Font has been getting smaller recently...

[PCofDoom]

And it bothers me a bit, don't know about anyone else here. It's either smaller, or paler... compare this strip with #700, and then with #600, and you should see what I'm talking about.

What are everyone's opinion on this? The Giant probably does it to reduce the space that the speech bubbles occupy, but I hope they don't get any smaller...

[Optimystik]

In Firefox at least, increasing the zoom (default shortcut: Ctrl+equals, or use the View menu) also enlarges the comic a bit. It attenuates slightly, but the words are usually easier to read that way.

Other browsers probably have a similar means of doing this.

[Dr Bwaa]

In Firefox at least, increasing the zoom (default shortcut: Ctrl+equals, or use the View menu) also enlarges the comic a bit. It attenuates slightly, but the words are usually easier to read that way.

Other browsers probably have a similar means of doing this.

Chrome works the same way.

[factotum]

Hasn't this been discussed to death before? Unless you go right back to strip #1 the font size hasn't changed much at all...compare it now with strip #300, for example.

[Snake-Aes]

Whitespaces are part of the perception...if there's too much text in the same baloon, it'll seem smaller.

[FabuVinny]

Hasn't this been discussed to death before? Unless you go right back to strip #1 the font size hasn't changed much at all...compare it now with strip #300, for example.But it has been dropping. And the reason this keeps coming up is that the one-font-size drop we got at the start of this book brought us to the point where it is starting to be a bother for some people.

[TriForce]

Hasn't this been discussed to death before? Unless you go right back to strip #1 the font size hasn't changed much at all...compare it now with strip #300, for example.

indeed, its not changed THAT much at all, more likely your eyes have gone worse with staring at the screen all the time! :smallwink:

[veti]

Yes, this keeps coming up. The text is getting harder to read - there have been very small downshifts in font size, and very small shifts in spacing, and the total effect adds up over time.

Yes, you can increase the size in your browser, but it's a clumsy solution that leaves you having to scan the strip in more segments than usual (maybe 3 screens instead of 2, depending on screen size), and anyway it doesn't improve the resolution - the more you enlarge, the more pixellated it looks, which is just unpleasant.

Whenever it gets mentioned, some people seem to take it as an attack on the Giant or the strip, and leap to the defence of the current style (whatever it happens to be). But I for one am glad it gets mentioned, because the Giant needs to know that people care about this - that every time he succumbs to the temptation to cram just a little bit more into a strip, there's a cost to that decision.

[Asta Kask]

Unfortunately, the alternative is to space out the dialogue between two comics - which means a plot that moves half as quickly. That's not a good alternative either.

[kenb215]

The font size was decreased twice. Once from strip 71 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0071.html) to strip 72 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0072.html) and again from strip 672 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0671.html) to strip 673 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0672.html).

[Acero]

Font has been getting smaller recently...

Yes, it has. If you want to read it bigger, zoom in. problem solved

[Vaarsuvius4181]

And it bothers me a bit, don't know about anyone else here. It's either smaller, or paler... compare this strip with #700, and then with #600, and you should see what I'm talking about.

What are everyone's opinion on this? The Giant probably does it to reduce the space that the speech bubbles occupy, but I hope they don't get any smaller...

Ive noticed that also

[Forbiddenwar]

But I for one am glad it gets mentioned, because the Giant needs to know that people care about this - that every time he succumbs to the temptation to cram just a little bit more into a strip, there's a cost to that decision.

Ah, but Rich never reads the forum, so this is all moot

[AgentofOdd]

Ah, but Rich never reads the forum, so this is all mootHe does respond to people on rare occasions (like here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8006917#post8006917) for example), so I'm guessing he reads the forums at least every once in a awhile.

Back on topic, count me in as one who wishes the images and/or text was bigger especially since I read the comic off a laptop. But it's not a big deal since I use an image editor to enlarge a new comic before reading it.

[Silverraptor]

I don't have a problem with it. I can read it just fine.

