In every major modern operating system, the default look of all fonts is treated with anti-aliasing, a.k.a. font smoothing. In Windows you know this as ClearType.
It is true that having ClearType enabled makes fonts easier to read most of the time. However there are instances where having it turned off makes text easier to read, specifically when dealing with smaller fonts and darker background colors.
Examples
ClearType ON:
ClearType OFF:
ClearType ON:
ClearType OFF:
Some of you out there will find the "blocky" look much more to your liking and find it easier to read.
Fortunately it’s the case where turning on or off ClearType is literally as simple as checking or un-checking one box so you can toggle it on/off at whim.
How to place a quick shortcut to ClearType settings on the desktop
Windows 7 Users
Click the Start logo and type the word text so you see the search result pop up:
Right-click and drag Adjust ClearType text to the desktop, then drop to create a shortcut:
Once dropped, double-click the newly-made shortcut to start the ClearType Tuner.
Check or un-check the Turn on ClearType box to enable or disable ClearType.
Windows XP users
Step 1. Download and install the ClearType Tuner PowerToy.
Step 2. After successful installation, right-click on a blank area of the desktop, select New, then Shortcut.
Step 3. Enter the location of the item as cttune.cpl and click Next.
Step 4. When asked for the name of the shortcut, type ClearType Tuner and click Finish.
On launch of the ClearType Tuner, all you have to do is check or un-check one box to enable or disable ClearType:
…then click OK. That’s all there is to it.
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