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ClearType FAQ

Updated: November 1, 2004

If you have any questions about ClearType, see how to contact us. Where possible, we will post questions and answers here.


How It Works

Q.How do I turn it on?
A.

On Windows XP:

1.

Right click on the desktop and select 'Properties'

2.

Select the 'Appearance' tab and press the 'Effects…' button

3.

Check the box for 'Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts', then select 'ClearType' in the dropdown list

4.

Close the Effects dialog by clicking 'OK' and click 'Apply' to complete the process

NOTE: If you install Windows XP yourself, by either upgrading an existing Windows installation or performing a fresh install, ClearType will be turned off by default. Computer manufacturers that pre-install Windows XP have the option of turning it on or off by default.

You can also turn ClearType on using our ClearType Web interface or downloadable PowerToy Tuner. These allow you to tune ClearType for your own personal preference and for your display. Tuning ClearType makes an adjustment to Windows XP's 'contrast' or 'gamma' value set for your screen. For more information on gamma, see this page.

Q.How does ClearType actually work?
A.

ClearType is a form of sub-pixel font rendering that draws text using a pixel's red-green-blue (RGB) components separately instead of using the entire pixel. When the pixel is used in this way, horizontal resolution theoretically increases 300 percent.

Picture elements on an LCD screen are actually comprised of individual horizontally-oriented red, green and blue sub-pixels. For instance, an LCD screen that has a display resolution of 800x600 pixels actually has 2400x600 individual sub-pixels. The human eye is not capable of differentiating colors on such a small scale, so a combination of these three primary colors can emulate any intermediate color. Sub-pixel font rendering takes advantage of this by antialiasing at the sub-pixel level instead of at the pixel level.

For more information, see our What is ClearType page. For a technical overview of how ClearType works, see this Microsoft research paper written by John Platt.

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Settings

Q.Why should I tune my display?
A.

No two screens are exactly the same and everyone perceives color in a slightly different way. For these reasons, we recommend that Windows XP users visit our ClearType Web interface or downloadable PowerToy Tuner.

Q.How can I tell if my laptop or flat panel display is set to its native resolution?
A.

To see if your screen is set to its native resolution, try looking at the following eye test image. The image is made up of many vertical black lines. If you see alternating bands of white running vertically through this image, you are probably running at a non-native resolution.

Eye test image.

This page has more information on how to set your screen resolution.

Q.Does Windows XP's color quality or depth affect ClearType's appearance?
A.

Yes. A minimum setting of Medium (16-bit) color quality is required to display ClearType. To check or adjust your color settings, use the Settings tab of your Display Properties control panel.

Q.Can different users of the same machine have their own ClearType preferences?
A.

Yes. Settings are saved for each user account.

Q.Can ClearType be automatically turned off when my laptop is docked and used on a CRT screen?
A.

No. You cannot have different settings for each monitor in a multiple-monitor setup or when docking a laptop.

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LCD vs. CRT Displays

Q. When I turn on ClearType on my display, the text looks blurry. I thought ClearType made the text look sharper?
A.

ClearType works best on color LCD screens, but there are various things to check depending on the type of screen you are using:

1.

If you are using a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) monitor

With this type of display ClearType rendered text will not appear as sharp as text displayed on a digital flat panel color LCD display. Many users like the way ClearType renders text on CRTs so feel free to give it a try.

2.

If you are using a laptop display

Make sure your display is running at its native resolution. Check the user manual to find the resolution of the laptop's screen. If, for example, the screen is 1024 x 768 pixels, make sure Windows 'display properties' are set to 1024 x 768. In this example, if Windows display properties are set to 800 x 600 pixels then the laptop may rescale the screen, resulting in blurry text and icons, regardless of ClearType being on or off.

3.

If you are using a separate flat panel display

ClearType works best with flat panel displays that have a digital interface. Check your flat panel display manual to see if you are using a digital input. If your display's video cable plugs into a standard VGA connection in the back of your PC, then it's probably not using a digital interface. Also, make sure your display is running at its native resolution. Check the display's user manual to find the resolution of the screen. If, for example, the screen is 1024 x 768 pixels, make sure Windows 'display properties' are set to 1024 x 768. In this example, if Windows display properties are set to 800 x 600 pixels, then the screen may rescale the screen, resulting in a blurry text and icons, regardless of ClearType being on or off. If blurriness persists, you might want to check with the screen's manufacturer to see if the display conforms to the ClearType hardware guidelines issued in April 1999.

For some flat panel LCD displays, we have also discovered display degradation associated with the use of extra long video connection cables.

Q.Will ClearType improve text display on CRT monitors?
A.

Yes, but less so than with LCD displays. Because a standard cathode-ray tube (CRT) screen uses an electron beam to activate pixels, ClearType does not provide the same benefits that you experience on an LCD screen. However, because ClearType still applies a form of filtering similar to traditional antialiasing, you may see some improvement when enabling ClearType on a CRT screen.

Q.Will ClearType look OK if my screen's color striping is BGR instead of RGB?
A.

It depends. Most LCD screens have a RGB striping order. A very small number have a striping order of BGR. The image below shows side-by-side examples of text rendered with RGB or BGR ordering. If the BGR example looks better on your screen, then your screen may be using a BGR striping order.

Examples of BRG versus RGB ordering

Support for BGR displays was added to Windows XP with Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1).

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Other Topics

Q.I'm a type designer. How can I see how my fonts will render under ClearType without installing Windows XP?
A.

Type designers can license our Visual TrueType (VTT) font hinting tool. VTT was updated to let designers proof their fonts under ClearType. Information on licensing VTT can be found here.

Q.Does Microsoft hold any ClearType patents?
A.

Yes. In May 2001, Microsoft received its first ClearType patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Other patent applications are pending. Developers looking to license Microsoft ClearType patents should visit our ClearType patent licensing site.

Q. Does Microsoft plan to provide an update to enable ClearType on Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME or Windows 9x?
A.

No.

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