Vertical type and CJK layout in Layout by Zaweba
Vertical type, line-break rules, ruby, emphasis marks, frame grids and the Layout grid for Chinese, Japanese and Korean text in Layout by Zaweba.
Chinese, Japanese and Korean text have their own typographic traditions, and laying them out well takes more than putting the characters in a box. They can be set vertically, have their own rules about where a line may break, use ruby for readings and emphasis marks for stress, and often work on a grid of character cells. Layout by Zaweba supports these in its CJK layout features.
Vertical type
Text can run vertically, top to bottom, with columns read from right to left. CJK characters stay upright in vertical type. The Vertical type tool sets text this way, and Type > Text direction controls the direction of existing text.
Horizontal in vertical lets a short run, such as a two digit number, sit horizontally within a vertical line, as is customary.
Line-break rules
CJK typography has rules about which characters may begin or end a line; certain punctuation shouldn't start a line, for example. Layout's line-break rules can be strong or weak, and can push characters in or out to satisfy them. Hanging punctuation lets punctuation sit outside the text block so lines look even.
Character spacing, ruby and emphasis marks
Character spacing controls the space between characters, which in CJK text is governed by its own conventions rather than by word spaces.
Ruby places small characters beside or above the main text to show readings, common in Japanese for unusual kanji or for young readers. Emphasis marks are small dots or marks beside characters to stress them, the CJK equivalent of italics. Two-line notes set a short note in two small lines within the main line.
Frame grids and the Layout grid
Frame grids give a text frame a grid of character cells, so text sits in a regular pattern. The Layout grid sets characters per line, lines, columns and direction for the page. Designers working in Japanese often plan a page by its grid, so many characters per line and so many lines per column, and Layout supports that way of working.
Working well with CJK text
Use fonts designed for the language. CJK fonts are large and specific to each language's character forms.
Set direction and grid early. Changing from horizontal to vertical, or changing the grid late, reflows everything.
Choose line-break strength to suit the publication. Weak rules allow more flexibility; strong rules follow the tradition more strictly.
Check ruby and emphasis marks in proofs; they're small and easy to misplace when text is edited.
CJK pitfalls
Rotating a horizontal frame instead of using vertical type is a common one; the characters end up on their sides. Use the Vertical type tool or Text direction.
Forgetting horizontal in vertical leaves numbers stacked awkwardly.
Mixing grids between frames on the same page gives an uneven look.
Leaving line-break rules at a setting that doesn't suit the text is a quieter problem. Lines that end with an opening bracket or begin with a small kana look wrong to a native reader even if a non reader would never notice, so have proofs checked by someone who reads the language fluently before a job goes to print.
For publishers and designers producing material in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, Layout by Zaweba's CJK layout covers the conventions those scripts need.
