Manzar Lahori Nastaliq - منظر لاہوری نستعلیق

Manzar Lahori Nastaliq: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Innovation

Manzar Lahori Nastaliq, originally known as Faiz Nastaliq, is a pioneering ligature-based Lahori Nastaliq font developed by Axis SoftMedia Inc. It holds a special place in the history of Urdu typography as the world’s first Lahori Nastaliq font to incorporate Kashish (Kasheeda), revolutionizing the art of digital calligraphy.

A Legacy of Dedication and Craftsmanship The creation of this remarkable font began in 2005 and took nearly three years to complete. Axis SoftMedia’s senior calligrapher, the Late Dr. Rehan Ansari, undertook the monumental task of crafting every ligature. Inspired by the renowned Lahori Nastaliq calligrapher Faiz Mujadid, Late Dr. Ansari meticulously scanned original hand-written texts and traced each ligature into line art, creating a digital masterpiece that preserved the authenticity of traditional Lahori Nastaliq.

At the time, the only widely-used font in the Urdu publishing industry was Noori Nastaliq, designed by Mirza Jameel Ahmed, representing the Dahelvi style. Recognizing the need for diversity, Axis SoftMedia set out to develop a Lahori-style font, bringing the elegance and grace of Lahori Nastaliq into the digital age. The result was Faiz Nastaliq a font that quickly gained prominence for its beauty and precision.

From Faiz Nastaliq to Manzar Lahori Nastaliq, Faiz Nastaliq was initially designed exclusively for InPage ©, limiting its usage to that platform. After the contract with InPage © ended in 2012, Faiz Nastaliq faded from the publishing scene, though pirated versions circulated widely, cementing its popularity among the masses.

In 2017, as Axis SoftMedia embarked on developing the Manzar Typesetting Tool for Adobe InDesign ©, the team revisited Faiz Nastaliq’s source code. Under the expert guidance of Lahori Experts and with OTF programming executed by renowned Nastaliq expert Syed Manzar Zaidi, the font underwent a comprehensive upgrade:

Conversion to Unicode: Transitioned from ASCII to Unicode, enhancing compatibility with modern publishing tools.

Redesigned Characters: Improved the character set to ensure greater clarity and elegance.

Enhanced Kashish: Added multiple Kashish (Kasheeda) options, providing users with the ability to elongate words for improved layout and artistic expression.

In 2019, this refined and upgraded version was reintroduced as Manzar Lahori Nastaliq, making its debut in the Manzar Typesetting Tool.

Why Manzar Lahori Nastaliq Stands Out:

First of Its Kind: The first ligature-based Lahori Nastaliq font with Kashish support, bringing digital calligraphy to new heights.

Multiple Ligatures: Offers a wide range of ligatures, ensuring text flows seamlessly while maintaining traditional aesthetics.

Complete Layout Control: Empowers users to condense or expand words as needed, creating perfect Quranic and literary layouts.

A Tribute to Craftsmanship: Each ligature reflects years of dedication, blending the artistic brilliance of Faiz Mujadid with the digital mastery of Late Dr. Rehan Ansari.

Today, Manzar Lahori Nastaliq is embraced by professional publishers across the Indo-Pak region, preserving the legacy of Lahori Nastaliq while embracing the precision and flexibility of digital technology.

Experience the elegance of traditional calligraphy with the precision of digital typography Manzar Lahori Nastaliq is more than a font; it’s a tribute to art, history, and innovation.

Disclaimer: Faiz Nastaliq is a copyrighted product of Axis SoftMedia. If you use Faiz Nastaliq OpenType version and Faiz Nastaliq with InPage © version 3.2 and above versions including InPage © 4.x, it is illegal. Please report any unauthorized use to copyright@axissoftmedia.com.

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