Blurred contrasts in XP

I have just got WIN XP and I am not so sure if I like it as much as the previous Windows. There are lots of things I don't like but one in particular is important:

I work with small images with lots of detail in "Paint" and need to see each pixel of images and text in the browser when I work with them and when I view them afterwards. XP has the irritating habit of blurring the contrasts which I think is called Anti-Aliasing. The same thing happens in "Windows Previewer" when I zoom in pictures. I sometimes need to see the pixels. How do I disable this function?

Also, in "Word" and in fact most places in Windows now, this Anti-Aliasing blurrs all text, in particular bold text. How can this Anti-Aliased Text be disabled? (I am sure it is easy to do but the help section didn't help)

Tore

 

Hello Tore,

Two ways to improve contrast:

Type in "Clear Type" into the Help & Support applet for the intructions or use a program such as this: http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/

EDIT: Also make sure that the DPI is at least 96 in Settings > Advanced.

Regards - Charles

 

Make sure your graphics card has the latest XP drivers installed. Don't just stick with the default (generic) one's that XP has in its driver base. Depending on your card, some of the applications that usually are part of the driver package have tweaks for things like anti-aliasing that you can experiment with.

Check other graphics settings as well. Suggest a resolution of 1024x768 for a 17" CRT monitor and above for larger ones. Colors (colours ) should be true color (32 Bit) and the monitor refresh rate should be set at 85Hz.

LCD monitors usually won't allow a refresh rate above 75Hz.

 

Charlesvar,

Thanks for the suggestions. Being the expert I am I cannot find anywhere to type "clear type ". Basically I don't know where this help & support apple is.

If I have to use an external program like the one you suggest to remove the anti-aliasing from text an images I would conclude that it is impossible to simply check the "disable anti-aliasing" button because we all buy XP INCLUSIVE OF anti-aliasing, take it or leave it.

I don't think I would attempt to use outside programs to interfer with Windows since Windows is such a highly strung and grumpy creature at the the best of times - God knows what it would do if I tried to tell it to do things differently!


Paul,

Thanks for the reply. I don't know what graphics card my machine has (I don't know where to find this information) but I see XP on many machines around me from the most advanced machines to laptops with big and small monitors, many of these with the most sophisticated graphic cards, I am sure. But they all show the same anti-aliasing. This is all Windows XP's fault. Surely, resolution makes no difference. I have 1280x800 on a 15" screen and resolution only determines the size of the characters and images and not colour of the each pixel, that stays the same. The same goes for refresh rate and true color I would have thought.

It is the data sent from the Windows XP to the display which needs to be changed to get rid of anti-aliasing, not the display itself, isn't it?

 

Hello Tore,

Basically I don't know where this help & support apple is.

The Help and Support is on the Panel that comes up when the start button is clicked. Double click on that and in the search box in the upper left corner enter clear type.

One item will come up - "clear type for fonts ". Double click on that and the instructions on how to do will display on the right.

Regard - Charles

 

Charles

I found this!

Display Properties
-> Appearance tab
-> Effects button
-> Uncheck the box "Use the following to smooth edges of screen fonts "

Simple when I know where to look...

Tore

 

...and did it fix your problem?

 

Tore - go to This page to read about Microsoft Clear Type and to get very good instructions for turning it on and choosing the best settings for your PC.

It makes really amazing improvements in any LCD display (like the ones on laptops) but can also do some good on any monitor I've ever seen and never does any harm.

 

Yes. it did, Paul! I can start USING my pc again!


Newt,
Can this cleartype thing be switched on and off AFTER it has been installed?

 

Interesting,
I don't think I use clear type (I'll have to check) on my Toshiba laptop, and I have an absolutely perfect image. Probably more usefull for some LCD screens than others?

 

Paul ...

The difference between Standard font smoothing and ClearType is about like the difference between a dot-matrix printout with a ribbon that's seen better days vs an inkjet or laser printout. The dot-matrix is perfectly readable, but just doesn't have the high-quality appearance that the inkjet and laser prints do.