small print

Make it Easier to Read

Want to "zoom, zoom, zoom"? David Passell solves the problem of trying to read emails and text on web pages that are too small to read easily.  You can use Command and +  to enlarge the image up to a point, or Command and - to reduce it.  This, however, may hide a lot of the page.  David explains and includes screen shots to show how to use the Universal Access Feature in Preferences.



"The Universal Access Feature can help you. Go to Preferences > Universal Access and notice the features on the top menu, (Seeing, Hearing, Keyboard, Mouse.) You should select the Seeing item.

Now look at Zoom and check the On button. Click on Option and you have choices. You can play with them to see what works for you. Here is how mine is set and it works well for me.

Most of us have scroll mice or the mighty mouse. I have found the most handy way to use zoom is when I browse to a site with tiny print, or someone sends me an E-mail with very small print then I can do the following:

Hold down the CMD and OPT keys and then turn the scroll wheel . One direction zooms in on the screen, the other direction zooms out.

When you get to the size you want then you release the buttons. Then the scroll wheel works in the normal way to scroll up and down on the screen image. If you move the mouse, the screen moves under the mouse. Do this until you want to examine some other part. Here is what that small portion will look like.

You can move all over the screen at this magnification. Just move your mouse.

When you no longer need to zoom around press CMD, OPT [-]

The screen display will revert to its unmodified appearance, and the mouse will not move the screen. One of the options is to 'show preview rectangle when zoomed out.' This is like a target on the screen, I find it a confusing distracting, but here is what you will see if it is selected.

If you are zoomed out, then the rectangle will move over the screen with the mouse to show the area of the screen that the scrolling in does."   So try it, and see how it works for you.