| Table of Contents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Version history:
1.0, 8 March 2012; numerous edits in 2014 and 2015
...
Choosing a typesetter for Arabic or Muslim Scripts
| Typesetter | Software | Fonts | Elements | Source files |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAT | LuaTeX | Amiri | Bold Arabic (only in Amiri); Critical text editions, with facing translation if required | TeX, LaTeX, MS Word, Mellel, Nisus Writer, Classical Text Editor (CTE) |
| DecoType | Tasmeem for InDesign | DT Emiri, DTNaskh, DTNastaliq (Arabic, Persian), DT Nastaleeq Press (Urdu) | Arabic, Persian text editions; poetry | MS Word, Mellel, Nisus Writer, Apple Pages (via MS Word) |
| Asiatype | Tasmeem for InDesign | DT Emiri, DTNaskh, DTNastaliq (Arabic, Persian) | Bold Arabic (only in Amiri); Edited volumes, critical text editions if not too complex (only one textual apparatus) | MS Word, Mellel, Nisus Writer |
Script styles, software, and fonts
...
- Arabic-only paragraphs, vocalised: 13 pt Emiri, set on alternating standard baseline grid lines (i.e., double grid line spacing)
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Kashidah Short
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 350, Overlap: 100; Internal Word Spacing: 180, Overlap: 10
- mixed ‘Latin’-Arabic paragraphs, with Arabic vocalised: 12 pt Emiri, leading must be sufficient to avoid clashes with lines above and below (up to 24 pt leading may sometimes prove necessary, but leading should never be too large either). Leading must be adjusted individually for each line of text containing Arabic words or phrases.
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Kashidah Short
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 350, Overlap: 100; Internal Word Spacing: 180, Overlap: 10
- Arabic-only paragraphs, unvocalised: 13 pt Emiri, leading 20 pt (i.e., not on the baseline grid)
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Meem Closed
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 400, Overlap: 40; Internal Word Spacing: 150, Overlap: 10
- mixed ‘Latin’-Arabic paragraphs, with Arabic unvocalised: 12 pt Emiri, leading must be sufficient to avoid clashes with lines above and below (up to 18 pt leading may sometimes prove necessary, but leading should never be too large either). Leading must be adjusted individually for each line of text containing Arabic words or phrases.
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Meem Closed
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 400, Overlap: 40; Internal Word Spacing: 150, Overlap: 10
Bibliographies
- Arabic vocalised: 12 pt Emiri, not on baseline grid – leading up to 24 pt to avoid clashes (not too much, though)
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Kashidah Short
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 350, Overlap: 100; Internal Word Spacing: 180, Overlap: 10
- Arabic unvocalised: 12 pt Emiri, not on baseline grid – leading up to 18 pt to avoid clashes (not too much, though)
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Meem Closed
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 400, Overlap: 40; Internal Word Spacing: 150, Overlap: 10
...
- Arabic-only paragraphs, vocalised: 11 pt Emiri, leading 21 pt (i.e., not on the baseline grid)
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Kashidah Short
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 350, Overlap: 100; Internal Word Spacing: 180, Overlap: 10
- mixed ‘Latin’-Arabic paragraphs, with Arabic vocalised: 11 pt Emiri, leading must be sufficient to avoid clashes with lines above and below (up to 21 pt leading may sometimes prove necessary, but leading should never be too large either). Leading must be adjusted individually for each line of text containing Arabic words or phrases.
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Kashidah Short
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 350, Overlap: 100; Internal Word Spacing: 180, Overlap: 10
- Arabic-only paragraphs, unvocalised: 11 pt Emiri, leading 17 pt (i.e., not on the baseline grid)
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Meem Closed
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 400, Overlap: 40; Internal Word Spacing: 150, Overlap: 10
- mixed ‘Latin’-Arabic paragraphs, with Arabic unvocalised: 11 pt Emiri, leading must be sufficient to avoid clashes with lines above and below (up to 18 pt leading may sometimes prove necessary, but leading should never be too large either). Leading must be adjusted individually for each line of text containing Arabic words or phrases.
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Emiri Meem Closed
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: External Word spacing: 400, Overlap: 40; Internal Word Spacing: 150, Overlap: 10
...
The Naskh font whose settings can be adjusted using the Tasmeem plugin is the font of choice for Arabic poetry because of its great flexibility. For example: although it can still be quite a lot of work to equalise the length of both hemistichs of an Arabic verse (if required), at least it is feasible using Naskh. Not only can the length of specific words be influenced by applying kashida, but often there is a choice in word shapes, depending on how some consonants are stacked (or not), or on which consonant shapes are chosen (Emiri provides distinctly fewer options, although still more than most OpenType Arabic fonts). In text editions with mainly or exclusively prose text, Naskh is also often preferred, especially for the main text; in critical apparatuses and notes, however, Emiri is regularly chosen because of its ‘flatter’ profile.
...
- Arabic-only paragraphs, unvocalised: 13 pt Naskh, with 24 pt leading
- Tasmeem Text Shaping Preset: Naskh Standard
- Tasmeem Arabic Spacing: Classic typography
Other elements’ settings: TBA
Download PDF with a summary for Typesetters (Emiri font)
Brill Production Editors must send a copy of the PDF in the link below containing Emiri Arabic typesetting instructions, a summary of the above text (DT Naskh is not treated, only Emiri):
- with each new book project
- in the case of journals, regularly (whenever a batch of articles is sent on to the typesetters, or every two months, whichever is the more frequent)
The reason for this is that we have noticed that even those typesetters who regularly deal with Arabic typesetting sometimes forget to apply these settings. It may be forgetfulness, or new staff may have been put to work on Arabic, and they may be unaware of the need to apply specific settings to specific types of Arabic text. When the settings are not applied, this will lead to complaints from authors, so please avoid this by regularly sending the Emiri instructions. Download the document entitled Typesetting Arabic: Tasmeem software and the DT Emiri font.
Adding diacritics to Arabic characters
Adding diacritics to Arabic characters (PDF)
The InDesign file for this topic is available here: G:\data\Projects\Unicode\AlfabettenAlphabets_and_enWriting_schriftenSystems\Arabic\Tasmeem\Arabic_script_with_diacritics.indd:
Arabic_script_with_diacritics.indd
See also: Encoding and keying-in of Arabic and Persian (Farsi) text: best practices
Amiri font sizes
In the settings for the Amiri typeface the font sizes for vocalised and unvocalised Arabic script are kept the same:
- Inline text (mixed ‘Latin’-Arabic paragraphs) 11 pt. Leading: default BTS leading, but avoid clashes with lines above and below. In case clashes should occur, leading must be adjusted individually for each line of text containing Arabic words or phrases.
- Arabic-only paragraphs 11 pt, (unvocalised text:) leading 18 pt
- Block quote text 11 pt, leading 1.5 1½ gridstep
- Bibliography text 10 pt
- Footnote text 10 pt, Arabic-only footnotes: leading 16,5 16½ pts. Inline text (mixed ‘Latin’-Arabic footnotes): default BTS leading, but avoid clashes with lines above and below. In case clashes should occur, leading must be adjusted individually for each line of text containing Arabic words or phrases.
- Chapter titles (books)/Article titles (journals): Amiri Bold 16 pt, leading 30 pt
...
