More and more of us are dropping our old CRT monitors off at Goodwill and buying flat-screen monitors. The prices on LCD monitors (flat screens) have come down to a pretty reasonable level, and you can reclaim a square foot of desktop space, which I know I could use.

The problem is people often make the switch to flat screen --

(Distracted just now as three people from my team walked through the PC Lab, saying, "Miriam said it was PCI express." "No, it was standard PCI." "PCI express, Miriam said so." And then they walked out. I'm not sure they even saw me. I feel both famous and invisible. Anywho, back to our discussion....)


When you make the switch to a flat screen (LCD), it is important to make one small change in your computer display settings. Microsoft Windows enhances screen fonts by, in effect, smoothing the jagged edges. There are two technologies used for this purpose. In Windows, one is called "standard" and the other "ClearType." Standard works fine on most CRT monitors and is enabled by default in Windows XP. But ClearType is much better for flat screens. Most people will find reading from the computer screen easier once ClearType is turned on.

Here is a step-by-step on how to do that in Windows XP. Go to Start - Control Panel and locate the icon for Display. (If you are in Categories view, click on Appearance and Themes and then Display)



Now click on the tab for "Appearance"




Next, click the button on the right for "Effects"





Check the box to use "ClearType." Your options are

1. Leave the box unchecked and use basic screen fonts with no smoothing;
2. Check the box and use Standard smoothing (recommended for standard monitors)
3. Check the box and use ClearType smoothing (recommended for flat screen monitors)

Now click OK three or four times and look at your screen. Bring up a website with nice screen fonts like this one. (Heh heh) You should be seeing smooth, readable fonts.


For more information on Clear Type, read Microsoft's article"What Is Clear Type?".