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Problem:
Disabling webfonts completely doesn't work, because many websites use font icons. Usually, icons are a critical part of web-site functionality, so without web-fonts sites like Github become unusable.
Please compare the attached screenshots to see the unwanted font rendering in comparison to the desired one.
Note:
For some reasons, the attached screenshots are not showed in their original sizes, and thus the described and discussed effects are not seen. To avoid this site/FF behavior, please open these screenshots in a separate tab/window (via the context menu because the site's engine catches and ignores Ctrl+Left Mouse Button), and then scale up to the original size if needed.
The following options are in effect for all the screenshots:
These screenshots were obtained at the same customized preferences and:
gfx.downloadable_fonts.enabled: false
But at this option, glyphs/icons like arrows and others are not rendered (see rectangles/arrows in red/blue pointing to). The good and desired side effect is that pages are loaded and rendered faster, typing is also much faster, and UI is much more responsive.
If gfx.font_rendering.cleartype.use_for_downloadable_fonts set false, text becomes partially distorted as in screenshot (9), see red underlining.
How to get rid of smoothed/anti-aliased fonts and blurred and thus bolded text, to get thin/one-pixel-wide fonts without anti-aliasing and any distortions and to preserve special glyphs/icons at the same time as e.g. in screenshot (8)?
'''Problem: '''
Disabling webfonts completely doesn't work, because many websites use font icons. Usually, icons are a critical part of web-site functionality, so without web-fonts sites like Github become unusable.
Please compare the attached screenshots to see the unwanted font rendering in comparison to the desired one.
'''Note: '''
For some reasons, the attached screenshots are not showed in their original sizes, and thus the described and discussed effects are not seen. To avoid this site/FF behavior, please open these screenshots in a separate tab/window (via the context menu because the site's engine catches and ignores Ctrl+Left Mouse Button), and then scale up to the original size if needed.
The following options are in effect for all the screenshots:
* Display: LCD, 24", 1920x1200x32, 96 dpi (HP Compaq LA2405wg)
* GPU: Saphire ATI Radeon X1950GT
* Font preferences: ClearType and anti-aliasing are disabled in the system settings
* Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above: checked, [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/settings-for-web-content-pop-ups-fonts-languages see Options -> Content -> Advanced].
The screenshots with unwanted, blurred, smoothed, anti-aliased and thus bolded fonts:
* [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-16-54-43-ece288.png (6)] from support.mozilla.org: anti-aliased font, full zoom 120%
* [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-16-41-12-66b6ac.png (1)] from bugzilla.mozilla.org: anti-aliased font, full zoom 120%
* [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-16-52-59-ab404b.png (3)] Ghostery add-on: "anti-aliased" font
These screenshots were obtained at the following customized preferences:
* gfx.font_rendering.cleartype_params.rendering_mode: 1 (aliased)
* gfx.downloadable_fonts.woff2.enabled: false
* gfx.font_rendering.opentype_svg.enabled: false
The best and desired result was obtained from Reddit at the same preferences [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-17-04-09-5a0d57.png (8)], full zoom 115%:
* There are no unprintable glyphs, icons and characters.
* Strokes are one-pixel wide, no smoothing, no anti-aliasing, and thus no blurred or bolded text.
* Each glyph is rendered with pixel precision and is exactly fitted the pixel grid.
The screenshots with the desired thin and legible fonts without anti-aliasing and distortions but with unprintable glyphs/icons somewhere:
* [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-16-55-02-84df83.png (7)] from support.mozilla.org, full zoom 120%
* [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-16-41-33-e6d57d.png (2)] from developer.mozilla.org: There are unprintable icons, full zoom 120%
* [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-16-54-20-4c88cb.png (5)] from Reddit: There are unprintable glyphs/icons, full zoom 115%
* [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-16-53-23-08110e.png (4)] Ghostery add-on: normal, legible font
These screenshots were obtained at the same customized preferences and:
* gfx.downloadable_fonts.enabled: false
But at this option, glyphs/icons like arrows and others are not rendered (see rectangles/arrows in red/blue pointing to). The good and desired side effect is that pages are loaded and rendered faster, typing is also much faster, and UI is much more responsive.
If <code>gfx.font_rendering.cleartype.use_for_downloadable_fonts</code> set <code>false</code>, text becomes partially distorted as in screenshot [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-18-32-08-6808e3.png (9), see red underlining].
How to get rid of smoothed/anti-aliased fonts and blurred and thus bolded text, to get thin/one-pixel-wide fonts without anti-aliasing and any distortions and to preserve special glyphs/icons at the same time as e.g. in screenshot [https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2016-06-16-17-04-09-5a0d57.png (8)]?
