Well,
if you've spent much time on the Internet, you know this isn't actually a ridiculous
example of hard to read text at all. It's all too common.
But unfortunately it is incredibly hard to read.
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| Search It. Read it. Know
it. Enjoy it. Click To Get
all 5000 titles On THE FREE CD on your own computer. |
When you design web pages, you either predetermine the width of the text, or use
what we call 100%.
I'm
sure you run into lots of pages that expand with text all the way across your
monitor. I think they are unreadable.
But, you'll find lots of reading material including eBooks that's spread across
your screen like this. Let's move down to some 'readable' text.
By the way, this is a page from the incredible Age of Fable by Bulfinch. If you
want to know about mythology. This is the place to look. My Malamute was named
after this Norse god. Loki is a very special favorite name for me.
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| OK, Here's A 500 Pixel
Wide Like My Site. |
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This
is the maximum width that I use on this website. I only use it with bigger type
like on this page. It's only about 500 pixels wide. It is readable, but not the
best.
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| Search It. Read it. Know
it. Enjoy it. Click To Get
all 5000 titles On THE FREE CD on your own computer. |
Again,
you'll find that most website literature is this wide or wider and that well,
it is tiring to read.
Note:
Most websites don't indent paragraphs. Reading studies have
clearly shown that this isn't good for ease of reading or retention.
So, eBooks and websites need to use the science that's been generated to improve
the reading experience for you. Again this screen is from Bulfinch's Mythology
and my Malamute Loki really did live up to his namesake.
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| Ah - Isn't This Better?
Just Like A Newspaper. |
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| Search It. Read it. Know
it. Enjoy it. Click To Get
all 5000 titles On THE FREE CD on your own computer. |
OK,
now we're cooking. If you check your local newspaper, or any of the magazines
you get, you'll find that they all use narrow columns.
Study after study has found that because of the saccades
of the eye, wide columns of text slow you down and decrease comprehension.
As
I've said, millions of dollars and hundreds of years have been spent studying
how we read. I have no idea why so many companies have simply ignored all the
research.
Frankly if I couldn't set the width of the reading screen
to suit me, I probably wouldn't read on-screen even if I could get the 5000 eBook
titles for free. :)
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| You Get
Automatic Reading Too. |
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It
Scrolls.
Click Me To See
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OK,
so now that the column is set to a comfortable easy on-the-eye width that aids
in comprehension, how about scrolling the text for us so that we can set back,
and relax while we read.
Just click AutoScroll, select a comfortable speed
and enjoy. It's a great way to concentrate on what you're reading, and not 'turning
pages'. |
| Compare
And Contrast. It's Easy. |
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OK,
you want to compare to authors, two treatments of the subject, or two timelines.
Now it's easy.
You can open up to 7 reading screens at once. Now
you can have screen 300 open in one work, and screen 210 in another.
It's easy to see parallels, differences and really get a
firm idea of the way different authors treat a subject.
This
is a very powerful way to study any subject you are interested in. And
you can bookmark, copy and print from any of the open books. This is one
powerful information gathering reading researching system.
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| Easy
On Your Eyes Fonts And Sizes. |
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OK,
so why not adjust the screen fonts the way you want them? It's easy. Just click
on Font Options and you can select any of the Fonts and sizes shown.
Now you can customize your reading experience to
fit your exact taste.
Pick bold or regular. Read at 36 point or 10 point. It's up to you. And since
we are all different, you'll be able to optimize the screen to your exact preference,
not the preference of some company sales person. |
| This
Big Or Anywhere In Between. |
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| Search It. Read it. Know
it. Enjoy it. Click To Get
all 5000 titles On THE FREE CD on your own computer. |
OK,
this is really big. In fact it's 36 point. At this size you'd probably want to
widen the screen. But whether you are visually challenged or simply like seeing
big type, you can set the type this big or anywhere in between.
What is really important
about seeing how big the font can be is that it clearly shows that you will be
in complete control of your reading environment. |
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