Nastaliq fonts
Hello,
This is my first post to this forum. I have already appreciated some of the wealth of information experience available here.
Presently I am doing some research into software and fonts capable of authentically handling Urdu (Nastaliq) typesetting work (long books). I have come across a package called InPage, bundled together with a family of fonts called simply “Noori Nastaliq” by Kamal Mansour.
Ideally, I am hoping to find an OpenType font solution which will function well within InDesign CS/CS3 ME (where my experience lies). Does anyone here know where the Noori Nastaliq fonts might be found? I have been looking around on the Internet for a bit without success. Also, does anyone here have a success story of working with Urdu text within InDesign ME. If so, are there particular fonts which are recommended?
I’d be grateful for any good advice.
Jeff
11.Apr.2008 2.20pm
Hi; the Noori Nastaliq font is from Monotype:
http://www.monotypeimaging.com/ProductsServices/wt_fontsample.aspx?type=Arabic
Jason C
10.May.2008 6.24am
Hi Jason,
My further comment here is rather delayed. Just wanted to mention that I did contact Monotype and was able to purchase the font from them (Noori Nastaliq). The rendering for Unicode Urdu text under Windows XP/Uniscribe is quite good with this font. Unfortunately, InDesign ME (CS2) does not fair nearly so well. The text is all squashed together — have tried numerous style options to see if some configuration exists in InDesign which would help .. but nothing. The text renders OK in InDesign ME in many common Arabic Unicode fonts, with the exception of some missing characters in most fonts (esp. 06BE: ARABIC LETTER HEH DOACHASHMEE).
The Noori Nastaliq font contains all the required shapes. In fact, I am working at conversion of documents from InPage to Unicode. I hoped that the Noori font would be the best bet, since it seems to be the Unicode equivalent of the InPage legacy fonts. The font does work well, just not in InDesign ME.
So... just wondering still whether anyone here has a story to tell about working with Urdu text in InDesign ME, Nastaliq style? Any successes?
Jeff
11.May.2008 2.15am
Since you asked about ’software and fonts’, you might have a look at the Tasmeem plug-in for InDesign ME. There’s a lively discussion about it on Pascal Zoghbi’s blog, with contributions by its inventor and news in the last comments.
(To be a bit more precise, at the heart of it there is a layout engine called ACE which interacts with fonts of a special format, and the Tasmeem plug-in gives InDesign ME access to both.)
I should emphasize that I do not know Arabic. My interest is in technology, and this is the best thing I have seen in years.
Karsten
11.May.2008 2.16am
[double post]
11.May.2008 3.34am
Mr Klassen, you might contact Thomas Milo, the man behind ACE and Tasmeem, at tmilo[AT]decotype[DOT]com
11.May.2008 9.11am
Karsten,
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I have seen Tasmeem, and must agree that it appears to be a significantly and uniquely powerful addition to InDesign ME. However, I am working with long documents and would require the features to be enabled for more than 2 pages — i.e Tasmeem “Publisher Edition” needed. The price of that edition was a bit “frightening” the first time I looked ($12,500). That said, I acknowledge the significant amount of development that must have gone into this product (InDesign additions and fonts). I was still hoping that some success for Nastaliq style might be possible in a somewhat less expensive product (the Noori font looks OK in Word — any Uniscribe aware application really). Perhaps InDesign ME does not implement as much of OpenType glyph positioning (or other) as provided through many Uniscribe aware applications.
I should still give Tasmeem a try, as there is a 45 day trial available. The cost is a bit of a hurdle.
Jeff