Prepare Pashto and Dari books for print

Before you begin

Start with a source document that already reads correctly. Pashto and Dari need appropriate fonts, right-to-left paragraph handling and careful review of mixed-language content. Book opening direction, paragraph direction and PDF page order are separate decisions.

Keep an ordinary reading PDF and a separately named production PDF if the print preparation requires different ordering. Do not overwrite the only correct reading copy.

Check typography and font coverage

• Review connected letters, dots and diacritics, punctuation and numerals in the actual PDF.
• Include Pashto-specific letters and all characters used in the manuscript when checking your font. A font supporting some Arabic text may not cover every required character.
• Inspect headings, poetry, footnotes, page numbers and mixed English passages. Check fonts as described in the embedded-font guide.

Confirm the physical reading direction

Ask which side the finished book should open from and identify the intended first reading page. A right-to-left printed edition can require production page ordering and a cover arrangement that differ from its reading copy. Confirm the required setup before making changes; do not reverse every file automatically.

A prepared PDF may already use the required order. Before changing it, compare its first and last pages with the intended opening sequence. Confirm the plan with the reviewer.

Review page pairs and blank pages

1. Walk through the title page, opening chapter, a middle chapter and the final reading page.
2. Check whether each important page falls on the intended physical side. Distinguish the PDF’s page index from the printed page number.
3. Review intentional blanks and the start of numbering. Do not delete every blank automatically; some may be part of the layout.
4. Inspect the full print cover together with the agreed production order.

Check your result

• The correct opening direction is recorded and understood.
• The production order has been reviewed rather than guessed from the language.
• The print cover and interior belong to the same final version.
• A physical proof is checked for readability and sequence before wider sales where possible.

Reference and help

For reading-direction questions, ask Ketabona for a file review. If your reading PDF is correct but you are uncertain about production order, send Ketabona the intended opening direction and the relevant page references before changing the file.

Sample files

See Sample files for a clearly labelled reference set. Choose the file by its purpose, not simply by its PDF extension.