[Resolved] Fix the website font size

[kiehlster]

Don't get me wrong, small fonts are cool sometimes, and things look great on a PC, but on my Mac at work with firefox, the font size is so small that pixels just disappear from all the letters because it's way too small. Can you please bump up the font size just one notch, or maybe find a better font that looks good on a Mac with Firefox? It seems that only in Firefox is the font incredibly small, and adjusting the browser's font-size to one above normal makes a big difference in readability. I may have perfect vision, but my vision isn't going to fix missing pixels that make the text unreadable.

Thanks!

[Wazoo]

Which web-site? There are actually a number of them associated with the SpamCop.net system, at various locations in the U.S. (and having to also include the numerous Akamai servers around the world that 'mirror' some of those pages)

Not stated in your request are a number of things. One specific is the font you've actually got your FireFox to use. (yes, you mention changing size, but not the font itself) .... For instance, in this Forum application, a quick snag of an entry in a "Global" section og some .CSS .....

font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Trebuchet MS, Sans-Serif, Georgia, Courier, Times New Roman, Serif;

This normally 'suggests' to your browser the 'recommended' fonts to use in rendering the web-page. The 'issue' is, which of those fonts exist / are used on your system / FireFox install? If Verdana isn't available, try Tahoma ... if Tahoma isn't available, try Arial ... if the list is is ran through without a match, then your browser goes to a "system default" font ..... all of this is moot if you've set your FireFox to "override" the web-page layout issues and use "your" settings.

Again, your settings may be in question, and I'm only tossing out data about the Forum app as part of an explanation, as I have no idea what web-page you might be actually talking about.

[Jeff G.]

Have you considered cranking up Firefox's "Minimum font size"? It works for me (but under Windows).

[kiehlster]

I'm talking about THE spamcop.net site. www.spamcop.net, nothing else. Just the entire of www.spamcop.net. The footer text is unreadable, the headings like "REPORT spam" and "GET spam-FREE EMAIL" are pixelated, and the text in the login form is hard to read. Everything else on that website is fine.

I'm not going to change the minimum font size because then every other website on the web will be huge and ugly (although setting it to even 9pt makes the website look fine). If I have trouble reading the homepage, then hundreds or thousands of other people have got to have the same problem, and they're not going to know to set the minimum font size in firefox. There's got to be a 7pt or 8pt font size hiding in the website that's causing certain things to be unreadable.

I'm using the firefox default fonts for browsing:

Proportional: Serif

Serif: Times

Sans-serif: Helvetica

Monospace: Courier

Even if I change them all to serif or arial or something else, the result is the same because I'm not overriding the fonts on the website. I don't like overriding because I know full well that a good website will uses fonts that look good and are equipped with every browser.

Also, if you know Macs, they have just about every font available to mankind preinstalled on them, so of course it's going to use the first font on the list. And if you're in the web publishing business like myself, you're going to have Adobe CS installed, so that's another thousand fonts that you'll find on a lot of Macs.

[Wazoo]

I'm talking about THE spamcop.net site.  www.spamcop.net, nothing else.

Based on your next comments, it would also appear that you're specifyung the "not logged in" version of the www.spamcop.net web-page.

  Just the entire of www.spamcop.net.  The footer text is unreadable, the headings like "REPORT spam" and "GET spam-FREE EMAIL" are pixelated, and the text in the login form is hard to read.  Everything else on that website is fine. 

the two items in caps are suttounded by < h3> tags, used for a "heading line" of a comparitive size, normally with the range of h1 through h5 .... At quick glance, the only font "size" settings I note are for the username and password (default) data plugged into the two lines near the top of that page, though both of these entries would normally be blank for a 'new' user .... Although there are a couple of references to some java scri_pt for sizeplus, sizeminus, I don't see them directly referenced on this page .. though didn't search out all the .CSS files mentioned either, again, as I don't see a lot of "classes" invoked on this page.

I'm not going to change the minimum font size because then every other website on the web will be huge and ugly (although setting it to even 9pt makes the website look fine).  If I have trouble reading the homepage, then hundreds or thousands of other people have got to have the same problem, and they're not going to know to set the minimum font size in firefox.

And yet, there's not been a flood of complaints made in the time tha this web-page was created .... [Resolved] New Look for SpamCop, Please read before posting is the Announcement I made on one change, Updated Look and Feel for SpamCop.Net on the last major change .... which you'll note comments there offer kudos on the ability for user to adjust text size on that screen (look at the top right)

I'm using the firefox default fonts for browsing:

Proportional: Serif

Serif: Times

Sans-serif: Helvetica

Monospace: Courier

Noting some missing data as suggested in the [How to]post a question you've yet to identify the version of FireFox in use. Many display issues have been fixed/broken/changed between the various releases.

