In the world of manga translation, typesetting is where everything comes together. After OCR and translation, you still need to place text back into the artwork in a way that feels natural, readable, and faithful to the original design. This is where tools like TypeR and ImageTrans come in.

Both target similar users—scanlators, translators, letterers, and comic localizers—but they represent two very different philosophies: one centered on Photoshop, the other on an integrated pipeline.

Overview

TypeR is a Photoshop extension (forked from TyperTools) designed specifically for manga and comic typesetting. It enhances Photoshop with features like smart alignment, style management, and multi-bubble handling, aiming to speed up manual work without leaving the design environment.

typer

ImageTrans is a standalone computer-aided translation tool that covers OCR, translation, and text reinsertion. It can automatically detect text regions, remove original text, and inject translations, while still supporting export back to Photoshop for refinement.

imagetrans

Workflow Comparison

TypeR: Photoshop-Centric Workflow

TypeR assumes Photoshop is your main workspace:

  1. Open image in Photoshop
  2. Insert text using TypeR tools
  3. Adjust layout manually

Its biggest strength is eliminating repetitive actions (copy-paste, alignment, style switching) inside Photoshop.

However:

  • OCR and translation must be done elsewhere
  • Workflow is fragmented across tools

ImageTrans: End-to-End Workflow

ImageTrans covers the full pipeline:

  1. Load images
  2. Detect and extract text (OCR)
  3. Translate using multiple engines
  4. Remove original text and reinsert translation
  5. Export to PSD for final refinement

It integrates OCR, large language model translation, text cleaning, typesetting and batch processing into one system.

This reduces tool switching and enables large-scale workflows.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature TypeR ImageTrans
Core Type Photoshop plugin Standalone application
OCR (text extraction) ❌ Not supported ✅ Built-in multi-engine OCR
Translation integration ❌ External only ✅ Multiple MT engines + CAT features
Text detection ❌ Manual ✅ Automatic detection (AI + heuristics)
Text removal (cleaning) ❌ Manual in Photoshop ✅ Automated (masking, lama inpainting, nano banana, etc.)
Text alignment ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Text reinsertion ✅ Manual typesetting ✅ Automatic + adjustable reinjection
Multi-bubble handling ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Style management ✅ Advanced (folders, presets) ✅ Global styles
Batch processing ❌ Not designed for it ✅ Supported
Photoshop integration ✅ Native plugin ✅ Export to PSD
Automation level Low (manual control) High (semi/fully automated)
Cross-platform Depends on Photoshop ✅ Windows / macOS / Linux

Which One to Use

Choose TypeR is you prefer to do the typesetting entirely in Photoshop.

ImageTrans is a better choice in almost all aspects:

  1. An integrated environment for document scanning, image extracting from CBZ/PDF, image editing, OCR, translation, cleaning and typesetting.
  2. Compatible with basiccaly all Photoshop versions (CS2+) and any other image editors like Krita and GIMP.