According to the Microsoft typography page, Microsoft ClearType improves font display resolution and provides a breakthrough in screen readability.
ClearType is activated on a Windows system by:
- From your Windows Desktop, right click and select Properties:
- Select the Appearance tab. Click on the Effects button.
- For the "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts" question, change the value from Standard to ClearType.
- Click OK.
Lead Software Engineer, Eric Haines, notes that the Autodesk DWF Viewer and Autodesk Design Review will observe ClearType settings when displaying TrueType text found in a DWF file. This only applies to text that has been stored in the DWF file as text. It does not apply for text "saved as geometry" or text written in an SHX font. SHX text has always been written as geometry as far back as AutoCAD R13.
DWF users might want to try some experiments with ClearType on their machines. Our testing shows that results vary between LCD and CRT screens as to which one to use. In addition, the amount of zoom matters too. There’s often not one perfect choice for a monitor because of this zoom level factor. For example, some settings give characters that are less blurry, and thinner when zoomed out, which is generally more readable. Users can view a DWF on their monitors and try each setting, ClearType and Standard, zoom in and out, and choose which they prefer.