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Launchnet
04-13-2006, 08:05 PM
Hi . . . KDLA . . . and Everyone

I was just thinking that I needed to discuss with someone using 1024 X 768 screen resolution and while browsing thru Webdeveloper, I noticed KDLA'S size reference. I would appreciate if I could ask you a couple of questions.

My site is: www.openoursite.com
I'm relatively new at building websites and this is my 1st one. Sometimes I think I have been doing this for a very long time, but I'm enjoying. My questions are as follows: I'll keep them simple:

1 - When using 1024 X 768 resolution, what is the average text size that most people use when setting the text size in "View" on the browser?

2 - What is your setting that you use.

3 - What size text do you suggest for easy reading for my website. I presently use size="1" & Bold and "Arial" face.

4 - How readable is my text when you are viewing it?

I certainly would appreciate comments from others also.

Please don't suggest that I learn CSS at this time as I simply don't have the time. From what I hear it is better, but . . . not for now.

I am presently validating all of my pages. I should be completely done by next Monday or there abouts.
JayM
04-13-2006, 08:22 PM
An easy way to know what it looks like is to simply change your desktop resolution, and see for yourself what it looks like.
If you are unable to select the desired resolution, there's a freeware program called IESizer that allows you to check your site in different resolutions.

I know you asked not to suggest CSS, but I just have to say it's the simplest language on earth! Much easier than html. There's nothing to it really. You can learn the basics in a day by reading the W3Schools tutorial.

Your text size is OK on a 1024 x 768 resolution, but is very small on 1280 x 1024. Had it not been for my 20/20 vision I would not have been able to read it :p.
ray326
04-14-2006, 02:02 AM
I'm running at 1600x1200 with my browser about 1050x950. The text is way small for the space of the page.
Launchnet
04-14-2006, 10:37 AM
Sorry Ray, I don't understand what you mean by your sentence:

I'm running at 1600x1200 with my browser about 1050x950.

I think you mean your screen resolution is 1600 x 1200, but what then does the 1050 x 950 mean.
tylivia
04-16-2006, 09:30 PM
I use 1440 X 900 and I had no problem reading it. Maybe one way to overcome this is to add 1 or 2 more style sheets that simply have different text sizes. Than have a link on each page so the user can control how large the text size is on their page.

Check out www.usabilityfirst.com and at the top of each page you will see a place where the visitor can adjust the text size with one click.

Cheers,

Har
KDLA
04-17-2006, 10:18 AM
The default text size for most browsers is "medium" - you can toy with the text sizing by selecting View/Text Size in whatever browser you're using.

To me, your text size is painfully small. I'm using 1024x768 res, text size medium, and am not wearing my reading glasses.

If you believe that many of your visitors will be older adults, you might consider enlarging the font.
My organization's website (example: http://kdla.ky.gov/research.htm) tends to cater to older adult genealogists, and we receive quite a few comments when the font is small -- most don't know how to increase the text size through their browser.
Thus, we tend not to go lower than .75em for anything that is "worth" reading.

Also, because you asked, we've found that most of these same customers have their screen resolutions set to 800x600, either because they don't know how (or why) to change the screen resolution from the default; or because 800x600 seems to enlarge the text for them in a roundabout way.

As Jay mentioned, simply placing a few lines of CSS in the <head> section of your document can greatly help the styling of your text.

You might give this article a look: http://kdla.ky.gov/onlinepubs/onepage/0705.htm.
I wrote this for libraries, but you might find the info. helpful.

You also might take a look at http://usabletype.com/css/font/sizes/ and the w3c's css references to styling fonts at http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/fonts.html.

Good Luck -
KDLA
Launchnet
04-18-2006, 12:11 AM
Many thanks. I read.