Do you use ClearType?

[dmacburry2003]

I don't know if there is a poll on this, and I did a search (no avail), and I would just like to find out for myself anyway :lol:

Do you use ClearType for your desktop/Pocket PC? I know a few of us might not have a PPC, that's why I'm including the desktop option :wink:

[Dave Beauvais]

ClearType rocks! I use it on my Pocket PC, all PCs with LCD displays, and even some with CRTs. ClearType makes rounded letters and curves actually look round. Even with old-school anti-aliasing, rounded characters never looked smooth, and were very difficult to read at very small point sizes. Try setting a font to 6 or 7 point without ClearType and then view the same font with ClearType enabled. It's quite a difference in terms of readability.

Oh, and for those who actually don't know what ClearType is, check out Microsoft's ClearType information page (http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearTypeInfo.mspx) for the details.

[Wiggster]

I'll use it until people come here saying they don't use it, and explain why :mrgreen:

[Hyperluminal]

Yup. I never liked ClearType, then Janak suggested I try it for a few days and see if I get used it it. I did, and now it's great!
It's so much nicer than normal text.. like Dave said, everything's actually smooth, and readable at very small sizes.
I still don't use it on my iPaq though. I tried it, but never really got used to it. Maybe it's because the resolution on my notebook is a lot higher (1600x1200 in a 15" screen), I don't know, but I ended up liking it better without it on my PPC... :)

[Jeff Rutledge]

I'm not even sure I have a choice actually. My iPAQ 2215's Cleartype settings is a sliding bar, not an On/Off. Maybe all the way to one side is off...not sure. Either way, I use it and I like it.

[Hyperluminal]

BTW, if you did want to turn off ClearType on a 2215, there's an option on the Screen control panel... :)

[Jeff Rutledge]

BTW, if you did want to turn off ClearType on a 2215, there's an option on the Screen control panel... :)

OK, how stupid am I? Turns out I should have voted No. I didn't know that option was there so I haven't been using Cleartype after all. :roll:

OK, so who decided to put the Cleartype on/off switch in a different place than the Cleartype Tuner? :twak:

Well it's on now. :lol:

In my defense, I probably spend 75% of my time in PI, which has Cleartype enabled at the app level.

[JustinGTP]

Yes, yes I do. I like it and, yeah, it's on!

[dmacburry2003]

It's great that you all like CT so much; I just started using it (full time).

BTW, I totally agree with adwignall :lol:

Another thing Pocket PC beats Palm with! Hurray Pocket PC :clap:

[Trimac20]

I actually prefer normal text to clear type. Clear type makes text look a touch too bold and the letters often touch :-(
It also causes slight delays in loading pages.

[PetiteFlower]

I use it on my PPC but not on my desktop. I don't use especially small fonts on my PC.

[Pat Logsdon]

I can't live without ClearType. I use it on my PPC, and on my LCD monitor at home. I stare at screens all day until I go to bed, so anything that helps my (already bad) eyes is much appreciated.

In fact, I recently had to give up uBook in favor of MobiPocket simply because I couldn't take the non-ClearType text anymore.

[outdoor]

i dont know... if i went to settings > screen > enable clear type, and reset my device, the fonts looks fussy more than clearer to me... maybe something wrong with my eyes. 8O

[buckyg]

I hate to go against the flow, but no, I don't like it. Maybe my eyes are worse than I thought but ClearType makes letters on my PPC really blurry, even with playing with the ClearType tuner.

I believe I have it turned on with my home PPC though.

Oh well, like many things, if it works good for you, great...

[Pat Logsdon]

i dont know... if i went to settings > screen > enable clear type, and reset my device, the fonts looks fussy more than clearer to me... maybe something wrong with my eyes. 8O
The default ClearType settings are one-size-fits-all - they aren't necessarily optimal for every PPC. I'd recommend that you use the ClearType Tuner and adjust to taste.

FYI: ClearType is easier to read because it uses something called "sub-pixel rendering". Without ClearType, a font's edges are defined by full pixels, which can look jagged when used in small fonts. ClearType allows corners and edges to be rendered on the sub-pixel level by using the red, green and blue components to smooth the edges, making the font easier to read.

Here's a cool graphic from Microsoft's ClearType page (http://www.microsoft.com/typography/WhatIsClearType.mspx) that shows how it works:

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/mmm.gif

Image 2 is without ClearType, Image 3 is with it enabled.

That being said, ClearType really only works on desktops with LCD's - CRT's just look fuzzy.

[buckyg]

Yes, after reading Surgical Snack's reply, I do have it on at home. Just recently bought an LCD monitor. It really did make a difference for the better.

[outdoor]

Surgical Snack,

i own a 4150, and no matter at which setting my cleartype tuner sets at, i still find it fuzzy for me.

The picture u posted, the 3rd picture really looks fuzzy to me as well. I'm using a Samsung x10 laptop. My samsung laptop uses "wise view" technology, wutever that means.


i guess there IS sth wrong with my eyes. i havent checked my eyes for a year anyways hehe

[Janak Parekh]

i guess there IS sth wrong with my eyes. i havent checked my eyes for a year anyways hehe
How long have you used ClearType? I found it took me about a week to get used to it, and now I will not go back. :)

--janak

[Pat Logsdon]

i own a 4150, and no matter at which setting my cleartype tuner sets at, i still find it fuzzy for me.
Like Janak said, you may want to give it some time. Your brain is used to seeing the "jagged" fonts as sharper, so anything less "sharp" will look fuzzy. If you give it time, the fuzzy will look "smooth", and it'll be easier on your eyes. At least, that's the theory. :mrgreen: Hey, it worked for me!

The picture u posted, the 3rd picture really looks fuzzy to me as well. I'm using a Samsung x10 laptop. My samsung laptop uses "wise view" technology, wutever that means.
If that's the case, you really might need to get your eyes checked - the third pic is an image capture of the smooth font, so it should display the same on every monitor. :wink:

[Janak Parekh]

If that's the case, you really might need to get your eyes checked - the third pic is an image capture of the smooth font, so it should display the same on every monitor. :wink:
Actually, not necessarily. The "smooth" font is optimized for certain pixel placements, unlike "tuned" displays. ;) I've seen shots of ClearType screens look horrible on my screen, because it was optimized differently...

--janak

[outdoor]

i think the reason why i see the blurry effect is because i notice the corner areas of the font has a lighter color to it, so if u look at the whole picture you'll see a "washed" out effect on the sides, hence it looks fuzzy (to me).

i like the 1st pic better :mrgreen:

[Jeff Rutledge]

OK, I've been using CT for a whole day now. I think it's great. I don't think I'll go back.

[yuit]

I used to think that cleartype made everything blurry and discolored (actually I still do...), but now that I'm used to it, I prefer cleartype to non-cleartype.

Sometimes, though, cleartype does have problems (at least on my old ipaq..). For example, try red color font on a black background with cleartype turned on...

[Trimac20]

I don't like the Cleartype found. It would be better if it were good old MS San serif or something..