After the end of the reign of the 15 inch screen, quite some time ago now, I found out that, when using my new big screen, letters became very small and less easier to read. To solve this, I increased the DPI to 120. For many years now, I only use a screen with a DPI of 120. All well-crafted applications support this DPI value.
I would expect web fonts to support this DPI value. It would be an ironical "solution", to reduce my screen DPI, making all text (in all applications) on my screen smaller and hence harder to read, to get a better looking (and perhaps smaller) web font.
Although reducing the DPI value is not an option for me, I will, later, out of curiosity, reduce the DPI to see what will happen with the web font.
After reducing the DPI value to 96 (normal size), the web font looks exactly the same as when the DPI value is 120. So the DPI value is not the problem.
"Alas, Kent, only Firefox allows such granular letter-spacing."
It's a 9 year old webkit bug, I think. All other browsers should work, I think.
"After reducing the DPI value to 96 (normal size)"
"Normal" may be 96, but this value actually controls the points per inch, where actual size is achieved with a value of 72, I think.
Not much help I fear, but there is always zoom, and as I suggested before, there might still be a browser which allows you to define your own default, turn off @font-faces, or define your own style sheet to avoid @font-faces.
Ben, what you're seeing is probably the result of GDI ClearType rendering subpixel outlines on full pixel widths. Unless types have been carefully designed and spaced relative to pixel grids*, this is going to produce inconsistent spacing, with some glyphs having their widths rounded up and others rounded down.
* Or hinted to widths, which is uncommon and somewhat unnerving as it means that outline widths are rounded up and down with the advance widths, so instead of inconsistent spacing you can get weird letter proportions. ________
Ignore the following. It is a test for my own purposes:
as I suggested before, there might still be a browser which allows you to define your own default, turn off @font-faces, or define your own style sheet to avoid @font-faces.
Indeed. When I use an old Firefox 3.0.5 browser, Typedrawers is displayed with the old font. David, because your earlier comment was overshadowed by other things, I didn't look into this suggestion until now. Now that I did, I can say that it is a good suggestion if one wants to avoid webfonts.
Comments
I would expect web fonts to support this DPI value. It would be an ironical "solution", to reduce my screen DPI, making all text (in all applications) on my screen smaller and hence harder to read, to get a better looking (and perhaps smaller) web font.
Although reducing the DPI value is not an option for me, I will, later, out of curiosity, reduce the DPI to see what will happen with the web font.
PS. I love stroopwafels.
It's a 9 year old webkit bug, I think. All other browsers should work, I think.
"After reducing the DPI value to 96 (normal size)"
"Normal" may be 96, but this value actually controls the points per inch, where actual size is achieved with a value of 72, I think.
Not much help I fear, but there is always zoom, and as I suggested before, there might still be a browser which allows you to define your own default, turn off @font-faces, or define your own style sheet to avoid @font-faces.
* Or hinted to widths, which is uncommon and somewhat unnerving as it means that outline widths are rounded up and down with the advance widths, so instead of inconsistent spacing you can get weird letter proportions.
________
Ignore the following. It is a test for my own purposes:
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nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv