Feature Request: InPage-Style Urdu Nastaliq Kerning, Positioning, and Composition Engine for Adobe InDesign

Dear Adobe InDesign Team,

I would like to request major improvements to Urdu Nastaliq publishing support in Adobe InDesign.

Although InDesign supports right-to-left languages, it still lacks many professional Urdu composition features that are available in InPage and are essential for newspapers, magazines, books, and educational publishing.

The most important request is the introduction of an InPage-style Urdu Nastaliq Composition Engine.

Requested Features:

1. InPage-style Urdu Kerning Engine

• Automatic contextual kerning between Urdu characters.
• Ligature-aware spacing adjustments.
• Removal of excessive gaps between words and letters.

• Font-specific optimization for:

  • Jameel Noori Nastaleeq
  • Nafees Nastaleeq
  • Mehr Nastaliq
  • Faiz Nastaliq

1. InPage-style Kashida Justification

• Intelligent Kashida insertion.
• Balanced line composition.
• Reduced dependency on word spacing expansion.

1. Urdu Nastaliq Composer

• Dedicated composer specifically designed for Urdu Nastaliq.
• Better handling of multi-line Nastaliq text flow.

1. Word and Character Position Controls (Similar to InPage)

• Move selected word or character Left.
• Move selected word or character Right.
• Move selected word or character Up.
• Move selected word or character Down.
• Fine positioning controls using keyboard shortcuts.
• Visual nudging tools for precise Nastaliq adjustments.
• Support for adjusting individual ligatures without affecting surrounding text.

1. Improved Baseline Management

• Automatic baseline correction for Nastaliq fonts.
• Better alignment of words across multiple lines.

1. Improved Ligature Handling

• Context-sensitive Urdu ligatures.
• Better OpenType feature utilization.
• Enhanced glyph substitution and positioning.

1. Nuqta and Aerab Optimization

• Better placement of dots (Nuqta).
• Improved positioning of diacritics (Aerab).
• Collision detection and avoidance.

1. Urdu Publishing Tools

• Newspaper composition presets.
• Book publishing presets.
• Urdu typography presets.
• Nastaliq-specific paragraph settings.

1. Urdu Keyboard and Editing Enhancements

• Better Urdu text editing experience.
• Improved cursor behavior in Nastaliq text.
• Advanced Urdu proofreading and composition tools.

Many Urdu publishers continue to rely on InPage because of its superior Nastaliq composition quality and precise word-positioning controls. Bringing these capabilities into Adobe InDesign would greatly benefit the Urdu publishing industry and help professional publishers adopt InDesign as their primary layout and publishing platform.

Thank you for your consideration.