[El Llamita]

Well, truth is that occationally I can't distinguish between "a" and "o". And there is no enlarging it. Its just the same, pixelated.

[ThePhantasm]

This has been discussed to death, and the difference is only slight - hardly detectable.

[Trazoi]

The difference is noticeable to me. I find I have to concentrate more and slow down the speed that I read the comic; there's a real switch in my eyes focus when I take in the text compared to the art. It might depend on the eyesight of the reader, but for me that slight drop in size makes the difference from being able to read the comic effortlessly and (currently) having to strain my eyes.


Well, truth is that occationally I can't distinguish between "a" and "o". And there is no enlarging it. Its just the same, pixelated.
It's those two particular letters I have the most trouble with as well.

[Mystic Muse]

In Firefox at least, increasing the zoom (default shortcut: Ctrl+equals, or use the View menu) also enlarges the comic a bit. It attenuates slightly, but the words are usually easier to read that way.

Other browsers probably have a similar means of doing this.

THANK YOU!

The smilies, and avater, and comic were all very pixelated because I didn't know how I zoomed in or how to zoom out.

Knowing how to zoom in led to me being able to zoom out and for that I thank you. :smallbiggrin:

[Draconi Redfir]

i just lean in and get a closer look at the words : /

[Ancalagon]

Be 4 Re4l M4n 4nd Enl4rge Your Font. Get Font4gr4 Che4p!!

[Optimystik]

THANK YOU!

The smilies, and avater, and comic were all very pixelated because I didn't know how I zoomed in or how to zoom out.

Knowing how to zoom in led to me being able to zoom out and for that I thank you. :smallbiggrin:

You're welcome :smallsmile:


Be 4 Re4l M4n 4nd Enl4rge Your Font. Get Font4gr4 Che4p!!

Impress the ladies. Do they look at your font? Did you know 9 out of 10 ladies prefer large font? Call now! Visa/Mastercard accepted.

[Darakonis]

Screen resolution.

If you're running 1024x768 resolution, the font is fine. And for a long time, this was the most popular screen resolution.

However, trends are changing. When I switched to a new screen, running on 1280x1024 resolution, it was a system-shock to have to read the microfont in OotS. Zooming in in FireFox does not help, because instead of just pixelating the image and leaving it crisp, it applies some stupid blur filter that makes it even more difficult to read.

There are people using even bigger resolutions that mine, meaning the font appears even tinier, and I can only imagine how difficult the comic is for them to read.

If Rich continues to shrink the font size over time, and more users switch to higher and higher screen resolutions, then an increasingly larger number of people are going to bring up this issue.


For all those who argue that they can read the text fine and see no reason why any changes should be made, that is an incredibly close-minded viewpoint that fails to consider that not everyone's eyesight is the same, and that no everyone's screen resolution is the same. If people are bringing up the issue, it is because it is an issue. If people have to strain their eyes or otherwise work to read the comic, that will turn people off.

But as readers, we have no right to demand larger fonts. That is up to the Giant, and whether he decides to make his comic accommodate those of us who have trouble reading his microfont (a decision that can influence new potential readers, who may not give a second-change to this awesome comic simply because they have trouble reading it).


Peace,
-Darakonis

[Ancalagon]

Without wanting to annoy someone but if you are of a "normal" age (like... "can read" to 50ish) and have no other issue with the eyes... if you cannot read a font of the size as oots on a screen that has a resolution of 1680*1050 or 1280 * 1024 (which results to basically the same fontsize) from like a distance of around 1 meter you really should visit an eye specialist and get glasses.

Really, I'm just saying this. Yes, the fonts Rich uses are a bit small and mostly unsharp due to his gif-compression but the other fact also is true... I have been there and also know quite a lot (astonishingly many!) people in their 20s to 30s who really (in some cases it is REALLY) need glasses - and some of them compensate with large fonts on their screens.

