pixel grid, ClearType increases contrast along the edges of glyphs and
renders more crisply.
Distinctly different is Apple՚s Quartz 2D, which puts emphasis on
maintaining the shape and integrity of the typeface. This certainly makes
sense, given the high proportion of designers who work on Macs. But
Quartz rendered type often appears blurry, which can cause eye strain with
extended reading.
Windows Vista and Window XP both use Microsoft՚s ClearType rendered
either by Windows Presentation Foundation or Graphics Device Interface;
both handle text in a very similar fashion, though WPF doesn՚t snap
horizontally to the pixel grid. Windows XP actually comes defaulted to
monochromatic anti-aliasing.
But ClearType can be turned on by going to Control Panel → Appearance
and Themes → Display, clicking on the “Appearance” tab, selecting
“Effects...” and changing the drop-down from “Standard” to “ClearType.” The