Font looks distorted and faint with Google Docs
Hey all. When I create a Google Doc (spreadsheet) the text looks oddly thin, creating this weird, distorted, faint version of Arial 10pt. It only looks like this on Firefox (30.0) and not on Chrome or IE.
Check out screen shots here:
Firefox: http://screencast.com/t/rWaA1QXg9jIF
Chrome & IE: http://screencast.com/t/ujtrpv8C
Please understand it actually looks a lot worse here in real life. The screen shot blurs the lines a little, making it look similar - when it reality, its VERY different.
This is a new problem and only happens with newly created Google Doc Spreadsheets. Any help here would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Sham
All Replies (9)
Make sure that ClearType is enabled in Windows system wide for all programs to make other programs like Firefox use it.
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527 - HOW TO: Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP
- Control Panel > Personalization > Window Color and Appearance > Effects: "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts"
Try to create a new Boolean pref on the about:config page via the right-click context menu with the name layout.paint_rects_separately and set the value to true and leave hardware acceleration enabled.
I'm on Windows 8.1. Sorry should have mentioned that.
Tried doing both. Doesn't work. It was already on ClearType. I created the Boolean, didn't work either. :-(
I'm just realizing that this only happens with the new Google Sheets. (which of course, they force you into)
The old ones have no issue with this. How frustrating.
I notice your Firefox has hardware acceleration disabled. Is this something you tried to resolve this issue, or because Firefox is unstable with hardware acceleration enabled?
Based on a little light experimentation, the spreadsheet area is drawn using an HTML canvas. In researching how text is drawn on a canvas, I don't see any easy way to modify it after it is drawn. Regular style rules (for example, font-weight:bold) have no effect.
Google's scripts are too complex for me to imagine intercepting and modifying their operation on the fly... hopefully someone else has an idea.
I'm not even sure why hardware acceleration was disabled. I have now enabled it, and it has helped.
However, it seems the text is not evenly spaced out. Some are normal space, others are too close together.
Again, a little odd. Here's a pic: http://screencast.com/t/h8zHtwkP
Still trying to work though this. Any other feedback or suggestions are welcomed. :-)
Try to create a new Boolean pref on the about:config page via the right-click context menu with the name layout.paint_rects_separately and set the value to true and leave hardware acceleration enabled.
Thanks... unfortunately, that did not help either. The text is still not evenly spaced out. Some are normal space, others are too close together.
Again like this: http://screencast.com/t/h8zHtwkP
No changes to settings mentioned above solves this for me. It's really quite nasty, and I am having to use Chrome for some of my new work, which I hate.
But I just spotted this in BugZilla:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1029327
Can we escalate this for resolution, before Google makes the New Sheets compulsory?
Modified by Pendle