gokwyjibo
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gokwyjibo asked on
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Fonts in Windows 7 are fuzzy/blurry...

Hello,

I've played around with the latest RC of Windows 7 and find the fonts to be very fuzzy/blurry, so much so that it causes headaches (the same issue occurred when I dabbled a bit with Vista).  I've spent a lot of time searching for a resolution but have never come across anything that solves the problem.  I gather ClearType is at the heart of the problem but no amount of tweaking helps.  I was originally told that CRTs can cause this behavior but I have since upgraded to an LCD and still find it troublesome.  I am in the minority with this problem but have discovered other are bothered by the same thing.  Has MS ever addressed this, or is there another solution out there?  I am very interested in upgrading to Windows 7 but it is unusable for me if I cannot fix my font issue.  I may also be at a loss because I cannot justify spending the money on the OS to just try fixes that may not even help.

TIA,

Greg
psikofunkster
Found this helpful 6
Answer
psikofunkster replied on
Well at the end the final solutions to solve this issue were:

1) Unselect the cleartype
2)
   - Click Start Orb > right-click computer > click properties
   - On the left pane click Advanced system settings
   - Under performance click Settings
   - Check mark Smooth edges of screen fonts
   - Click OK > click OK

3) Change all my fonts sizes and types to tahoma and Trebuchet MS (XP style).

4) That solved the blurriness but not the brightness (too much white in windows 7, the explorer is the worst) =(.
Spencer Scott
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Spencer Scott replied on
This is the first I have heard of a problem like this to be honest.  I'm going to assume you have tried adjusting/removing Cleartype.

Have you tried adjusting font sizes, and things of that sort?

MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
gokwyjibo
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gokwyjibo replied on

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Thanks for the reply Spencer.  The problem isn't common but I do know that I'm not the only one experiencing it.
Quick and dirty search: http://www.google.ca/search?q=windows+7+blurry+text 

I don't recall everything that I tried as it's been quite some time now.  I'm guessing it's too late to try the RC again now that Windows 7 has officially launched, so I'm in a bit of a tight spot to actually test anything now.

I did adjust/tweak ClearType as well as trying to adjust font sizes, all to no avail.  I tried lots of other things too (like trying various screen resolutions, etc).  Installing IE7 on XP did the same thing to the fonts (but only in the browser itself), fortunately in this case there is a work around to restore how it renders fonts.
rchiles
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rchiles replied on

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I have the same problem. I also used the rc which was excellent. Now, my fonts are poorly rendered when using programs.

I am also having problems with a balance between screen resolution and font size. When I use the suggested resolution on my 24 inch monitor, the screen is excellent. Then, when I enlarge the fonts because of poor vision, my online browser windows are much too large. If I reduce the font size, my browser window text becomes almost unreadable. Is there a way to make a more finite adjustment?
Robert C. Smith
Robert C. Smith
Alex T Jr
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Alex T Jr replied on

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Hello,

A couple of suggestions and thoughts.  Gokwyibo, you say that XP was alright before the install of IE7.  If i am not mistaken this is the time when Microsoft went away from the Times New Roman font family and moved to the Segoe Font Family.  With that being said you could adjust the fonts indivually and reset them yourself to a different font to help this issue.  Another thought is have you tried to disable cleartype altogether?

rchiles,

Your problem is a bit tricky as the adjustments made are system wide.  The best suggestion i can offer for you would be 1 of 3 things.

1.  Hold Ctrl + spin the mouse wheel (If you have one).  This will Zoom in on the page and give you the effect of larger font while not fully adjusting it system wide.
2.  There is a Magnifier option in the Control Panel.  Basically like the above but with running another process to accomplish it.
3.  In the lower right corner of Internet Explorer there is a built in Zoom Level.  Get the font size to your liking where it is good for both but the browser is to small and see if that can adjust it for you.

Regards,
~Alex T.~
~Windows Desktop Experience MVP~
Regards,
Me
Irrelevant by choice
Your lack of preparation doesn't constitute an emergency for me.
gokwyjibo
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gokwyjibo replied on

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Hi Alex,

Yes, XP was fine before IE7 was installed, however, the only fonts that were changed at that point were in the browser itself, all other system fonts were ok.  I am certain I tried both disabling ClearType and playing with various other fonts.  Do you know if MS plans to offer any kind of trial period for Windows 7?  I would very much like to try some of the suggestions offered here but am unable to without going out to buy a new copy, which may end up being a waste of money if I can't resolve this issue.
psikofunkster
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psikofunkster replied on
you're not alone im havin the same problem, i bought a brand new copy of windows 7 ultimate, and i can't use it for many reasons:

1) Too much brightness in the windows make me sick.
2) Blurry text with clear type and even worst if i deactivated.
3) Not only blurry but a little red too.

I can't work at nights (the days are a little better but not good enough).

After tryin to resolve my problem i better back to XP (unveliveable i think ill be still using it for a couple of years ahead).

If i keep using windos 7 i would be blind after a week...
M3TALHEAD
Found this helpful 1
M3TALHEAD replied on

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you're not alone im havin the same problem, i bought a brand new copy of windows 7 ultimate, and i can't use it for many reasons:

1) Too much brightness in the windows make me sick.
2) Blurry text with clear type and even worst if i deactivated.
3) Not only blurry but a little red too.

I can't work at nights (the days are a little better but not good enough).

After tryin to resolve my problem i better back to XP (unveliveable i think ill be still using it for a couple of years ahead).

If i keep using windos 7 i would be blind after a week...
psikofunkster:

I had that exact same issue when I upgraded from Vista to Win7. My colors were too bright, washed out and over red, and my text was blurry. Just out of curiosity, what kind of video card are you running? I ended up figuring out it was a setting in the drivers for my nVidia Video card. For some reason when Win7 installed and loaded the Win7 version of the drivers, it cranked Digital Vibrance waaaay up (this only applies to nVidia cards), which ended up causing all the effects you are having. It took me forever to figure out (after numerous driver reinstalls), but after I figured it out and cranked it down, everything looked normal again.
thomas ferguson
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thomas ferguson replied on

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My suggestions are somewhat in line with Alex' ideas.

Ignore the browser window font size issue for a moment. Adjust other settings to fet a sataifactory adjustment for the system windows. Then, open the browser. Adjust the font size inside the browser window using CTRL + mouse wheel. If you don't have a wheel mouse, there are alternatives to adjust the font size.

Tom
donb_jr
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donb_jr replied on

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Try different font settings. 

Win7 probably chose a font that wasn't as ttf compatible to your particular machine.
acurtw
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acurtw replied on

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The control + spin the wheel opttion works great!  Any way I can make the change permanent?             *** Email address is removed for privacy ***
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