If you often have to look and squint to read something on a computer, it makes sense to try changing the size of the letters. They can be both reduced and increased.

There are two options. The first changes the font size partially, in certain programs. For example, in a web application (browser) or a text printing program (Microsoft Word).

The second option is more significant - it will resize everywhere. On the computer screen, in all programs, in the Start button, in folders, and in many other places.

How to change the size of letters in certain programs (partially)

In many computer programs in which you can open and read some text, you can increase or decrease its size. In fact, this is a change in scale, and not editing the file itself. Roughly speaking, you can simply zoom in or zoom out on the text without changing it.

How to do it . The most common way is to find this function in a single program. But this is not very convenient and not always easy. Therefore, there is an alternative "fast" option that works in most computer programs.

Press one of the CTRL keys on the keyboard and, without releasing it, scroll the wheel on the mouse. Each such scroll increases or decreases the text by 10-15%. If you “turn” the wheel towards you, then the font size will decrease, and if you turn it away from you, then it will increase.

Once you are satisfied with the size, release the CTRL button. Thus, you will fix the result and return the mouse wheel to its previous functions.

By the way, instead of the wheel, you can use the + button to increase and - to decrease. That is, hold down CTRL, then press and then release the + or - key on the keyboard. One such press changes the size by 10-15%.

A few examples. Let's say I often use the Internet to search for information - I read news and articles. On different resources, the size of the text is different - it depends only on the site itself.

For the most part, the size of the letters suits me, and I do not feel uncomfortable when reading. But sometimes there are sites where the font is very small for me - I have to lean close to the screen, squint. This is inconvenient and not useful.

In such cases, you can quickly increase the font. I hold down the Ctrl button on the keyboard and scroll the wheel on the mouse several times, thereby changing the size of the text.

This works in 90% of cases: on websites, in mail, in social networks. You can check for yourself by increasing the font size in the article you are currently reading.

By the way, to return to the original size, you need to hold down the Ctrl button on the keyboard and then press the key with the number 0 once. True, such a “return” does not work in all programs, but only in browsers.

Another example. Let's say I'm typing a document in Microsoft Word. The text in it should be a certain size, but for me it is too small. I can’t just increase the font in the program itself - this will violate the design rules, and working with such small text is a torment.

By holding down the Ctrl key and scrolling the wheel on the mouse, I can zoom in on the document. Thus, I will simply bring it closer to me, but I will NOT change it. The text will remain the same size, but I will see it enlarged.

The same goes for photos and pictures that we open on a computer. In exactly the same way, they can be "zoom in" or "remove".

Important! Some programs remember the size that was set. That is, opening something else in such a program, it will immediately be shown in a resized size.

Therefore, do not be alarmed if a document, book or web page opens in a non-standard size - too large or too small. Just change it in the same way (CTRL and mouse wheel).

How to change the font size on a computer (everywhere)

You can increase or decrease the font not only in individual programs, but also at once in the entire computer. In this case, all labels, icons, menus and much more will also change.

I'll show you with an example. Here is a standard computer screen:

And this is the same screen, but with a larger font size:

In order to get this look, you just need to change one setting in the system. If suddenly you don’t like the result, you can always return everything as it was in the same way.

In different versions of Windows, this procedure is performed differently. Therefore, I will give three instructions for popular systems: Windows 7, Windows 8 and XP.

1. Click on the "Start" button and open the "Control Panel".
2. Click on Appearance and Personalization.
3. Click on the inscription "Screen".
4. Specify the desired font size (small, medium or large) and click on the "Apply" button.
5. In the window that appears, click on "Log out now". Remember to save all open files and close all open programs before doing this.

The system will restart, and after that the font will change everywhere on the computer.

1. Open Start and select Control Panel.
2. Find the "Screen" icon (usually at the bottom) and open it.
3. Select the desired size (small, medium or large) and click on the "Apply" button at the bottom right.
4. In the small window, click "Log out now". Remember to save all open files and close all programs before doing this.

The system will restart and the font will change everywhere on the computer.

