User:Radixcc/ArabicFontStackTest

See Special:WhatLinksHere/User:Radixcc/ArabicFontStackTest for discussion.

Proposal

Improve the font stack for Arabic. I have run into problems with rendering on some devices with the current list.

Prefer fonts easy to read for beginners, easy to read small, yet not annoying to native readers of Arabic (this does not address Persian languages or Urdu). Diacritics must render properly.

The best style for this is "simplified" Naskh script because it is most typically used in textbooks and as writing exemplars for learning basic writing. Larger loops and teeth as in فاسد are preferred over tiny subtle features that are harder for beginners to recognize. Kufi script is a bit too stylized for those just learning, and nastiliq is even harder for beginners. Nastiliq requires advanced font rendering support (Graphite, etc) to work properly anyway.

'The other problem is that diacritics need to render properly. This is a problem with some fonts on some systems.

Possible font stack for default Arabic script, Modern Standard Arabic, and default for any non-Persian dialects:

1. Droid Arabic Naskh - easy to read even in small type but it is larger than other fonts at the same point size making it hard to match size, So this may be a bad primary choice.
2. Noto Naskh Arabic - suitable Google font expected to be present on newer open source systems. This project has the specific goal of rendering properly on all systems (maximum compatibility and textual rendering correctness) thus may be the first best choice for anything that must be loaded from a server. Not likely to be installed except maybe on newer Linux variants.
3. KacstOne - Most suitable option ? likely to be installed on Linux in an Arabic support package
4. Damascus - most similar Apple OS X and iOS Naskh system font
5. Geeza Pro - Apple fallback in case Damascus isn't there such as on older systems
6. Simplified Arabic - Most similar Windows installed font
7. Arabic Transparent - Older version of the previous
8. Arabic Typesetting - Windows fallback probably better than serif alias
9. Traditional Arabic - Windows fallback probably also better than serif alias
10. Noto Serif - reasonable fallback for Android and Linux
11. DejaVu Serif - reasonable fallback for Linux
12. serif - I think this is more likely to pick a Naskh rather than a Kufi script. It will usually map to a Unicode serif font with Naskh style Arabic glyphs such as Times (Apple), Times New Roman (Windows), or Liberation Serif or DejaVu Serif (Linux)

fontfamily.io verification

Tests

Diacritic Rendering

Both sides should match. Are there any other problem cases?

Arabic font test

Font	Source	Arabic specimen	Arabic specimen with diacritic order forced
Droid Arabic Naskh	Web Font, Linux	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
KacstOne	Linux	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Noto Naskh Arabic	Linux	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Damascus	Apple	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Geeza Pro	Apple	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Simplified Arabic	Windows	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Arabic Transparent	Windows	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Traditional Arabic	Windows	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Arabic Typesetting	Windows	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Noto Serif	Linux	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
DejaVu Serif	Linux	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Arial	Core	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Times New Roman	Core	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Georgia	Core	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Trebuchet MS	Core	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
Verdana	Core	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
serif	Alias	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ
sans-serif	Alias	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ	ظل ظِلٌّ ظِلٍّ الْظِلُّ الْظِلِّ ظِلًّا الْظِلَّ