Arabic Desktop Publishing (DTP)

Arabic desktop publishing is one of the most technically demanding aspects of Arabic translation. Converting a document designed for English into Arabic requires far more than replacing text — the entire visual layout must be restructured to accommodate Arabic's right-to-left reading direction, connected script, and different typographic conventions.

Key Arabic DTP challenges that generic designers struggle with:

• Complete layout mirroring — Arabic documents read from right to left, which means the entire page layout must be mirrored. Images that imply directional flow (arrows, process diagrams, timelines) may need flipping. Columns reorder from right to left. Binding moves to the right spine for printed documents. Page numbering flows in reverse.
• Arabic typography — Arabic has different typographic conventions from English. Justified Arabic text uses kashida (letter stretching) rather than word spacing for justification — a feature that many non-specialist designers implement incorrectly. Arabic fonts must support full text shaping (initial, medial, final, and isolated letter forms), ligatures, and diacritical marks (tashkeel) for formal text.
• Text reflow — Arabic text may be shorter or longer than the English original, requiring text boxes to be resized and layouts rebalanced. InDesign's Arabic Composer handles basic reflow, but complex layouts with text wrapping around images, pull quotes, and callout boxes need manual adjustment by a designer who understands Arabic typography.
• Bilingual documents — Many Arabic documents are bilingual English-Arabic, requiring both LTR and RTL text on the same page. This creates complex bidirectional layout challenges, particularly in tables, forms, and side-by-side comparison layouts. Our designers ensure both languages coexist harmoniously without breaking either layout direction.

Our Arabic DTP team uses Adobe InDesign with the Arabic/Hebrew version and Middle Eastern text engine, ensuring correct Arabic text composition, paragraph direction, and typographic features that the standard Western version of InDesign does not support.

UK businesses targeting Arabic-speaking markets — particularly in the Gulf (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar) — need professionally formatted Arabic marketing materials that match the quality of their English originals. Arabic brochures, product catalogues, annual reports, and corporate presentations are essential tools for business development in the Arab world.

Common Arabic DTP projects we handle:

• Marketing brochures and flyers — Full RTL layout adaptation of promotional materials for Gulf trade shows, investor meetings, and client presentations. We maintain your brand colours, typography hierarchy, and design system while adapting the layout for Arabic. Print-ready PDF output with CMYK colour profiles and bleed marks.
• Product catalogues — Arabic product catalogues for distribution in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Arab markets. We handle the complete process from translation through layout to print-ready files, including Arabic product names, specifications, pricing tables, and technical drawings with Arabic annotations.
• Annual reports and financial documents — Bilingual English-Arabic annual reports for companies with Gulf investors or operations in Arabic-speaking countries. These require particularly careful formatting as financial tables, charts, and data visualisations must render correctly in both languages. See our financial translation services for the translation component.
• Corporate presentations — Arabic PowerPoint and Keynote presentations for Gulf business meetings, investor pitches, and conference talks. We adapt slide layouts for RTL reading direction while maintaining your corporate template and brand guidelines.
• Technical manuals and documentation — Arabic user guides, installation manuals, and technical documentation formatted to match your English originals. Complex layouts with diagrams, callout boxes, warning labels, and numbered procedures require specialist Arabic DTP skills.

All Arabic DTP work includes a quality check where a native Arabic reader reviews the final formatted document for typographic errors, text overflow, and layout issues before delivery.