Small Fonts - revisited

[lau3]

Hi,

A while ago I brought up the subject of Xara's inability to render small fonts, less than 8 point, properly.

I am working on a new web project that requires me to generate images with crisp, readable small print [car vendors would not like this feature [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] ]

The culprit, as was discussed previously is the same thing that gives Xara its power: Antialiasing.

I believe it would beneficial to have selective antialising controls (besides the bar and the options setting on bitmaps). In the meantime, does anybody have any techniques on improving small font appearance within Xara? I have noticed improved visibility when I clone text over itself, but this becomes a maintenance nightme after a while.

Thanks,

milt

[lau3]

Hi,

A while ago I brought up the subject of Xara's inability to render small fonts, less than 8 point, properly.

I am working on a new web project that requires me to generate images with crisp, readable small print [car vendors would not like this feature [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] ]

The culprit, as was discussed previously is the same thing that gives Xara its power: Antialiasing.

I believe it would beneficial to have selective antialising controls (besides the bar and the options setting on bitmaps). In the meantime, does anybody have any techniques on improving small font appearance within Xara? I have noticed improved visibility when I clone text over itself, but this becomes a maintenance nightme after a while.

Thanks,

milt

[Klaus Nordby]

Yes, this is a problem indeed! If XX had allowed for the use of bitmapped fonts - and not anti-alias them, but just "dump" them to the screen - this would be a non-existent issue. Making screenshots of bitmapt fonts in other apps is possible, but hell. I just don't know a solution which will avoid the maintenance nightmare of bitmaps or sandwiches of text - I wish I did. Partly for this reason, I have moved all of my web design out of XX and into Photoshop/Imageready. I just play around with ideas in XX, and produce the files in Adobe's apps.

K
www.xaraxone.com/FeaturedArt/kn/
www.klausnordby.com/xara

[James Loudon]

Yikes! I just noticed this myself and wondered what the heck was going on. But while I can see the antialiasing affecting the screen display at small sizes (zoom in and all is okay) it seems to apply to print as well? I made a small graphic with 7 point text - outputting to a 600dpi laser should render that pretty good I'd have thought, but it was a bit diasapointing.

[davezub]

Here are some suggestions,

Small Fonts look blurry.....

Dave Zubrowski

Xara FAQ

[gdavidson]

has a good idea for antialiasing. For each text object, you can choose between no antialising, crisp antialising, strong antialising, smooth antialising. It would be great if we had the same thing in Xara.

The top rectangle is Courier 6pt direct from Fireworks with no antialiasing, the bottom is Courier 6pt in Xara.

I'd love to see this feature in Xara!

--
Graeme

[Klaus Nordby]

Not just Fireworks . . . Photoshop has several AA levels like that also, at least since version 6, two years ago.

K
www.xaraxone.com/FeaturedArt/kn/
www.klausnordby.com/xara

[gdavidson]

I hear everyone talking about it but have never seen it! I must give it a try...

--
Graeme

[Klaus Nordby]

Graeme, you're kidding!!! Never seen Photoshop!? Did you just fly in from Mars?

K
www.xaraxone.com/FeaturedArt/kn/
www.klausnordby.com/xara

[gdavidson]

Honest - never actually seen it! I suppose it's similar to Corel PhotoPaint and ,ahem, PhotoPlus.

Occasionally, some of the things I photograph have things mising like a control or a lamp cover so I use PhotoPlus to clone in a replacement - you'd never know!

Is Photoshop regarded as 'the' bitmap editing software others aspire to?

Cheers!

--
Graeme