Fonts and how to get them the way you want

[DoYouKubuntu]

This isn't specific to any K version, so I plopped it down here. I'm hoping to have a discussion about fonts, and how to get them to look the way you want in all programs.

I recently installed Chrome, and the first thing I noticed was the text in its address bar was unreadable by these tired old eyes (with glasses on). It was tiny. I went through Chrome's settings, and adjusted everything I found that related to text size. Didn't help.

So I did some searching online and found all sorts of info, none of which helped, until I hit on one that caused a light bulb moment. It said to adjust the system setting for "Force font DPI"--mine was set to 96, I increased it to 168, and bam! I could read Chrome's URL bar...

...but everything else was HUGE.

Like SeaMonkey and System Settings and KWrite. But that was okay, I knew I was on the right track. Since then I've been doing a lot of experimenting, both with different DPI values and individual program settings. I'm close...REALLY close...but not quite there yet.

What I'm coming up against is text that is too big/small on certain websites. My best example is Bank of America. Most of its text is perfect, just the right size/darkness. But some of it is too small/light. I've adjusted SeaMonkey's settings while on BofA, and I can watch the changes take effect--or not. I don't understand what's happening.

What I mean is, I'll be on a BofA page with some text that's too small/light. I use SM's preferences and adjust all of its sizes, but nothing changes--until I change (increase) its minimum font size, even though I use a value that I just tried in its other options. That works--but it also makes everything else bigger.

And then there's Steam. When I fire that up, I CANNOT read any of its text, it's so tiny. And if I switch to Big Picture Mode, much of its display is cut off, and there's no way [that I've found] to navigate to the cut-off parts; I've also tried BPM windowed, but it, too, cuts off portions with no way to get to them.

I'm now going to work on changing my system fonts--not their sizes, but the actual fonts.

I wish there was some way to know exactly which setting(s) affect which text I see. Like on BofA, on a 'mixed' page, I can't figure out what to change so the small text is enlarged/darkened but the rest of the page remains as is. And Steam! What controls its text size?!

[DoYouKubuntu]

Oh, okay... I was hoping to get some input/insight because I'm really struggling with text issues. I strongly wish I knew which settings affect which text I see.

With Chrome, when I'm in a ZIP code field and I click in it, it displays my previously-entered ZIP code in nice, clear, dark, readable text. But once I actually select my ZIP code and it fills in the box, the text is a different font, and barely readable because it's so light. What controls this?

Same thing with SeaMonkey. I've gotten most of its text looking the way I want, but the odd page comes up where everything is too light/small/unreadable, yet changing anything in its font settings has no impact. I don't understand this, I mean what controls this.

Do I need to plod through all of the zillion fonts I have, trying each one as a system setting for each of the choices (General, Menu, Small, etc.), to figure this out? I hope not! I don't think I have enough time left to do that. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Here's an example. This is SeaMonkey, but the same thing happens with Chrome; they're two entirely different fonts and weights:

This is after clicking in a ZIP code field; my previously-entered ZIP code appears, nice and dark and readable:



This is after clicking on my ZIP code to select it; it's light and hard to read:



Any ideas on what's controlling this?

[claydoh]

Any ideas on what's controlling this?

The web page's HTML/css/javascript code, most likely. Or possibly the browser itself, perhaps?

[chimak111]

..., nice and dark and readable:

...

This is after clicking on my ZIP code to select it; it's light and hard to read:

...

Any ideas on what's controlling this?

AFAICT, it's been a deliberate choice for several years to have a text color that's easily readable to some and difficult to read for others.

I asked about this in Grey on white - what's the thinking behind that?.

Re. the font size in Chrome and some chromium derivatives, it's been a decision by Google to make it difficult to increase. There's a WONTFIX bug somewhere over at crbug.com from years ago.

BTW, the font size in Microsoft Edge's Linux urlbar is pretty large last time I checked.

[jlittle]

I've strongly disliked light backgrounds for decades, and have resorted to many methods to banish them. (White backgrounds in particular hurt my eyes.)

So I often use options to change the colour of text, use a dark theme in KDE, and use dark mode when it's available. This often leads to white on white, or light grey on white, or black on black. Hard to read. To cope, I have two browser extensions in Firefox: "Dark Background and Light Text" and "Dark Reader". Each has several methods for changing the colours, and I can usually find one that renders sites legibly; the extensions remember their state for each website, whether disabled, or which method I use on it. F.ex. I view KFN with DB&LT set to "Invert".

Perhaps, DoYouKubuntu, using one or both of these can be used to solve your problem. HTH.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Thanks for the input. After much experimenting, I've reset all my system fonts; right now, they're all Ubuntu (except for fixed width). I've done away with 'force DPI' completely. This is working out pretty well, in combination with individual programs' own font settings.

But I'm still totally stumped when it comes to Steam! NOTHING I've done has made its text readable; it's TINY! And, as I've said, if I choose 'big picture mode,' I can't find a way to navigate to the parts of the screen that are cut off, i.e., it's useless. So I can either choose a view where text is too small to read *or* a view where everything's easily readable, BUT half the contents are missing!

@jlittle, I'm actually the opposite of you--I find dark backgrounds, especially black, to be very difficult to look at for prolonged periods. So I don't use any dark themes, on Linux or Android.

@chimak111, you said: "BTW, the font size in Microsoft Edge's Linux urlbar is pretty large last time I checked. " A) I had no idea M$ produced a Linux version of Edge, and, B) I'm so anti-M$, I wouldn't install this if you paid me!