Tasmeem

Summary

Tasmeem[1] was a set of Arabic enhancements for Adobe InDesign ME,[2] developed by WinSoft International and DecoType. Tasmeem allowed users to create typographically advanced text in Arabic in the Middle Eastern and North African versions of InDesign, turning it into a typesetting and design tool for Arabic.

Arabic calligraphy with Tasmeem edit

 
Rings

Tasmeem integrated Arabic traditional calligraphy with modern typefaces.

Subset of Tasmeem features

Tasmeem fonts edit

Tasmeem 4 proposed a new collection of fonts such as Naskh, Emiri, Hasan Hiba. Tasmeem fonts could only be used with Tasmeem.

Word Shaping edit

Word Shaping presented all the possible calligraphic alternatives for the selected letters of a word.

Text Shaping edit

Text Shaping dealt with the same calligraphic parameters as the Word Shaping, but automated it for large amounts of text. Distribution of shape alternates, dissimilation of the same letter through a variation, Kashida distribution and frequency can be precisely controlled and applied on long text, just like a regular paragraph style.

The Position Tuner edit

The Position Tuner feature allows dragging and positioning a segment of a word with the mouse in normal, searchable text. It adjusts spacing, kerning and creates calligraphic arrangements. Moreover it can select and colour vowels independently.

Selection Helper edit

This feature facilitates the selection in non-linear text by pinpointing each letter and vowel.

Arabic Spacing edit

Arabic Spacing allows adjusting space between words and space between word segments.

References edit

  1. ^ "A typographic matchmaking project for the 16th century: the Civilité of Granjon and the Naskh of Winsoft." - AME info article
  2. ^ PRlog article, announcing the availability of Indesign CS4 ME version

External links edit

  • More information about Tasmeem
  • The WinSoft Arabic Typography Contest