1. Right-click on an empty area of ​​the desktop.
2. Select "Properties" from the list.
3. Open the Appearance tab (top).
4. Below, in the part called "Font Size" from the drop-down list, select the desired size - regular, large font or huge font.
5. Click on the "Apply" button and after a few seconds the system settings will change.
6. Click on the "OK" button to close the window.

The notorious “fine print” is hated with all its heart by a huge army of readers, but it is ubiquitous - publishers simply adore it.

Inexpressive notes, footnotes that are fatal to the eye, instructions that can only be read with a magnifying glass, and even books from the “What would you like for that kind of money” series - all this is he, our hero. Someone is sad to put up with the inevitability, but for a professional, small print is a completely solvable typographic task, although not a pleasant one. The ability to cope with it is a sign of literacy and professionalism of the designer.

The very expression "small print" is conditional, and therefore is taken in quotation marks. Technically skittle(size) is not a characteristic of a font, but from a design point of view, each font still has an optimal size range in which it is better readable. Favorite font size Octave eighth, this is clear from its name (distinction deteriorates in sizes less than 6-7, and in sizes more than 12 the typeface seems rough). Majority text headset ( Baltika, Literary, Petersburg, Baskerville and Caslon) in all incarnations, Postmark Garamon and other versions close to the original source Garamon, of course, Times designed for standard book size 10-12. Peculiar text font academic has an elaborate pattern and a very small point, as a result of which in 12 size it looks like Times at 10, and at 10 or less it turns into unreadable beads. No less original Sentor(in Cyrillic version Venetian 301) also prefers a slightly larger size, because it is a true Venetian antiqua, quite accurately reproducing the features of the font of Nicholas Jenson, created in 1470, and then books were typed in a larger font.

Beloved by everyone in recent years ITC Officina perfect in 10 pin and sharp (especially ITC Officina Serif) loses readability when reduced to 7-8. But it makes no sense to reduce Oficina and so saves up to a third of the text space.

ITC Charter — rare example universal font. It can withstand heavy reduction and looks good in large sizes, even in headings.

Designed based on fonts typewriters group led by By courier looks best in 12 size, and some are perfectly readable in 10 and even smaller. But after all, there were practically no such typewriters in our country, 12-point font was considered the standard, and publishing houses accepted only such printed manuscripts. And here is the result: the eye is used to a certain typewritten font size. It seems that now nothing prevents printing Yatran any size (at least 13.5), but the reader, especially the older generation, will definitely feel discomfort

All handwritten fonts (calligraphic and freehand) are best printed in accordance with the size of the letters written by hand (14-18 points). In small sizes, it will seem that some gnome wrote the text, and it will not be easy to read.

How to choose

Not all fonts, even text fonts, can be reduced to 6-7, especially smaller sizes. But if one Academic, Bodoni) protest categorically, others ( Bannikovskaya, ITC Garamon) are relatively well tolerated. The problem is solved by simply flipping through the catalog and selecting. Experienced typesetters also know some useful patterns. It is intuitively clear that a candidate for the role of small print must have certain characteristics.

In a report by British typographer Mark Barrett at the ATypI conference in Helsinki in September 2005, the following rules for constructing or selecting type for use in small size are given:

1. The font design should be simple, clear and familiar. Revolutionary forms and design delights are out of place.
2. The font should have an increased point of lowercase characters and wide proportions.
3. The contrast is relatively weak, about 3/4.
4. Open forms are preferable to closed ones.
5. There are either no serifs at all, or they should be “strengthened”, giving a simple and even rough form. The font should not have details that disappear when reduced.

ITC Garamon, for example, differs from the canonical versions Garamon greatly altered proportions: it has a very large point and reduced, curvy extensions. Not the best font for book layout, but it is successfully used for technical purposes in 6-7 size. A large point and fairly wide proportions has Bitstream Cooper, a ITC Officina Sans, although it is a grotesque with a large point, does not allow a strong reduction, since it is very narrow. Even worse tolerates reduction ITC Officina Serif, this is also prevented by massive bar serifs. Sentor ( Venetian 301) makes it difficult to work in small size, another font is too light, solemn (by the way, its bold and bold faces are better suited for ordinary book types than normal). It is unacceptable to use the new style antiqua in small size. Thin horizontal elements Dido and any version Bodoni literally begin to disappear, the font will not only be unreadable, but downright indistinguishable. Against this background, the headset unexpectedly looks advantageous in small size Bannikovskaya. Created in 1946-51. Designed by Galina Bannikova, this graceful book font copes with a difficult task due to a precisely calibrated, poignant design.

