Windows 8 Font Issues

lol8

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Hello, I've been using Windows 8 since launch and love it for the most part. One thing that I can't see past or seem to fix are some of the new MS fonts look awful. I notice the awful fonts only in the ModernUI interface and on outlook.com, everywhere else they appear clear and sharp.

I've tried upgrading my GPU drivers, I've tried tweaking the ClearType settings, but whatever I do, it looks the same.

(click for full size)
2WyHG.jpg

Is there anyway to fix this?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Professional 64-bit
    CPU
    Intel i5 2500k
    Motherboard
    ASUS Maximus IV GENE-Z
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 560ti FPB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 2693HM
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 830 256GB
    PSU
    Corsair PRO HX650
    Case
    SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E
    Keyboard
    Apple Aluminum Wired Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech G700
Re: Windows 8 Font Problem

I have the same problem with blurry fonts in Windows 8.

It is particularly noticeable in IE 10 and the Metro UI. The font rendering in IE10 is so blurry I cannot use it.

This post on Microsoft Community indicates others are having similar problems.

After upgrading to Windows 8 Pro, my fonts in internet explorer 10 now - Microsoft Community

What really annoys me is Microsoft's determination to ignore the problem (and their customers).

I gave up in disgust and reverted back to Windows 7.






 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 & 8.1 64-bit, Kubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Manufacturer: Me
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
    Memory
    G.Skill ARES DDR3 1600 - 3 x 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS HD7770-DC-1GD5-V2
    Sound Card
    on board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PB278Q PLS LED LCD 6ms
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO
    2 x Seagate SATA3 2TB Barracuda 64mb Cache
    PSU
    Corsair HX-650
    Case
    Cooler Master Centurion 5 II
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
    Keyboard
    Logitech Internet 350
    Mouse
    MS Wireless Laser Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    100Mb down /2.4Mb up
    Browser
    IE11, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton Internet Security
    Other Info
    Leadtek DTV2000DS Dual HD TV Tuner
    USB3 kit for 2 front panel USB3 ports
Everyone I've seen with this problem found the problem was in the custom settings in their video driver. Many of them had tweaked the drivers for performance, and in the process had messed up the fonts, then they proceeded to blame Microsoft for it.

Search the forum, there are lots of posts about this, many with solutions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
It's not just IE10 / Windows 8 - if you google
Internet Explorer Blurry
you will find that it has been a problem since Internet Explorer 7 and even 6, and has surfaced in IE8 and IE9, and now IE10. Web fonts may appear blurry with Internet Explorer 7 Fonts appear blurry in Internet Explorer 9

Also, some other Microsoft applications share the same problem. Notably Metro Apps :(

It is due to ClearType technology, which is automatically enabled for HTML fonts in Internet Explorer since 7, and available in Windows since XP. If you also enable ClearType (automatically enabled since Windows 7) in your display properties, the ClearType processing of HTML in IE can overcompensate for smaller font sizes, causing the characters to merge.

An odd thing is that if you post an image file of a page looking bad in IE and the same page looking good in Chrome or Firefox, and then view the images in any browser on a Windows Machine with ClearType turned on, both images look similarly fuzzy. You need to look at the images in a picture viewer (where ClearType is not involved in processing the image - it would make photographs look very strange, with odd colour casts in vertical edges!) to see why the IE font rendering looks worse. Attached files at end can also be viewed as previews and full size images to see the differences in rendering. The top image is IE10 and does not use coloured pixels in the rendering - just monochrome, based on the font colour. The lower example is Chrome and uses the full colour ClearType Algorithm.

It also seems not to be a problem on all machines, and when we all used CRT monitors, ClearType was next to useless anyway. You can read about the principle of sub-pixel rendering here: GRC*|*How Sub-Pixel Font Rendering Works**.

Internet Explorer tries to scale the web page to fit the width of the window, so smaller fonts are never properly aligned with the pixels, and ClearType fails - if you increase the zoom to 150% or more on the web page, almost everything becomes crystal sharp.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
Everyone I've seen with this problem found the problem was in the custom settings in their video driver. Many of them had tweaked the drivers for performance, and in the process had messed up the fonts, then they proceeded to blame Microsoft for it.

Search the forum, there are lots of posts about this, many with solutions.

I'm not a gamer so my AMD video driver settings were set to default.
I have tried different settings suggested on several forums, including this one and Seven forums, and it made no difference.

I have also tried different drivers including the latest beta.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 & 8.1 64-bit, Kubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Manufacturer: Me
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
    Memory
    G.Skill ARES DDR3 1600 - 3 x 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS HD7770-DC-1GD5-V2
    Sound Card
    on board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PB278Q PLS LED LCD 6ms
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO
    2 x Seagate SATA3 2TB Barracuda 64mb Cache
    PSU
    Corsair HX-650
    Case
    Cooler Master Centurion 5 II
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
    Keyboard
    Logitech Internet 350
    Mouse
    MS Wireless Laser Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    100Mb down /2.4Mb up
    Browser
    IE11, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton Internet Security
    Other Info
    Leadtek DTV2000DS Dual HD TV Tuner
    USB3 kit for 2 front panel USB3 ports
Fonts in browsers are mainly personal preference and dependant on the eyesight of the individual, one needs to adjust the fonts to suit their vision. As for me, the fonts in FF looks very thin and unbearable but others may like it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire E1-571
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer Type-2
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4000
    Sound Card
    High Definiton Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB
    PSU
    Generic
    Keyboard
    QWERTY
    Mouse
    ELANTECH Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    12.68Mbps
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
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