The popularity of this version stems from its robust feature set:
In a world of modern Unicode-based editors, why do professionals stick with 2.93c?
Why would anyone still use a 20-year-old software? Let’s compare:
: High-quality rendering of the traditional Urdu script. Inpage 2.93c
InPage is a word processor and page layout software developed by Concept Software Pvt. Ltd., an Indian information technology company based in Delhi. First released in 1994, the software was specifically designed to address a critical gap in the digital publishing industry: the lack of robust, user-friendly tools for creating documents in languages that use the Arabic script, particularly Urdu. Over the years, InPage has evolved to support a wide array of languages including Urdu, Arabic, Balti, Balochi, Burushaski, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Sindhi, and Shina, running on both Windows and macOS platforms.
: Once opened, navigate to Preferences > Keyboard Preferences and switch the layout to Phonetic . This maps Urdu characters to their nearest English sound equivalents (e.g., 'A' for Alif, 'B' for Bay), making typing intuitive for beginners. Common Issues and Troubleshooting
Ask any veteran compositor, and they will tell you: Ligature control is king. InPage 2.93c allows for kerning and baseline shifts that modern Unicode fonts struggle to replicate. The keyboard shortcuts (like switching between Arabic and Phonetic keyboards) are burned into the muscle memory of an entire generation of publishers. The popularity of this version stems from its
Inpage 2.93c is widely regarded as a legendary version of the industry-standard Urdu publishing software. Even decades after its initial release, it remains a staple for calligraphers, newspapers, and authors who require a stable, lightweight, and precise environment for Nastaliq typesetting. What is Inpage 2.93c?
: To accommodate both worlds, many publishers utilize online text converters to translate modern Unicode web text into an InPage-compatible format, or vice versa.
Run the setup file as an Administrator. If installing on Windows 10 or Windows 11, you may need to right-click the installer, go to Properties, and select Compatibility Mode for Windows 7 . InPage is a word processor and page layout
Do you still use Inpage 2.93c? Share your memories and workarounds in the comments below!
| Feature | InPage 2.93c | InPage 3.x (Unicode) | |----------|---------------|----------------------| | | Legacy, non‑Unicode | Full Unicode support | | Language support | Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Sindhi | Same, plus enhanced multilingual capabilities | | Fonts | Traditional Nastaliq, Naskh | Additional Nastaliq fonts with Kasheeda; OpenType Unicode fonts | | Interoperability | Limited to older tools | Compatible with modern platforms, export to PDF, Word | | System requirements | Very low | Slightly higher | | File format | Legacy .INP | Unicode .INP (backward compatibility may vary) |
: The software seamlessly handles right-to-left (RTL) scripts like Urdu alongside left-to-right (LTR) scripts like English.
The "c" suffix in 2.93c is likely indicative of a minor revision or patch—perhaps a "corrected" or "commercial" build—that addressed specific bugs or licensing mechanisms. While Concept Software has not publicly released detailed changelogs for every minor iteration, user forums and software archives from the period indicate that 2.93c was widely regarded as the most stable and reliable version of the 2.x generation.