A well-known French designer, president of ATypI Jean-Francois Porchez, who has extensive experience in designing advanced typefaces for newspapers and magazines, actually highlights the following rule for constructing such a typeface. Along with the usual rows of styles, differing in weight and slope, a kind of display axis is created, along which the styles change according to their purpose and preferred font size. On such an axis, you can place fonts for headings, subheadings, standard text and options for typing very small: imprint, captions for photos, editorial apologies and corrections, etc. Display is made up of several characteristics of the style, both elementary (contrast, proportions) , and more complex (characteristic features of the figure).

On fig. 4 it can be seen that in the days of metal typesetting, the font pattern of different sizes did vary according to the above rules. This once again confirms that the new is just a well-forgotten old.

In Western European typography, based on the Latin alphabet, the question is deeply developed. Evolved typefaces(and only they can bring commercial success to the author) not only contain text and heading styles, but often include options specifically for typing in small size. Which Latin fonts are best suited for this purpose According to Barrett: Amplitude(developer Font Bureau), Bell Centennial(Bitstream) format(Berthold) Frutiger(Linotype) Georgia(Microsoft) Griffith Gothic(Font Bureau), Gulliver(Gerard Unger) Gulliver CPA(Gerard Unger) Neue Helvetica(Linotype) Lucida Fax(Bigelow & Holmes), Lucida Sans(Bigelow and Holmes) Nimrod(monotype), Poynter Agate(Font Bureau), Swift(Gerard Unger) Verdana(Microsoft) Vesta(Gerard Unger) Weidemann(ITC).

It is a pity that most of the list of fonts do not have adequate Cyrillic versions. One of the nice exceptions Verdana. Created for Microsoft by one of the best type designers of our time, Matthew Carter, the OpenType font was designed to support many languages, including Russian. Cyrillic fonts, even those developed by the best foreign authors, often turn out to be not very successful and alien to the Russian graphic tradition, but the drawing Verdana does not cause complaints even among our most biased connoisseurs of type art. Wide proportions Verdana characteristic of American text fonts. Yes, and Microsoft fonts were developed as screen fonts: this is actually one thing, the solution of the same problem guarantees good visibility in small size. All of the above applies equally to Matthew Carter's second typeface, made for Microsoft, George; although Verdana as a grotesque is still preferable. Insofar as Verdana and Georgia is present in almost any computer running Windows, you can assume that the simplest solution for small text is always at your fingertips.

Now let's try to compose a complete list of the Cyrillic letters we need fonts. Like all design advice, this opinion is undeniable but, hopefully, useful. Looking through the font catalogs and keeping in mind the formulated criteria, we can recommend the following Cyrillic typefaces and styles for typing in small size.

Size 8, 7: Bannikovskaya, Verdana, Georgia, ITC Charter, Bitstream Cooper, ITC Garamon, Octava, Swift, Times(different versions) Melior(in the Cyrillic version Zapf Elliptical 711), Bell Gotik, ITC Franklin Gotik(except for narrow styles), FreeSet, Accident-Grotesk(Gothic 725), Syntax(Humanist 531), Meta, Pragmatics(except for extra light and extra bold weights), Janus.

Size 6, 5: Bannikovskaya, Verdana, Georgia, ITC Charter, ITC Garamon, Octava, Swift, Melior, FreeSet, Syntax, Meta, Pragmatics(except for extra light and extra bold weights).

Size 4, 3: Verdana, FreeSet Normal, FreeSet Bold, Pragmatic Medium, Pragmatic Bold.

Rules for good typography

Note the regularity: from a developed typeface for small text, as a rule, it is advisable to choose bold and bold styles. And it is better not to use the selection of text fragments in a bolder font in a small size. It is desirable either to do without accidents at all, or to use italics, italics or small caps.

