Re: Formatted email font size problems

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

Diane Ross:

Thank you for your email:

in article C2123AB5.4B035%dross@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Diane Ross at
dross@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 3/5/07 9:23 PM:

On 3/5/07 8:21 PM, in article C2122C32.23483%henryn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
"henryn" <henryn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

She prefers to use a feature apparently supported by the product she is
using, and she cannot see why she cannot.

You could try with.... every client doesn't support the same features and if
you want your message to be read, it's best to send plain text. Save the
fancy stuff for your friends that can read it or want it. Stress "want".

Hmmm, I've tried that, but it it isn't very convincing. It seems to me akin
to saying, "When driving in the rain, don't use the windshield wipers if you
_want_ to see clearly."


Fonts can be set for plain text and HTML. The settings for plain text only
affect what YOU see and not what the sender receives. The receiver will see
the messages with THEIR preferences. When setting plain text, choose what
you like. This is a great feature, especially if you like larger fonts for
easy viewing.

Yes, of course, this gives lots of control, but it also requires people to
understand that "_word_" means that "word" is intended to be italicized,
which is not easy for non-technical users. When a user sees that actual
italics can produced, it is a bit difficult to persuade him/her that he/she
cannot actually send italics.

However, the font and size you choose for "HTML messages
(proportional)" do reflect the default font for outgoing HTML mail and is
the what recipient will see.

I think that should read "...is, in theory, what the recipient will see, but
often will not." Correct?

Alternatively, could you give or point me to a brief explanation of how it
is that font sizes are so badly mangled in formatted messages between these
two applications, both of which apparently support formatted messages?
Tekkie talk is fine with me, no worry.

I'm not the right person to explain the techie part. I do know it's getting
better between mac and pcs.

FAQ) How come text from Entourage appears so large when I send it to my
friends using Windows?

It has to do with the way that monitors connected to Windows systems display
images. Windows displays the screen picture at 96 dpi, while the Mac
displays the screen picture at 72 dpi. Because of this, messages that look
normally sized on the Windows computer will be small on the Macintosh. On
the other hand, messages that look normally-sized on the Macintosh are
magnified when they are shown on Windows displays.

You're best bet to get around this is to send your messages in plain text
(make sure the Format -> HTML option is unchecked). What the PC user sees
then only depends on his/her settings to display plain text messages.
Alternatively, you can change the font size to "Smaller" before sending so
that the messages appear at a more reasonable size on the receiving end.

Thanks! Perhaps some tekkie will see the following and comment:

The rendering on any given platform must take into account the actual DPI of
the display used by that platform -- that's how displays and their software
drivers work, the only way any kind of size constancy can occur.

Also this theory does not explain the uneven rendering my friend observed,
with one paragraph sent in a given size rendered in one size and some other
sent in the same size rendered in a completely different size.

Next, the FAQ question explains why messages from Macs to PC's show up
larger on PC's, but that's not at all what we observed. (In this case and in
a completely different one, too.) The formatted text I send shows up
smaller in many cases, but never larger.

Even if the DPI difference was the cause, it should be roughly in
proportion, but the ratio of 96 dpi to 72 dpi is much different than the
ratio of approximately 2:1 we've seen.

When using formatted email, there is certainly room for variation because
the sizes specified in the underlying HTML --which are NOT point sizes, but
size "codes"-- are subject to some interpretation on the target system.
That is to say, a paragraph sent in 14 point might render as 12 point on one
platform and 16 point on another. That's the breaks, and probably
acceptable to most people.

Thanks,

Henry



HTH

.

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