Bigprose
What it does: Bigprose makes clean large print two ways. Drop in a recipe, a church bulletin, a letter, a menu or an instructions sheet, and it re-flows it into a large-print PDF: 14 to 32 point text in a clear typeface, generous spacing, one column, black on white. Or bring your chord sheets, and it lays them out as large-print songbooks and set lists with the chords above the words, in any key. Check it on screen, then save it or print it. For readers with low vision, activity directors, caregivers, families, church bands and worship teams.
- Checkout by Gumroad
- Notarized by Apple
- No FitzTopPicks account needed
Free to use without a key: everything works, for 2 large-print document copies (saved or printed) a day and songbooks and set lists of up to 5 songs.
Buy a license key to unlock Pro: no daily limit, and songbooks and set lists of any length.
macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Version 1.0 · 3.7 MB disk image · Notarized by Apple
One-time $19.99 for the app with Pro: as many large-print copies as you like, and songbooks of any length. No subscription. One license key works on up to 3 of your Macs.
Download: The download (a signed, notarized .dmg) comes with your purchase in your Gumroad receipt, together with your license key. Updates install from inside the app.
Buy now opens Gumroad's checkout on this page; Gumroad is the seller and handles payment, sales tax and your receipt.
Screenshots
5 pictures: swipe or scroll sideways.
What you get
- Bigprose for Mac: macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- The signed, notarized .dmg download and your license key, in your Gumroad receipt
- One license key for up to 3 of your Macs
- Updates that install from inside the app
- A one-time price: no subscription
Features
- Reads Word (.docx), RTF, plain text, Markdown and PDFs that are mostly text
- Two-column newsletters and bulletins read left column first; repeated page headers and old page numbers left out
- Keeps headings, numbered and bulleted lists, tables and pictures; tables listed row by row when they don't fit
- Songbooks from ChordPro files and chords-over-lyrics text: chords above the words, bold choruses, verses never split
- Transpose each song on its own, capo shapes with the real key shown, or Nashville numbers
- Songbooks with contents and an index; set lists with a big-print running order; booklets to fold and staple
- Atkinson Hyperlegible (the Braille Institute's typeface for low vision), Verdana, Arial or Helvetica, shared by documents and songbooks
- Size from 14 to 32 pt, high contrast with bold text, presets for large print, extra large, recipes and hymns
- Letter, A4, Legal or Half Letter paper; save a PDF or print
- Scanned PDFs are refused with a plain explanation, and every copy lists what changed; English and Spanish
Free vs Pro
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| What you can do | Everything works, for 2 large-print document copies (saved or printed) a day and songbooks and set lists of up to 5 songs | Everything free, plus no daily limit, and songbooks and set lists of any length |
| Price | Free download | $19.99 one-time |
Questions
What can it read?
Word (.docx), RTF, plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md) and PDFs that are mostly text, including two-column newsletters and bulletins. Older Word.doc files need saving as.docx first.
Why won’t it open my PDF?
Some PDFs are pictures of pages (a scan or a photo) with no text inside. Bigprose can only re-flow text it can read, so it says so instead of guessing. If you can select the words in Preview, Bigprose can read it; otherwise use the original Word or text file.
What happens to tables and pictures?
Tables stay tables when their columns fit at the size you chose, and are listed row by row (“Time: 9:00 · Activity: Bingo”) when they don’t. Pictures grow with the text, up to the page width, or can be left out. Tables in PDFs are rebuilt from where the words sit, so check them against the original.
Is it an accessibility tool?
It makes clear large-print copies for reading and printing. It doesn’t certify that a document meets accessibility or medical-reading standards.
How do I change a song’s key?
In a songbook or set list, click the key next to the song and pick another; each song keeps its own key in each book. The Capo menu prints the shapes you play with a capo, and the page still shows the real key.
What’s free, and what does Pro add?
Everything works without a key, for 2 large-print document copies (saved or printed) a day and songbooks and set lists of up to 5 songs. Pro removes both limits. It’s a one-time purchase on Gumroad, with no subscription.
From the Bigprose help page.
How-to guide
How to make a large-print copy of a document
The free and built-in ways first, where they stop, and how Bigprose does it.
Requirements
- macOS
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- Processor
- Apple silicon and Intel
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Download
- 3.7 MB disk image
- Version
- 1.0
Word .docx, RTF, .txt, .md and PDFs with selectable text, and ChordPro (.cho, .chopro, .crd, .pro) and text song files; older .doc files and scans aren't supported. Bigprose makes easier-to-read copies; it doesn't certify accessibility compliance. Printing copyrighted songs for a group usually needs a license (for example CCLI).
What's new
Version 1.0 ·
- Turn a document into clean large print: Word (.docx), RTF, plain text, Markdown and PDFs that are mostly text, re-flowed into one column at 14 to 32 point, black on white, with "Page 2 of 5" in large print.
- Two-column newsletters and bulletins read in the right order; headings, lists, tables and pictures come along, and every copy lists what changed.
- Songbooks and set lists from your chord sheets: import ChordPro files or chords-over-lyrics text, and print them in large print with the chords above the words and verses that never split across a page.
- Transpose each song in a songbook on its own, print capo shapes with the real key shown, or use Nashville numbers.
- Contents, an index of titles and first lines, a big-print set list page, one or two columns, and saddle-stitched booklets to fold and staple.
- One look for both: Atkinson Hyperlegible, Verdana, Arial or Helvetica, high contrast with bold text and black chords, and presets for large print, extra large, recipes and hymns.
- Used Chordbinder? File › Import Chordbinder Library brings its songs, songbooks and set lists along.
- Export a PDF or print. Free for 2 large-print document copies a day and songbooks of up to 5 songs; one Pro key removes both limits.
- Help for documents and songbooks, a Welcome screen, and Spanish.
From Bigprose's release notes. Updates install from inside the app.
Privacy
Your documents and songs never leave your Mac. Bigprose works only with the files you open or import and never changes the originals. It keeps your settings, the free version’s daily copy count, your song library (songbooks and set lists) and your license key (in your Keychain) on your Mac. The only network requests are the license check with Gumroad (your license key, when you enter it and about once a week) and checking for updates at fitztoppicks.com; neither sends anything about your documents or songs.
Questions about your purchase or license key? Reply to your Gumroad receipt or contact us.