In addition to font selection, fine-point text is enhanced by the simple rules of good typography. Small font does not forgive mistakes: incorrectly chosen leading, inappropriately narrow or wide columns, not to mention such unoriginal design tricks as red text on a black background or lined textures. If in a regular text it simply impairs readability, then you can’t make out a small one at all. But the main thing, on the advice of Master Barrett, with which you should always start working on the layout of small text, is to try to convince the customer to still give you at least a little more space. Really, wouldn't it be better to make the information shorter in exchange for the guarantee that the whole text will actually be read.

However, sometimes the customer deliberately resorts to small print, because he is not interested in the text being read. It is easy to guess to which clauses of contracts, contracts, all kinds of obligations and guarantees this applies. It is not difficult to fulfill such a requirement, it is enough to know the rules for the layout of small text and do the opposite. Probably, the tobacco companies would really like the notorious inscription "Ministry of Health warns", made in light narrow Bodoni in size no more than 7. Fortunately, here the law guards not only health, but also the rules of good typography.

Literature:

1. Jean François Porchez: Fonts Don "t Come From Nothing. - Report at the ATypI-2005 conference.
2. Mark Barratt: No Room! No room! - Report at the conference ATypI-2005.

Magazines in the public domain.

The interface is a purely individual thing. There will always be a user who will not be satisfied with something, because you really want to make your account unusual and non-standard, in order to thereby attract attention, make new friends and girlfriends who will comment on photos and put “likes”. How to do it?

Just for such “dissatisfied” with the administration of the most popular social network, there are several options for registering a user account. You can opt for a standard blue-and-blue interface, or you can make your page pre-revolutionary or sports - it all depends on your preferences.

Today we’ll talk about how to change the font in VKontakte in various ways. For many, this question is really relevant. It is fair to say that the standard font in VKontakte is small. On the one hand, this is justified by the fact that your page contains a lot of information that will be fully visible. On the other hand, visually impaired users are extremely uncomfortable with this. Fortunately, such a problem cannot be called a problem. It's only a matter of a few minutes. And you can do this in several ways.

VKontakte: method 1

Find the "ctrl" key on the keyboard of your computer device and hold it down. With your other hand, start scrolling the mouse wheel. This will zoom the page to the required size. Just remember that this will increase not only textual information, but in general all the materials located here (pictures, videos, photos).

This method is insanely simple and ideal for those who at this particular moment in time need to examine something in more detail or read text written in very small print. In the event that you need to constantly work with enlarged text, we recommend that you turn to the second method.

How to increase the font method 2

VKontakte administration specifically provided for this. So, go to your page and select "Settings" in the list of headings on the left. Having entered the tab, scroll through it almost to the very end, until you reach the "Appearance Settings". There, check the box that suggests the use of enlarged fonts.

It cannot be said that the result of such a simple operation will exceed all your expectations. The font will increase, but not by much. Although for some users this is enough.

How to increase the font in VKontakte: method 3

This method involves changing the scale through the menu of your browser. In fact, it can be considered an analogue of the first method.

If your browser is Chrome, then we find on the wrench (top right), then the line "Scale". Here we click on the “+” sign with the cursor until we achieve the desired result.

If your browser is Mozilla, then we find and press the orange (purple) button (top left), then click on "Settings" and "Menu Bar". There we look for "View", select "Scale" and, finally, "Zoom".

If your browser is Opera, press the button (top left), then "Page" and "Zoom", which is recommended to be increased to 120-150%.

How to increase the font in VKontakte users It is also very simple. We go into the browser, look for the gear icon (top right), click on it. In the "Settings" we are looking for a tab called "Add-ons" and check the box next to "Font size is always less ..." Change the current value of 9 to 20, for example, and evaluate the result.

Now you know how to change the font in VKontakte, adapting it as much as possible to your needs and features. Now it's time to change the page theme itself. But we'll talk about this another time.

What is the minimum font size
Are the letters of the Russian alphabet still recognized?

