How to Preserve Kashida Settings for Individual Paragraphs?

[Mo_Nasreddin]

I've typeset a book in Arabic. For reasons concerning page layout, I've changed the paragraph kashida setting from 'medium' to 'short' in some paragraphs. However, at my printers, those changes were not preserved in the files, thus changing the page layouts. Luckily I caught this in the proof, but this could have cost serious amounts of money. At the least, this will become a constant concern and limit productivity, costing me time and money.

We're both using InDesign CC.

This also indicates that if I share an InDesign file with anyone, I cannot guarantee that they will see the same thing that I designed on my end.

1. Why doesn't the file save this information automatically?

2. If InDesign can save this information, how can I make sure it does?

[Willi Adelberger]

Create another paragraph style for different paragraph settings.

[Mo_Nasreddin]

Seriously? Why should I need to create a new paragraph style for any little variation? I can for example use one paragraph style but change the text colour without having to create a new paragraph or character style. Why should kashidas be any different?

[Willi Adelberger]

If you want to work seriousely and reliable you have to work with dedicated paragraph and character styles. If not, you will have to live with your problems.

That is the reason why wehave those styles.

[Mo_Nasreddin]

Yeah. yeah. I have styles set for all my bits and pieces. This is not my first rodeo. It seems you don't know what a kashida is or how Arabic works.

Thanks for the effort.

[Jongware]

All features ought to work the same from one computer to another. If not, this would seriously be considered A Bug, and simply opening up a document on another computer would be totally unreliable.

That said: there could be a few local settings that may change the formatting from one computer to another. Is some of your text formatting based on [Basic Paragraph]?

Quoting David Blatner (https://indesignsecrets.com/beware-basic-styles.php😞

I don’t like using Basic Paragraph Style one bit.

[Mo_Nasreddin]

No, not using Basic Paragraph style. I'm using a specific paragraph and character style. Again the problem is for the individual paragraph that I change on the spread to tweak the layout design. Those particular changes don't show up once the ID file is on another computer. This happens with individual files or files from the 'Package Book for Print' folder.

[Jongware]

Can you confirm if you and your printer use the exact same version of CC? Maybe he's not using the ME one, and the default kashida settings are different for English vs. ME.

You can also propose a different workflow, not actually solving but at least circumventing this problem: sending PDFs instead of native files. Is there a real need for your printer to work with native files?

[Mo_Nasreddin]

Yes, of course I'm assuming the printer's Adobe is up-to-date, but I will check that. That sounds the most logical reason for the problem.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

Kashida settings on InDesign CS5.5 ME and prior versions were totally different to InDesign CS6 and later versions. Earlier Middle Eastern version of Adobe products were developed by Winsoft, while later ME applications are developed by Adobe. Now although I don't think the printer is on such an old InDesign but if they are then definitely such version difference will change how much a Khashida is extended.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

I agree with [Jongware]-GfBROo​ and I add that running InDesign on different platforms will result in unexpected layout discrepancies, for instance you're using Mac, while the printer opens your document on Windows.

Having said that, now that you know such issues will occur when your printer opens your native InDesign files, it is strongly recommended that you share PDFs with your press/print providers.

By the way I read quite few contributions from Willi Adelberger​ he do know quite a bit about Arabic script and Kashida isn't so strange to many non-Arabic speaking on this forum. You need to take his responses seriously as he is helping you.