Even if I change them all to serif or arial or something else, the result is the same because I'm not overriding the fonts on the website.  I don't like overriding because I know full well that a good website will uses fonts that look good and are equipped with every browser.

Quick look at that web-page source didn't reveal an immediate call for fonts (again, not following the .CSS files, as I didn't see any 'class' terms being invoked)

Also, if you know Macs, they have just about every font available to mankind preinstalled on them, so of course it's going to use the first font on the list.  And if you're in the web publishing business like myself, you're going to have Adobe CS installed, so that's another thousand fonts that you'll find on a lot of Macs.

35621[/snapback]

I maintain dozens of web-sites and do not have Adobe CS installed on any of my systems. Last time I had my iBook in running shape, I recall no issues with any of the sites used for the SpamCop.net tool-set / support. Any modifications I do on this Forum app are checked under IE, FF, Safari (well, not of recently, due to issues with the iBook)

Bottom line, I can't duplicate your experience at this point, and the lack of those thousands of other complaints does tend to point the "problem" your way ...????

Reading through the last referenced link, pointers were made to http://www.spamcop.net/images/05look.css and changes made by Julian himself to satisfy some complaints raised there ... but noting that there were also a number of user changes/settings involved that had impact also ...

[kiehlster]

Man, you guys ask for too much information.... See for yourself. Look at that ugly pixely text. I'm not trying to put anyone down, I'm just trying to help.

[Wazoo]

Man, you guys ask for too much information....

Please follow the link identified on the Forum entry page titled Start Here - before you make your first Post .. see the text in red on that page .. take your pick of the "How to ask a question .." links .... Data provided as part of the first post would have negated the 'need' for asking all these addition questions, forcing folks to "guess" at the information not provided, and possubly getting somewhere faster ...?????

  See for yourself.  Look at that ugly pixely text.  I'm not trying to put anyone down, I'm just trying to help.

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Hard to answer the issue from that ... scrunched as it is, I can even read the copyright data on this screen in your provided picture ...????? Too scrunched to see the "jagged fonts" issue for me .....

Not said was whether any of the data in the referenced links did a thing for you, whether the "text size" settings on that page did anything for you, on and on ...

I'll make the same reamrk .. I can't duplicate your "problem" but am trying to help ....

[Lking]

<snip> And if you're in the web publishing business like myself, </snip>

35621[/snapback]

As someone in the web publishing business, when one person out of many has trouble viewing a web page of yours, do you change the html or try to resolve the one viewer's difficulty? The page in question looks fine on my laptop and on my 24" screen. Oh well.

[kiehlster]

Please follow the link identified on the Forum entry page titled Start Here - before you make your first Post

I did read that and I searched and didn't find anything so I said on my mac in firefox and firefox only has two versions right now, stable 1.0.7 and beta, so you've got a 50% chance of guessing what version I have. And if I read every little detail on this site at work I'd not get anything done. I posted in this section because I didn't see any better place to put it. Don't you think there should be some kind of website problems section? I didn't even know there was more than one spamcop site until now. I just figured this forum was enterly in reference to its 'www' parent.

Hard to answer the issue from that ... scrunched as it is, I can even read the copyright data on this screen in your provided picture

Of course I can read it if I stare at it enough. But still, I can't tell half of what I type in the login form, let along I can barely get my mouse to click on the login box because OSX acts wierd when stuff is significantly smaller than the mouse cursor.

Not said was whether any of the data in the referenced links did a thing for you, whether the "text size" settings on that page did anything for you, on and on ...

Yes, of course increasing the text size in any fashion, whether through browser defaults or through the website fixes the text size because it makes everything bigger and more readable, but still, the default size when I first came to spamcop.net on until even now is still smaller than it should be. If I increase it, all the rest of the text that looks fine is too big and I can't stand it. Any smaller and you know the drill.

I can't really check anymore because I'm at home now, but I'll try deleting cookies and stuff again to see tomorrow.

[turetzsr]

Man, you guys ask for too much information....  See for yourself.  Look at that ugly pixely text.  I'm not trying to put anyone down, I'm just trying to help.

<snip img>

35626[/snapback]

...You find that hard to read? What I get (Firefox 1.0.7 on Win XP) is a bit smaller (I've changed my default font size to 10 point). I just hit Ctrl + to increase the font and then it's okay.