• 13px:
• 9px: The fly sat on the jam, that's all the poem.
• 6px: The fly sat on the jam, that's all the poem.
• 5px: The fly sat on the jam, that's all the poem.

Words in small print are guessed by the letters of a simple form: U, O, T ...

Let's take a closer look at the five-pixel font:

So, the first estimate showed that 4 pixels in height is enough to read the Russian text with difficulty, but still.
Where are the 4 pixels from? → 3 pixels + extension (1 pixel) for letters like P, Y, L...

Well readable letters

In order for the letters to be read without question, you need to space adjacent strokes from each other by at least one pixel. By the letters E (3 horizontal strokes) and Щ (4 vertical strokes) we determine the minimum height and width:

Microfonts use translucency to save size, or change the classic letterforms:

The semi-transparent stroke at the letter E made it possible to reduce its height by 1 pixel (you can also reduce it by 2). But now we will do without these chips (for the purity of the experiment), however, the stroke of the letter Ш will have to be neglected (this is the widest letter).

Get the minimum letter size: 5×5 pixels. Let's draw a check alphabet:

Letters can be drawn in different ways, but it is obvious that the size of 5x5 can be kept within, and at the same time there is even freedom for stylizing the font.

On the Spectrum (a computer from my childhood), the letters fit into an 8×8 square (their actual size was 6×6 so as not to stick together). Dozens of unique fonts have been created in this small format. Ah, nostalgia

By the way, one more trick: capital letters instead of lowercase (and vice versa). For example, lowercase d less than capital. In the newly drawn font, I had to use lowercase th: otherwise the upper "bird" did not fit.

A bit of information theory

There are 33 letters in the Russian alphabet, but writing requires at least numbers and punctuation marks. For example, 2 6 = 64 different characters can be entered into a 2 × 3 rectangle, and this number is enough to transmit our set of letters, numbers and signs. These fictitious symbols will be completely different from Russian letters:

By the way, a 5×5 pixel canvas allows you to create 33,554,432 different characters.

Language redundancy

In the pursuit of micro-size, you can generally abandon complex letters (or depict them exaggeratedly). The Russian language is great and powerful, and also quite redundant: words with loss of characters are determined based on the context.

It is believed that it is necessary to protect vision from adverse factors, one of which is small print.

We tend to think that reading fine print and good eyesight are incompatible.

However, there is an opposite opinion.

William Bates, states that eye strain is caused by mental tension and negative emotions.

Most of all, the eyes get tired in the process of viewing new objects. .

The state of stress, tension leads to refractive errors ( , and ). Therefore, it is important to keep a positive attitude and use the vision in a calm state.

Relaxed eyes are able to see text printed in small print without discomfort. , since small letters are perceived by the nerves of the retina more easily than large ones.

It should be noted that reading a line written in small print requires the same effort as reading a single word in large print.

According to the results of studies on the impact of different fonts on the vision of schoolchildren, no relationship was found between reading small print and visual impairment in children. Child psychologists say that reading small print is more beneficial than large print. The eyes suffer not from the size of the letters, but from the misuse of their capabilities, when the eye muscles work "through force." For this reason, blood circulation and nutrition of eye tissues are disturbed.

The benefits of small print

With the correct operation of the visual apparatus, even in adverse conditions, the eyes do not get tired.

Current research shows the benefits of changing lighting for retinal nerves and reading fine print in dim light. This is due to the fact that in order to read text with small print in poor lighting and a small distance from the eyes, the vision must be relaxed.

If you manage not to strain your eyes under these conditions, then reading large characters in bright light will not require much effort, and therefore does not cause eye fatigue.

Reading small print is essential in the treatment and prevention of visual impairment.

Reading tips to relieve discomfort and improve vision:

• Read the fine print at different distances, it is advisable to cover one eye with a bandage
• Practice reading by candlelight
• Alternate between reading small and regular print
• Periodically interrupt reading by candlelight and look at a surface free from objects.
• It is useful to blink in between readings.
• Exercise "" - will help relax the eyes

Reading the fine print and the exercise "" Bates refers to dynamic relaxation exercises

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