Help Topics font size is impossible to read

[onewordnospaces]

Is ther a way to increase the font size in the Help Topics window of PSP X2?
I'm not sure if I did something, or if it's related to my default settings on my computer (XP SP2), but there's just no way I can read the help side. The index, search etc., are great, but the right side where the actual help info show up is probably font size 1.

Screen capture:

[allicorn]

Hiyo!

You can increase/decrease the size of text in just about all Windows Help boxes by holding down the CTRL key while you roll your mouse wheel. The Windows Help interface is provided by part of Internet Explorer and this little trick will work there too. Very handy for those websites with teeny-tiny text!

Alli

[Ron P.]

That would be nice, however after reading your post Allicorn, I tried it on my XP Home machine, and it doesn't work.

[sjj1805]

Possible method #1



Possible method #2

[allicorn]

That would be nice, however after reading your post Allicorn, I tried it on my XP Home machine, and it doesn't work.

Really? How odd! I even tried it on PSP's help dialog before I posted just to make absolutely sure that the program wasn't perhaps using some custom Corel dialog that didn't have the feature.

XP Pro here, and its always worked for me. It occurs to me that perhaps this is more to do with the mouse than the help control itself. I've always used MS Intellimouse (intellimice? ), so I wonder if maybe its a little bonus feature that comes from that?

The same technique, CTRL+Wheel, works for me in Windows HTML Help, IE6/7, Firefox 2/3, Office 2K7, Open Office and even Painter and PSP's main image views. I thought it was a ubiquitous phenomena.

Alli

[sjj1805]

The magnification method in a Web Browser will work with Firefox, but you need Internet Explorer 7 (Or above) - it does not work in earlier versions.

[Ron P.]

It does work in my browsers (FF and IE7) however does not in any of my help files. On my laptop (Vista HP), I use a MS USB mouse, and on my desktop (WinXP Home) I use the HP serial-optical mouse that came with it.

[Larry4511]

Another way is to use the Windows Magnifier. Once executed, it will follow the mouse pointer and enlarge the text in a pane across the top of the screen.

Note that a control box will also open when you execute the magnifier. You can set the magnification factor so the text is even larger. You can also set the text to be inverted (white text on a black background). Once you make your settings, click on the Minimize button for this box to get the box off the screen.

Another useful method is to load up the User Manual in Adobe Reader and you can use it to find most anything in the Help section by searching and reading. AR also allows you to enlarge the text. AR also has an Accessibility section that allows you to invert the text along with some other features that make reading easier.

[onewordnospaces]

Thanks for all the suggestions, but nothing's worked so far. Even the magnifier isn't working properly - the font in that view is all smudged and impossible to make out.
The font in my other Corel aps (PI X3, Painter Essentials etc., all work properly, it's just PSP X2 that's messed.

Is there any chance that maybe downloading the help files (if they're available) and installing them might fix whatever screwed up in my current copy?

[sjj1805]

Not at my own computer right now so a bit of guess work here.
Most of the Corel Programs have an inbuilt Help System where you click help and a Windows Help Dialog pops up.

In addition most of the programs have an almost identical copy in PDF format. Check the Windows Start menu, All Programs - then to wherever your PSP Startup shortcut is located to see if there is a link to a PDF Help file.
If not then check the Windows Location where PSP is installed to see if there is a PDF style help file located there.

Failing that you might find copies of the Help Files tucked away in your original installation file/disc.

[onewordnospaces]

Thanks for the PDF format suggestion. I found the files and added the shortcut to the start menu. I'll just have to get used to using the pdf one, instead of using the handier 'built in' help.

[Larry4511]

Not to bea a dead horse, but there may be at least one other reason that some text may be unreadable.

When I got my new flat screen monitor, I experimented with the resolutions a bit and discovered that some resolutions resulted in text that was broken up and unreadable.

You might try making sure that the resolution set on your graphics card matches one of the resolutions supported by your monitor.

Just a thought...

[skier-hughes]

http://www.microsoft.com/enable/trainin ... tsize.aspx

[onewordnospaces]

The only instance of impossibly small font is on the help write-up side of the window. The search/index/contents side font is perfect. There's also no problem with the rest of the fonts in any apps or browsers. This PSP X2 help write-up side is the only one. If there were more instances, I'd think it's a problem with the computer set-up, but if there's only one case, then it suggests it's not 'computer-wide'.
For the time being, I'll use the PDF version, but like I said, the built-in one would be way handier.
Three weeks ago I got a wide-screen monitor, before that it was a 19" LCD, and the problem was on both of them.

[Larry4511]

Well, one last possibility to look at would be the internet fonts you have set for your browser. If you pull down the Help menu while the Help window is open, click on Internet Options, then click on Fonts, and take a look at the browser and text fonts you have selected. One or the other might be incompatible with the PSP Help display.

It's worth a shot, anyway.