Arabic Typesetting

The Arabic alphabet is beautiful, and contains many intricacies. Read on for details on Arabic typesetting for use in printed materials, from marketing brochures to highly specialised technical manuals.

Typesetting right to left

The first thing you need to be aware of, is that Arabic script reads from right to left, and the layout appears back to front which is opposite to the direction of Latin script. This should be consistent when it comes to the entire layout. For example, front cover in a printed Arabic document will appear as a back cover of a Latin script document. However, it important to note, that numerals actually read from left to right!

Choosing your font

When it comes to determining what font to use, you have several different options at your disposal. You can use some of the standard options that are available to you. Facebook uses Tahoma when displaying text in Arabic, for instance. Both PCs and Macs provide some basic Arabic fonts for you to utilise as well, such as Traditional Arabic and Geeza Pro. There are also lots of different original Arabic typesetting font families you can purchase online. With such purchases you will be able to use a variety of different fonts to get your ideas across!

Typesetting software

In addition to this, it is also important to be aware of the fact that you will need specialised software when typesetting Arabic script, such as InDesign ME, which is specifically tailored for use with Middle Eastern languages. The Naskh typeface that is available in the programme is particularly popular. You can also buy Middle Eastern versions of Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Illustrator.

So there you have it – a brief insight into typesetting Arabic script correctly in order to create well presented documents.

In addition to our professional translation services, we also offer typesetting services for those all important documents, and can boast an in house typesetting studio, equipped with the latest Middle East specialised typesetting software. Our Typesetting Manager, Denise, in particular, is quite the wizard, and has almost 30 years of experience in the field. Why not get in touch and speak to us about your Arabic typesetting requirement.

For a free, no-obligation typesetting quotation, contact us on +44 (0)1245 216 930 – and start making good impressions with your international customers.

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