Use ClearType For Sharper Text On LCD Screens

If you use any flavor of Windows XP or Vista on a laptop or desktop with an LCD screen, then ClearType will make all your text much more sharp and readable. ClearType looks great on laptops, and on large desktop LCD screens, particularly those with very high resolutions.

ClearType is native to Windows XP and Vista, but it might not be enabled on your system. To be sure it is enabled in XP, right click on your desktop and choose ‘Properties’ from the context menu. When the ‘Display Properties’ dialog box opens, click the ‘Appearance’ tab, and then click the ‘Effects’ button to open the ‘Effects’ dialog box. Place a check mark in the box labeled ‘Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:’. Next select ‘ClearType’ from the drop-down list, and click ‘OK’ twice. ClearType is now enabled on your computer.

If you are using Vista, right click on your desktop, click ‘Personalize’, then ‘Windows Color and Appearance’; next click ‘Open classic appearance properties for more color options’ and click the ‘effects’ button on the ‘Appearance’ page. Finally, finish up just as described for Windows XP by selecting ‘ClearType’ and ‘okay’ twice.

While ClearType has been enabled on your system, there is no way of fine-tuning it to your taste without using the ‘ClearType Tuner’. You have to go to Microsoft.com to download the tool, which can be installed in your ‘Control Panel’, or if you prefer, you can use Microsoft’s online tuner. ClearType should be tuned because every type and model of LCD screen is different, and you should customize it for your screen.

Click on the following link to go to the download site:

Microsoft ClearType Tuner Page

Under the heading ‘ClearType In Windows’ click on ‘downloadable PowerToy Tuner’ , which takes you to a second page. Click on the link ‘download.microsoft.com’ in the location bullet, and click the ‘Save File’ button and a 2.5 MB download will begin. Go to your web browser’s default ‘Downloads’ folder on your hard drive and double click the ‘Setup.exe’ file and the ClearType applet will be installed in your ‘Control Panel’. Please note that in Vista you may see an incompatibility notification, so just disregard it and proceed with the install. To get to the ‘Control Panel’, double click on ‘My Computer’ (or just ‘Computer’ in Vista), then double click on ‘Control Panel’, enable ‘Classic View’ and locate the “ClearType Tuner” icon. Double click on the icon and follow the directions on the screen to make your TrueType selections.

If you prefer to use the online tuner, look at the bottom of the same webpage, locate ‘Related Links’, and click ‘Online ClearType Tuner’. The online tuner works for both XP and Vista. However, I have only been able to successfully use the online tuner from within Internet Explorer. I have not been able to utilize the tuner from within the latest build of Firefox. If you install the IETab add-on in Firefox, you may be able to use the online tuner. Follow the directions on the pages, which are pretty self-explanatory, and you will be good to go.

Enjoy the ClearType tuner, and may your eyes thank you!

Any thoughts or comments?