Forum Discussion
Improve font rendering to be on par with Firefox or at least original Edge
pozxc Deleted v-gapart The "wimpy font" rendering (thin, grayed out) of EdgeChromium has been a topic of discussion on this Forum since April-May, including threads in which folks with more skill than I have done pixel-by-pixel analysis of the differences between EdgeChromium, EdgeClassic and Firefox rendering.
The bad news is that this is the first thread (of at least a half dozen) in which Microsoft employees have entered the discussion. The good news is that Microsoft employees have entered the discussion and now, perhaps, Microsoft will pay some attention to the rendering issue.
I want to thank Anonymous for pointing out the possibility of using Chrome extensions to bring EdgeChromium fonts closer to the EdgeClassic and Firefox level of readability. I've found three that seem to do a good job (Chrome Font Rendering Enhancer**, Font Rendering Enhancer, and Font Expander**). All work slightly differently, with slightly different results, but each of them bring EdgeChromium font rendering close to the level of EdgeClassic and Firefox.
I've elected to use Font Rendering Enhancer as a workaround, but it seems to me that users should not have to find and install extensions from the Chrome Store to get basic functionality like a readable font. That's Microsoft's job to fix, and fix it Microsoft should before force-switching users from EdgeClassic to EgdeChromium.
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**I should note, as a caution, that both Font Expander and Chrome Font Rendering Enhancer are given permission to access your browsing history. Font Rendering Enhancer requires no permissions.
tomscharbach An excellent post. The edge://settings/fonts do not solve the problem. This is not about font pt sizing nor font typefaces. This is about font width and/or antialiasing. These are completely separate from the font's point size or typeface.
Compare Edge Chromium vs Edge EdgeHTML. I've enlarged the "D" from the third word, "December", in the paragraph.
Note the vertical line on the "D"
Chromium shades the left side a light color, making the text blend into the background (?? why ??).
EdgeHTML shades left half a dark color, making a crisp edge on the left (and thus easier to read).
Please do see the font anti-aliasing and font width. This is a rendering problem, not a customization problem.
ikjadoon, tomscharbach , and pozxc: Thank you all for taking the time to share those details and images! You've given us a clearer perspective on what exactly you'd like to see improved with the Chromium fonts and their rendering. I can certainly see the value of this suggestion, and thus, will be discussing it with our Settings product team.
Fawkes (they/them)
Project & Community Manager - Microsoft EdgeDeleted Much appreciated for acknowledging this sincere request: Chromium fonts rendering adds too light/similar-to-the-background-color pixels https://superuser.com/a/1314353, making the text appear too thin, too light, and thus harder to read versus other browsers, notable EdgeHTML.
I think you will find a few people who prefer Chromium's thinner font (which may be pure preference or simply expecting what you've always had), but I think most typical users prefer the sharper, darker style (like EdgeHTML, Firefox, IE, and even other Chromium browsers have used).
Some more thoughts: all links below include cropped, zoomed text views to illustrate the root cause:
- https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=534732
- https://community.brave.com/t/font-rendering-like-in-firefox-and-edge-on-windows/73273
- https://www.tenforums.com/browsers-email/75876-why-google-chrome-looks-blurry-compared-firefox.html
- https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/8u86kw/just_switched_to_firefox_need_some_help_with_font/ (the other side of the debate)
- https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/aoh50f/why_is_text_rendering_on_firefox_just_generally/ (both sides debated in the comments)
There are various solutions (like SK_GAMMA_CONTRAST suggested above). Of course, the ideal is everyone getting the font rendering they want, but--maybe I'm biased--but I think the text is more readable for far more users with the sharper edges. Even as a webdev, clean minimalist design should still be inviting & painless to read. Chromium's default rendering doesn't fit that bill.
ikjadoon "I think the text is more readable for far more users with the sharper edges."
First, thank you for taking the time to locate and link references for Deleted and the Microsoft team.
Second, I agree with you about sharper edges. I don't have any hard evidence, but my guess, too, is that most people, given a comparison and a choice, would pick the font that is more readable.
Third, for Deleted to consider, the "wimpy font" issue is an accessibility issue for older people. I am the volunteer IT director for a small railroad museum, and I've become familiar with the needs of older volunteers, whose vision isn't as sharp as it once was, even with bionic cataracts and good, clear distance vision. A font should be easily readable for 90% of users on a 24" 1920x1080 reasonable-quality (e.g. $250-$300, non-glare non-touch) monitor, and Chrome/Chromium's font rendering is marginal, at best. Of the dozen or so 65+ member-volunteers I serve, I have four that won't be able to work with EdgeChromium's font rendering without eyestrain, and that's not a good situation.
Fourth, if Microsoft decides to follow Googe's lead rather than the lead of other Chromium-based browser developers who have made the font more readable, perhaps Microsoft would consider putting a toggle into Settings, or build a Microsoft extension that will allow users to increase the darkness and crispness of the font as rendered.