Cross Browser Compatible Pages, Width

Making Pages Compatible with Computer Browsers Thoughts about Text Widths by Flo
The following are my own opinions about setting the widths of the text areas on our pages. Some people agree with me, some do not. So I offer this strictly for your consideration, and not as some hard and fast rules. I have an Apple lapop, screen width set to 1024. On my laptop, my tutes pages are centered and easy to read. Because even tho they appear on a smaller screen (diagonally), the resolution is so much better that I can read the text clearly. I use font size 4 for the main text size. Links are either 3 or 2. And I can read them easily on my laptop. (Font size on this page is 3.) One thing about using percentages for widths instead of actual pixel widths: Newspapers and magazines learned long ago to break up their text into columns instead of spreading out each sentence clear across the width of the paper. Why? Because for many people, it's much easer and quicker to read when you can scan rapidly down the center of a narrow column. Most people can look at the center of a column in a newspaper and also read and understand the words to the left and right of the center word. This is what speed reading courses teach: to learn to make use of your peripheral vision by scanning down the center of a column. Reducing eye movement to a minimum. Now if the sentences are spread out across a page, then you scan by jumping several words along the line until you get to the end. So, MSN TV pages set at 544, 560, 600 wide can be easily read by both "webbies" and computer users. Because computer users' eyes don't have to travel so far horizontally, like they'd have to do were the width set for 100 percent. So I would advise AGAINST using 100 percent, and instead, try width=600 - MSN TV users could even go to 650 if they think that more than several computer users will be trying to read our pages. I've noticed that when I access pages made for computers, like articles in online photo and other magazines and newspapers, the text column has a shorter than 100 percent width. In fact, it's usually only about a third of the width of the screen. To the left of the central text area are the site's navigation links. To the right are the photos and other stuff, and sometimes ads. So you see, apparently what counts, for many people, in making a website's text easy to read is the WIDTH of the text part. Narrow is better than strung out 100 percent across the screen. Back to Browser Compatibility Visit these other Tutorials by Flo Saturday 22nd of November 2008 05:58:08 PM CopyrightŠ by Tone By Tone Dot Net Tandem Tooters Arbor Hosting

Making Pages Compatible
with Computer Browsers
Thoughts about Text Widths
by Flo

The following are my own opinions about setting the widths of the text areas on our pages. Some people agree with me, some do not. So I offer this strictly for your consideration, and not as some hard and fast rules.

I have an Apple lapop, screen width set to 1024. On my laptop, my tutes pages are centered and easy to read. Because even tho they appear on a smaller screen (diagonally), the resolution is so much better that I can read the text clearly. I use font size 4 for the main text size. Links are either 3 or 2. And I can read them easily on my laptop. (Font size on this page is 3.)

One thing about using percentages for widths instead of actual pixel widths:

Newspapers and magazines learned long ago to break up their text into columns instead of spreading out each sentence clear across the width of the paper. Why? Because for many people, it's much easer and quicker to read when you can scan rapidly down the center of a narrow column. Most people can look at the center of a column in a newspaper and also read and understand the words to the left and right of the center word.

This is what speed reading courses teach: to learn to make use of your peripheral vision by scanning down the center of a column. Reducing eye movement to a minimum.

Now if the sentences are spread out across a page, then you scan by jumping several words along the line until you get to the end.

So, MSN TV pages set at 544, 560, 600 wide can be easily read by both "webbies" and computer users. Because computer users' eyes don't have to travel so far horizontally, like they'd have to do were the width set for 100 percent.

So I would advise AGAINST using 100 percent, and instead, try width=600 - MSN TV users could even go to 650 if they think that more than several computer users will be trying to read our pages.

I've noticed that when I access pages made for computers, like articles in online photo and other magazines and newspapers, the text column has a shorter than 100 percent width. In fact, it's usually only about a third of the width of the screen. To the left of the central text area are the site's navigation links. To the right are the photos and other stuff, and sometimes ads.

So you see, apparently what counts, for many people, in making a website's text easy to read is the WIDTH of the text part. Narrow is better than strung out 100 percent across the screen.

Back to Browser Compatibility

Visit these other Tutorials by Flo

Saturday 22nd of November 2008 05:58:08 PM

CopyrightŠ by Tone By Tone Dot Net
Tandem Tooters

Arbor Hosting