Computer Tips From A Computer Guy

How to Adjust the Font Rendering in Windows 7

Posted: 09 Nov 2009 03:22 AM PST

Is it hard to read the text on your new Windows 7 machine? Is all the text looking a little fuzzy and giving you a headache? If you have any of these issues, you may have to calibrate your display for rendering text.

By default, Windows 7 enables ClearType, which is software technology that is supposed to help improve the readability of text on LCDs and flat panel monitors.

To tune or adjust the way fonts render on Windows 7, click on the Start orb, then type in cttune.exe. This is the ClearType Text Tuner.

You'll first be asked whether you or not want to keep ClearType enabled or not. Here is what the different looks like with ClearType on and off.

Can you tell which one is using ClearType? The above paragraph has ClearType turned on and the lower paragraph has it turned off. As you can see, the bottom paragraph looks a bit more fuzzy.

You can uncheck ClearType, however, if you do not want any kind of font smoothing. When you click Next, you'll walk through four screen with several versions of the same text.

You are supposed to choose the text sample that looks the best to you. Keep clicking next and choosing the best looking text from all the different samples. This should definitely help make text on Windows 7 look much better and to your liking.

Note that if the text is still looking fuzzy or stretched, you may have to adjust the your monitor resolution. You can change the resolution in Windows 7 by going to the Control Panel and clicking on Appearance and Personalization.

Then click on the Adjust screen resolution link below the Display heading:

Now choose a different resolution from the drop down menu. When you choose a new resolution, click the Apply button afterwards instead of OK. The screen will switch to the new resolution for a few seconds and then ask you if you want to leave it at that or change it back.