New 2007 WFP Advice Needed

Question

I just received a 2007 WFP wide screen monitor.  About half of the web sites I visit look so teeny on the screen, I can hardly read the words.  The other sites are fine.  I've tried every adjustment I can think of.  From other posts on this forum, I think the problem is with the aspect ratio of the monitor itself, which means there isn't much I can do about it.  I'm hoping this isn't so, but if it is, I need to know ASAP as I have to return the thing within the next 3 days. This is extremely disappointing as I planned to use the wide screen to display two documents at the same time, side by side, to make editing easier.  I also need to use it for on-line research, which I obviously can't do if I can't read the websites. I'm not a gamer, for what that's worth. Anyone have any advice? Is there a way to adjust the settings so I can see any website I need to visit?  If not, I really think Dell should make this clear before people make a purchase. Many thanks.

ctalia4000 · Answer

I wonder have you changed the setting in your video card .   http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/monitors/2007WFP/en/optimal.htm   http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearTypeInfo.mspx   Have your tried adjusting the dpi in the advance setting of your video card.     Message Edited by ctalia4000 on 12-17-200606:36 PM

ian1937 · Answer

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=xps_desk_video&message.id=644&query.id=1003545#M644

nspwis · Answer

Thanks for the prompt replies. I appreciate the advice.   I have the resolution set to 1680 x 1050 and the dpi to about 134% (any bigger is too big).  I haven't tried the Clear Type option yet, but will do that.    Also, I followed the link Ian posted -- is it possible that Windows Vista will help this situation?  If so, I'd put up with this monitor for a couple of months -- I like everything about it except the part about some websites being much smaller than expected.   I also have a Dell Latitude D510 laptop -- I think the width to height screen ratio is 4:3 on this -- and a 17' Dell flat panel on my office computer -- I think the screen aspect ratio is 5:4 on that one -- haven't had any problems with any websites on either of these screens.   I think the problem is the wide panel monitor, but like I said, if Vista solves this, that would be great and worth waiting for.   The problem isn't with the desktop icons or text -- its the way some websites display -- I did see a post on this forum (which I haven't been able to find again) that indicated it was a result of the way the site was coded -- in order to display on a wide screen, it shrinks.  Is this correct?   Thanks again for taking the time to answer this.

gpro · Answer

nspwis,
I have a 2007WFP. I don't have any major issues with websites and I spend a lot of time online. I find that the 20" widescreen is not quite big enough to comfortably display two documents side by side - a 24" would be better. Most websites are still optimized for viewing at 17" CRT resolutions. I resize my browser window to match, leaving space at the side for other stuff.

The issue might be the use of absolute as opposed to relative sizes for fonts in some sites. For example specifying an absolute font size of 10px means the actual size is dependent on your screen resolution and pixel pitch.

If text size is only an issue in the browser you can change it in the View menu.

What are some of those sites that don't work for you?

Please post the outcome of any suggestions offered - it will assist others who may have a similar problem and encourage those who spend their time trying to help.

ian1937 · Answer

Which browser are you using?   Try this.    Go into your monitor menu at bottom ot the monitor screen.  Go to display setting - on the first line select fill.  This should fill the screen with any web site you display. Message Edited by ian1937 on 12-17-200605:12 PM

nspwis · Answer

Thanks for all the suggestions. Replying to the last two posts:  I use Internet Explorer. (I tried Mozilla but it messed up all my e-mail settings -- if you think changing browsers will help, I can get used to a different one.) Re: the display setting -- it has been set to 'fill' all along. Are the absolute/ relative sizes of fonts set by the website or is there something I can do about this? It isn't just the text on the sites that is small, the whole site appears small and is either centered on the screen or pushed off to the left side.   Here is a site I visit frequently -- it is not a problem:   http://ech.case.edu/    Here are two other sites I visit often, both of them appear shrunken on my monitor:   http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/    http://www.wisbar.org/    My msn home page is also very tiny.   The link Ian posted first mentioned a product called Liquid View -- is this still available?  Does it work?   I appreciate all the advice -- thanks very much. Message Edited by nspwis on 12-17-200609:47 PM

mshelton1984 · Answer

Those are both fixed width sites (meaning they do not expand with higher resolutions) that are optimized for lower resolutions. Your not going to get it to fill your entire screen. Nothing you can do about that. Just how the site is designed. You cant expect a site with a fixed width of only 700 pixels to fill your entire screen.

gpro · Answer

mshelton is right. The first site is badly designed IMO because there is no control over the final appearance (from the developer's point of view). Long lines of text are difficult to read anyway. The text is too large for me on that site - I prefer the other two. I guess it depends a bit on what you are used to and how good your eyesight is. Bottom line - websites are not designed for widescreen.

