the SMART Brailler $1,895. The Braille Bloom, which connects a Perkins to a computer or phone, cost $300.
How much does a Perkins Brailler weigh?
The classic all-metal model weighs 4.80 kg, about 10.6 lb. The plastic SMART Brailler weighs 3.90 kg.
What is a braille typewriter called?
A braillewriter or brailler. The Perkins Brailler is by far the best known, so "Perkins" is often used for any braille typewriter.
How do you type on a Perkins Brailler?
Press the keys for all the dots of a character at the same time. The keys run 3, 2, 1, space, 4, 5, 6 from left to right, so c, dots 1 and 4, is both index fingers together. Each press embosses one cell and moves to the next space.
Can a Perkins Brailler connect to a computer?
Not by itself, but the Perkins Braille Bloom ($300) clicks into a Perkins and turns it into a keyboard for computers, tablets and phones, over Bluetooth or USB. The SMART Brailler also shows what you write on its own screen.
Who invented the Perkins Brailler?
David Abraham, an industrial arts teacher at Perkins School for the Blind, working with math teacher Edward Waterhouse at the request of the school's director, Gabriel Farrell. He built the prototype in 1941, and the first brailler was sold in 1951.