Epub fixed layout - Japonese Maga

[simone30960377uzoe]

Hi!

I need to create an epub in Japanese manga format, which can be read from right to left. By just changing the Indesign language, can I get the program to export a fixed epub that reads from right to left?

Thanks

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

In general, to publish RTL books with InDesign you need to install either the CJK (Asian Languages) or MEL (Middle Eastern Languages) version, which support RTL text and page flow.

That said, I have no idea if the EPUB export feature in those versions is any different. There have been a number of users trying to export Arabic and Farsi works and having various problems, but I haven't paid attention to anything but the technical issues.

If your book is all pictures, the order of the export should not matter; simply set up all your pages in the correct order and export. I believe there's one CSS style code you can add to set the book to open and read in RTL order.

If you're actually typesetting the Japanese text around images... the whole project is going to be technically demanding until you master the various type, layout and other RTL features on top of the EPUB export issues.

A more complete discussion of your project, how you're laying it out and creating the pages, would help in giving more precise answers. But the very short answer is yes, there are RTL EPUBs and I believe most of the better readers (Calibre, Thorium) handle the format.

[rayek.elfin]

If you are dealing with Japanese Mangas comic book formats, may I suggest Clip Studio Paint EX instead of InDesign to prepare your epub? One of the main reasons being that the software supports Manga formats natively and allows for both left AND right binding. And exports directly to EPUB as a RTL read version.

Setting up a new comic/manga book with right binding is easy:

Set the number of pages, and that's it! Import or create your content on pages.

This is what it looks like in Clip Studio EX:

 

Notice the yellow arrows:

• right binding indicated by the pages panel
• text may be set to Japanese top to bottom vertical
• a 3D preview shows the final result to check if everything looks okay before output. Orbit around the print and browse to check for apparent issues. (Sounds like a gimmick, but it is truly useful to have! Exporting a preview PDF is not quite the same. I wish InDesign would have a similar feature!)
• Export an EPUB: File-->Export Multiple Page-->Export EPUB Data

And the result in Thorium:

Export to either EPUB or directly to a Kindle compatible file.

Notice how the navigation in Thorium is reversed compared to Western-style publications: to navigate away from the first page the use must click on the left arrow instead of the right one.

Anyone dealing with Manga / comic publishing ought to check out Clip Studio EX. I am not saying that InDesign couldn't do this job IF you install the Japanese version, but CS EX is the industry standard for this type of work, and the entire workflow is targeted at comics and Manga / Manghua.

Another advantage is that we can work directly with bitmap painting and editing tools in the app itself and there is no need for an external image editor. Also easier to edit and clean up comic line art. And obviously there are specific text balloon and other comic editing tools that InDesign lacks.

I have used InDesign in the past for comic work, but nowadays I prefer CS EX. It just makes life easier.

Anyway. Just my two cents.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

I know @manal shanableh have made so much effort in figuring how to tackle RTL e-PUB issues. Perhaps she can lend a hand here. I also agree with James that you need to try the ME version of Adobe InDesign if you have RTL publication.

[manal shanableh]

span {
	direction:rtl;
	right:0px;
}

Try this .css file, when you export the epub, add the RTL css file.

[rayek.elfin · Accepted solution]

@manal shanablehThat is incorrect here (even though it would work for a language such as Arabic). The OP wants a right-to-left page reading order rather than right-to-left text formatting.

The page reading order is controlled using the

<spine page-progression-direction="rtl">

tag in the OPF file.

Aside from that a meta tag

<meta name="primary-writing-mode" content="horizontal-rl"/>

should be added as well.

If a vertical text layout is required (for Japanese or Chinese set characters) the [-epub-]writing-mode: vertical-rl CSS property should be set.

[manal shanableh]

for text direction, this is right code, i have produced more than 200 fixed layout epub with arabic text (right to left RTL)

For page order, no need for a css difintly, the user need to use ~ME version يدعم العربيه ..

and user must choose right to left page direction.

[rayek.elfin]

As I wrote and I did not argue against: the direction: rtl; property is correct for Arabic set text.

Just not the correct answer for the OP's Manga (Japanese) page reading order.

And the code examples I posted above are the ones required to set up the Japanese page reading order. If you know how to change the epub code, no need for the ME version or Clip Studio EX.

[manal shanableh]

Your Information and answer was very helpful. we are sharing our experiences.

[simone30960377uzoe]

Thank you very much!! Worked perfectly!!

[rayek.elfin]

PS

right: 0px; will only work when a relative or absolute position is set for that element. And when using a zero value, leave out the unit.