27" iMac Font size gripe...

[mamcx]

Some people expect that a function that exist on windows, exist on osx too. You don't check special settings in a store.

I found that OSX lack this accesibility settings very late on the game. At first, I think was because I don't know osx. Then, because is necesary some kind of terminal-fu. Only later I found (in forums) that is not possible at all.

Is strange that Apple, with better typography taste, have such issue in their OS.

Check this:

http://contrastrebellion.com/

Is not only good for the eldery. Have a larger text is very usefull, for example, for developers.

I enlarge almost everything I can to read with more clarity my code, and any other relevant stuff (like 20-28px, paring with a good font).

 

[FrankHahn]

As a matter of fact, Apple has done things to help!

Go to the menu ---> System Preferences... ---> Universal Access.

Among other things, turning on Zoom, you will find that you can actually enlarge the size of the characters on a menu item when you point on it.

Wish the OP the best with the Mac.

 

[NMF]

I'm a recent Mac convert and struggled with this early on as well. I've found that it's not merely the resolution of the screen, but also how OSX natively displays text differently than Windows. Microsoft uses something called "ClearType" that heavily pixilates all text throughout the OS. To longtime Mac users it looks terrible, but to us Windows folk it's just normal (and dare I say, clearer). When I first got my 27" I couldn't read anything. It was a huge problem!

Give it a week. After my first week I was completely adjusted to the rounder fonts and no longer have any trouble reading my screen, even at distances further than arm's length away. I'm still not convinced that I like it better than ClearType, but I no longer have issues reading it. One thing that helps is to open the preferences for Safari and set it to never display font sizes smaller than 12pt (or higher if you want). You can find this setting under the "Advanced" tab. Makes a huge difference with web browsing.

But yeah, just give yourself some time to adjust. It happens faster than you'd expect.

 

[Spike88]

I'm a recent Mac convert and struggled with this early on as well. I've found that it's not merely the resolution of the screen, but also how OSX natively displays text differently than Windows. Microsoft uses something called "ClearType" that heavily pixilates all text throughout the OS. To longtime Mac users it looks terrible, but to us Windows folk it's just normal (and dare I say, clearer). When I first got my 27" I couldn't read anything. It was a huge problem!

Give it a week. After my first week I was completely adjusted to the rounder fonts and no longer have any trouble reading my screen, even at distances further than arm's length away. I'm still not convinced that I like it better than ClearType, but I no longer have issues reading it. One thing that helps is to open the preferences for Safari and set it to never display font sizes smaller than 12pt (or higher if you want). You can find this setting under the "Advanced" tab. Makes a huge difference with web browsing.

But yeah, just give yourself some time to adjust. It happens faster than you'd expect.

Going into Safari (or other apps), using their preferences and forcing "minimum fonts" to 12 pts only changes the text within their session blocks. In other words, same as clicking "a" or "A" (large font / small font) icons on its menus. Doing these commands only changes the Text size within the text box. It will NOT change the words sizes within the menus. Allowing different DPI ratios (like what Windows currently has) is what is really needed.

.

 

[NMF]

Going into Safari (or other apps), using their preferences and forcing "minimum fonts" to 12 pts only changes the text within their session blocks. In other words, same as clicking "a" or "A" (large font / small font) icons on its menus. Doing these commands only changes the Text size within the text box. It will NOT change the words sizes within the menus. Allowing different DPI ratios (like what Windows currently has) is what is really needed.

.

Obviously. However, I think most people are like me and spend most of their computer "free time" browsing the web. I'd like for the menu fonts to be larger as well, but simply making the web easier to read fixed 90% of my problems with the 27". The rest were fixed by just getting used to it.

 

[flynz4]

I think most people are like me

A very common mistake (speaking generically... not specifically to this issue). Fortunately... experience often cures it.

Overall... I agree with the sentiment of the OP. I personally do OK with native resolutions... but nevertheless, this is one of the few examples where the Mac really should improve its user experience.

/Jim