Please post the outcome of any suggestions offered - it will assist others who may have a similar problem and encourage those who spend their time trying to help.

nspwis · Answer

I decided to return the wide screen and get a 20 or 24 inch non wide screen monitor; I'll post my reasons, in case it helps someone who is on this forum looking for advice with the same problem.   The issue is definitely with websites -- some of them appear in the proportions they were designed, just larger.  If they were all this way, it would be wonderful.  Some sites come up in proportion, but very small and difficult to read.  Some sites stretch to fill the whole screen, which is almost as annoying as the tiny ones.   If you could zoom in on the small ones, like you can with an Adobe Acrobat document, there wouldn't be a problem.   Since I need a monitor that can accomodate a variety of activities, including viewing a wide range of websites, I decided the wide screen just isn't going to work for me.  (I don't have any other complaints about the 2007WFP.)   It will be interesting to see if Windows Vista deals with this.   I really appreciate the folks who took the time to read my message and post suggestions.  It was most helpful -- I'm impressed with this forum -- thanks again for the help.

mshelton1984 · Answer

Everything has its drawbacks. Although I do not consider how most websites appear in widescreen a drawback. Just something you have to get used too. I also thought the two sites you posted that didn't fill the screen are easier to read and look much better than the first one, even if they are smaller. Windows Vista will be exactly the same. It's not the monitor, browser or your OS that determines the proportions of a site, but the web designer. Widescreen is becoming much more common so eventually many web designers will shift to designing for widescreen resolutions. Some already do. Most dont. Until they all do you will see the differences you mentioned. If it bothers you that much why not just resize you browser to a smaller size? At least this way you wouldn't have as much blank space on sites designed for low resolutions, and sites that stretch to fill your browser will be easier to read too. Message Edited by mshelton1984 on 12-18-200609:14 AM

nspwis · Answer

How do I resize my browser?  This sounds like an interesting idea to try.

gpro · Answer

how to resize a window?
Start Menu > Help and Support > Windows Basics > Core Windows Tasks > Managing Windows.

IE7 and Opera browsers allow you to zoom a whole page (although it doesn't always work well either).

I don't think you will be happy with a 20" 4:3 screen. You will have the same issues with fixed width sites, and filling that size screen with a browser window makes as little sense to me as doing it on a 20" widescreen. Resizing the window will just leave an awkward shaped space, while a 24" widescreen should allow you to view two windows side by side.

In addition to that, if you are concerned about text size, the 20" 4:3 (pixel pitch =.255 mm) will be slightly worse than the 20" widescreen (pixel pitch =.258mm). On the other hand the 24" widescreen has a pixel pitch of .27mm.

Pixel Pitch is the distance between pixels - another way of putting it is 'pixel density', as used in this comparison.

Please post the outcome of any suggestions offered - it will assist others who may have a similar problem and encourage those who spend their time trying to help.

nspwis · Answer

WOOHOO!  SUCCESS!  The zoom feature in Internet Explorer 7 is just what I needed.   Apparently, I mistated the question originally.  I didn't really want to make all websites fit the screen, I just wanted to be able to zoom in on the tiny ones so I could see them without straining my eyes.   IE7's zoom works like a charm.  Thank you so much.   I'm keeping the widescreen monitor -- I am really pleased not to go to the hassle of sending it back.  This has been an excellent learning process and I'm grateful for the results.   Thanks again.

ian1937 · Answer

Did you know you can use the zoom feature by holding down Ctrl and turning the scroll wheel on your mouse?  I use this feature all the time. Message Edited by ian1937 on 12-19-200611:21 AM

gpro · Answer

hehe, I thought Firefox 2.0 had this feature as well, but couldn't find it. Ctrl-scroll works for Firefox too :). You can also set default and minimum font sizes.

Please post the outcome of any suggestions offered - it will assist others who may have a similar problem and encourage those who spend their time trying to help.

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New 2007 WFP Advice Needed

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