DTP Best Practices for Regional Languages
Preparing regional language content for professional printing requires careful attention to font management, file formats, and encoding standards. This guide covers industry-tested best practices for Hindi and Marathi DTP workflows.
1. Always Convert Before Printing
If your design is created in Unicode (Mangal, Nirmala UI), always convert the text to the correct legacy format before sending to a printing press that uses older software. Use our Unicode to Shree Lipi Converter to do this accurately.
2. Embed or Outline Fonts
- CorelDRAW: Select all text → Convert to Curves (Ctrl+Q) before exporting PDF
- Adobe InDesign: File → Export PDF → Include: Subset fonts below 100%
- PageMaker: Export as PostScript with font embedding enabled
3. Use the Correct Font Version
Shree Lipi has multiple versions — Shree-Dev, Shree-Dev-0704, Shree-Dev-NX etc. Using the wrong version will scramble matras and half-letters. Always confirm with your printing press which font version they support before starting your design.
4. Proofread Converted Text Carefully
After converting from Unicode to Shree Lipi, always proofread the output. Pay special attention to:
- Half-letters (ardha-akshar) at the beginning of words
- Raa (र) with subscript consonants
- Complex conjunct characters (jod-akshar)
- Long vowel signs (aa-kaar, ii-kaar matras)
5. File Handoff Checklist
- All fonts embedded or outlined
- Images at minimum 300 DPI
- Bleed area set to 3mm on all sides
- Color mode set to CMYK (not RGB)
- Spot colors converted if needed
- Text proofread after any Unicode to Shree Lipi conversion