[Optimystik]

Let's not get judgmental on who is "normal" and who isn't, there's no need for it. Zoom into the browser when you have trouble reading it, zoom back out for the art. Technology is wonderful, and here to help.

[Tyndmyr]

This is true. The words are not huge, but they're certainly clear enough to read, and adequately large that you should have no trouble reading them with good vision(corrected or no).

As one individual that didn't realize exactly how much my eyesight had faded till I'd gotten glasses, I'd definitely advise anyone with difficulty reading text of this size to get an exam.

[Optimystik]

This is true. The words are not huge, but they're certainly clear enough to read, and adequately large that you should have no trouble reading them with good vision(corrected or no).

As one individual that didn't realize exactly how much my eyesight had faded till I'd gotten glasses, I'd definitely advise anyone with difficulty reading text of this size to get an exam.

You should be getting eye exams regularly anyway, and not merely because people on an internet forum claim they can read select strips of a webcomic more easily than you can.

[Darakonis]

"Go spend a couple hundred dollars on eye care" is not an adequate solution to an issue with reading a webcomic.

Optimystik's solution is optimal -- or would be for me, if FireFox didn't blur the image when I zoomed in. As I mentioned previously, whenever I zoom in on any image in FF, the image becomes blurred, and text becomes even more difficult to read. Is there some way to turn off the blur filter? I can read pixelated text just fine, but pixelated + blurred feels like I'm both blind and drunk.

Sure, I can copy-paste the image in Photoshop, but if people have to go to great lengths in order to read the text, then it's obviously because an issue exists. If Rich only wants to cater to the 20/20 crowd, then that's his choice, but I can read most other websites/comics just fine, so I'm not going to get stronger glasses just to read OotS more easily.


Peace
-Darakonis

[Ancalagon]

Let's not get judgmental on who is "normal" and who isn't, there's no need for it. Zoom into the browser when you have trouble reading it, zoom back out for the art. Technology is wonderful, and here to help.

I knew why I added the "just saying" disclaimers. This is not about those who have 100% vision and still dislike the font (I can understand if people feel that way. The font IS small and badly mangled by the compression, there is no doubt about that or personal preferences).

But I'm not sure if you have experience with the sight getting worse. I was just saying you might take this as occasion to have your sight examined (as someone who got sight correction three years later than I should have gotten it I know what I talk about).

And technology is not always here to help. Zooming in is no way around a bad sight (if you inherited it, that kicks in from the age 10 to 20ish). A friend of mine had 1 cm large letters in his terminal in the end. Zooming is not always the best way to go.

That said: Everything is said.

If you feel that bad about the "normal" part, please feel free to re-formulate my post without it. Don't feel attacked and also put into a corner if you were not.

[Harr]

I like how in the rush to 'defend' the comic (in quotes because there's really nothing to defend it from) some people are tossing out the OP's actual point entirely.

So, yes, while I agree that right now it's just-so at the point where one should be able to read the text, I will also agree that if it gets ANY smaller from this point on, it's gonna start to be a problem.

On a sidenote, whether someone goes to see an eye doctor or not, for whatever reason, is most certainly nobody's business but their own.

[Trazoi]

To clarify: I can still read and understand the comic at this font size without needing to zoom the browser in. But it does take noticeably more effort at this font size. The letters can be slightly blurry at this point size so my reading speed is reduced, and I find I need to switch my eyes between different levels of focus repeatedly to take in the fine print of the text and to take in the art of the panel. It's a real noticeable different between today's comic (#705 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0705.html)) and ones with a slightly bigger font (#600 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0600.html))

It's not a massive issue to me, but like the OP it is something that I've noticed as something that is a slight negative in my reading of the comic. Even if it's a necessary trade-off to fit more words into the speech bubbles, I think it's worth pointing out that it is a problem, albeit a small one in my case.

[Vaarsuvius4181]

Well, truth is that occationally I can't distinguish between "a" and "o". And there is no enlarging it. Its just the same, pixelated.

Thats my main problem aswell