[Wazoo]

I did read that and I searched and didn't find anything

Apparently missing the point once again ... details, details, details

so I said on my mac in firefox and firefox only has two versions right now, stable 1.0.7 and beta, so you've got a 50% chance of guessing what version I have.

I've got no idea where you've been these last few years .... FF 1.0.7 us simply the "current" stable release, there isn't a thing that says that this is what you're using. In other Forums, there are yet complaints from Mac users ticked off that some web-site (features) don't work with Internet Explorer .. usually after a drawn out question and answer thing like this, as all that was said in the beginning was "using a Mac" .... Some of these folks tried Safari but found it too "strange" .. thinking that these same folks would download/install/use FireFox ..?? Are you kidding?

And if I read every little detail on this site at work I'd not get anything done.  I posted in this section because I didn't see any better place to put it.  Don't you think there should be some kind of website problems section?  I didn't even know there was more than one spamcop site until now.  I just figured this forum was enterly in reference to its 'www' parent.

Can't help that .... www.spamcop.net is not under my control ... the Help button there would take you to places that identify "here" . the newsgroups, some "Contact Us" forms .... I can only point to things I've placed "here" .... the FAQs built here, the links placed 'here' ... the "user=to-user" statement at the entry to each Forum section as a reminder, even a listing of personnel involved .. found at http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?act=faq&article=13 in the KnowledgeBase view, http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?...indpost&p=29132 via the Forum FAQ links ... Yes, this is a support venue for www.spamcop.net, but again, the phrase "the web-site" is certainly not clear.

Of course I can read it if I stare at it enough.  But still, I can't tell half of what I type in the login form, let along I can barely get my mouse to click on the login box because OSX acts wierd when stuff is significantly smaller than the mouse cursor.

Yes, of course increasing the text size in any fashion, whether through browser defaults or through the website fixes the text size because it makes everything bigger and more readable, but still, the default size when I first came to spamcop.net on until even now is still smaller than it should be.  If I increase it, all the rest of the text that looks fine is too big and I can't stand it. Any smaller and you know the drill.

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Again, I've no idea what to tell you at present ... I can't duplicate the issue ... Under Windows, I can't really see a 'massive' difference on that screen between IE and FF .... I had used my iBook after the last "big" change and don't recall an issue with that screen .. though admitting that was FF 1.0 or so ...

[Jeff G.]

In testing with the latest versions of both IE and Firefox on Windows, the [+] (plus sign) Button in the top right corner of http://www.spamcop.net always works to increase the font size on the whole page to a reasonable limit, and the [-] (minus sign) does the opposite. Once you've read that bottom line in a larger font, you shouldn't have to read it again, and can use a smaller font thereafter.

There may also be a greeking issue on your Mac - I haven't seen a greeking issue on Windows.

For the record, that bottom line reads as follows:

Copyright © 1998-2005, IronPort Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. HTML4 / CSS2  Firefox recommended - Policies and Disclaimers

[dbiel]

It seems to me that we are still missing some very important information:

What screen size are you using and what resolution is it set to?

Does the web site fill the entire screen, or only a small portion of it?

The screen shot you pasted is readable to me even in its very reduced size.

Full size on even a 15" screen I would think would be very readable.

[kiehlster]

Sorry for the trouble. Apparently I hit that [-] button at the top a long time ago and never realized it was there. I reset the cookies for the browser and it when back to a nicely anti-aliased size.

It's not that it's too small to read that text, it's more that I have a hard time distinguishing what the letters are because they aren't shapped properly when they get pixelated like that. I'm a slow reader, which is why I don't read every detail, so when it's not properly shapped it takes me longer to read it.

The copyright line isn't the only thing that looks funky. The login textbox is weird as well.

What screen size are you using and what resolution is it set to?

1280x960. I like stuff small, but not pixelatedly small.

Does the web site fill the entire screen, or only a small portion of it?

That really doesn't matter because it's the screen resolution that counts.

The screen shot you pasted is readable to me even in its very reduced size.

It takes me more time to read the funky text than anything else.

Full size on even a 15" screen I would think would be very readable.

I've got a 17" eMac.

The real cause of the funky font on the small settings though is because the body font size is set to .8em while the footer is set to .7em, and that results in the footer text really being 0.56em, and that causes it to look bad. So all the .8em fonts on the site become 0.64em and so forth. Anything below 0.6em just doesn't antialias at all on a mac no matter what font you use.

[Wazoo]

Thanks for the follow-up .. Tagging this Topic as "Resolved"