MegaDots is a mature DOS braille translator with powerful features for the volume transcriber and producer. Its straightforward, style-based system and automated features let you create great braille with only a few keystrokes. Yet it is sophisticated enough to please the fussiest braille producers -- you can control each step MegaDots follows to format, translate and produce braille documents. MegaDots 2.4w now has a Windows installation program that automatically installs your desktop icons and shortcuts. The headaches of installation are now gone!

MegaDots Product Overview

• New version MegaDots 2.4w is shipped on CD-ROM for easy installation. All the documentation is available from a simple menu on your browser.
• MegaDots 2.4w runs under 32 bits Windows versions: 98, ME, 2000, NT, XP, Vista, or Windows 7. MegaDots 2.4w will not run on 64 bit systems without the use of Virtual PC. MegaDots 2.4w automatically installs your Windows icons.
• MegaDots 2.4w includes improved script files for JAWS for Windows
• MegaDots 2.4w includes improved ability to import publisher (SGML) files
• Since MegaDots recognizes many file formats, you can bring in virtually any document and set it up for braille. MegaDots supports all commercial braille embossers and all modern inkprint printers (except for a small group of inkprint printers that are Windows-only).
• Whenever you want to see how the braille looks, press the Translate key. Suddenly you're looking at the same words, but in braille! You can jump around, edit or enter more braille. Braille entry can be done using a six-key technique, or as "Inkprint in braille", where the words you type become braille as you type them. When you are done in braille, press the Translate key once more and you return to print.
• Users of voice and refreshable braille displays will appreciate interacting with software tailored for blind access. Screens are simple and free of clutter, and you don't have to fuss around to know where you are in the software. When you move into a new area, the name of the screen is spoken, such as "Editor", "Main menu" or "Save file help".
• For large print users, MegaDots supports popular screen enlargement programs, as well as a built-in large text mode. You'll never have to scroll around looking for text or information that's off the screen. All you need to see is right there in front of you.
• For sighted users, MegaDots has a familiar look and feel. Pull-down menus, point and click mouse interaction and colorful screens make working fun. The braille itself can be viewed in a variety of forms, depending on what is most readable for you.
• MegaDots gives you the features you expect from a modern word processor, such as macros, bookmarks, and find and replace.

Features in MegaDots 2.4w

Optically scanned documents are automatically recognized and cleaned up - before you even edit your document!

• MegaDots knows that optical scanners make visual mistakes and has a system for changing nonsense back into the right words. And now, optically scanned documents are automatically recognized and cleaned up - before you even edit your document! Just import your optically scanned document, and obviously misspelled text is corrected, i.e., "farnily" is changed to "family". Other common format errors are also fixed, such as split paragraphs and misnumbered list items.
• Here's how it works. First, the scanned document's format is cleaned up. For example, optical scanners often break up paragraphs inappropriately or misnumber lists of items. MegaDots correctly formats these areas. It can even remove the garble that results from scanning pictures or graphics within the text. The text itself is then cleaned up, one word at a time. MegaDots will find and correct any obviously misspelled words before you even view your imported document. Running headers, footers and page numbers that occur on each page are removed and used for print page indicators in the document.

Improved Spell Checker

• We've added over 20,000 words to the dictionary. The Spell Checker now recognizes over 110,000 words.

Large Print Features!

• Create beautiful large print up to five times as tall and wide as standard fonts (up to 64 point).
• MegaDots supports your printer's scalable fonts for the most attractive possible large print.
• With new large print page indicators, you'll be able to follow page numbers from the original text.

Advanced Inkprint Printing Capabilities
We're proud to present these useful features designed specifically to make learning and proofreading braille easier. And while we were at it, we threw in quite a bit for users who need high quality, customizable inkprint, too.

• MegaDots now supports all modern inkprint printers, except for a small group that are Windows-only).
• Choose from ten different kinds of inkprint braille.
• Make inkprint braille and text on the same page in three different formats: side by side, word by word, and line by line.
• Side by Side displays the braille page next to the print page on one sheet.
• Word by Word puts the print word directly over each braille word.
• Line by Line mode puts the print line above each braille line.
• Adjustable vertical and horizontal spacing makes inkprint layout to your most exacting specifications.

Get a detailed document overview with the Interpret Format feature

• New Interpret Format screen shows you what's in your document: how many and which styles it uses; whether there are tabs, running headers, or print page indicators; and other useful information. This overview helps you check the "big picture" of your document.
• Make global changes to your document. For example, change all Poetry paragraphs to Body text.
• Within the overview, you can ask for greater detail. For example, you can view just the poetry in your document, or all of the print page indicators.
• Within one of these views, you can jump straight to that place in the text. Or, stay within the view, and make changes there.
• Use Interpret Format to adjust the importation of a document. When used right after import, you can adjust MegaDots' document cleanup, how MegaDots selects styles and what import features or styles to use while importing.

Easy Table Formatting!
We have worked with the pickiest braille transcribers to revamp our table formatting.

• MegaDots follows all of the new BANA and British table rules.
• MegaDots will automatically squeeze the table to fit on the braille page.
• If you braille table is too wide for the braille page, MegaDots can put it on two facing pages.
• Column Blocking lets you cut and paste entire columns.
• Format your word list in columns with Make Clipboard Columns. This feature now lets you choose the number of columns you want to generate.

MegaDots now handles diacritics
MegaDots now supports all of the diacritical marks shown in the textbook format codebook. This speeds up another laborious aspect of making braille.