How to make text look better

Why does Firefox text look jagged?

[otem]

I don't want to incite bashing of either browser. As a developer, I feel I should use both browsers because my audience uses both.

However, I'm working on a site right now, and I'm using the following CSS code to style a header:

font:13px/25px georgia,times,serif

In IE 7 the text looks more crisp, where as in FF 2 the text looks more jagged. I'm not saying any browser is better than another, but are there things besides using pictures I can do to make my text appear more smooth in FireFox?

Thanks

[Robin_reala]

By default IE7 turns on ClearType for itself - Windows XP’s antialiasing system. Firefox will use the default system antialiasing which for Windows XP is normal grey antialisaing, not the technically more proficient subpixel antialiasing that ClearType provides.

So, in answer to your question, if you want Firefox users who might be using XP without ClearType turned on to benefit from the better antialiasing then you could leave your users a note to suggest that they turn it on. But really, this is a system setting, not a browser setting. For example, Firefox users on Mac OS will get the very nice ATSUI antialiasing by default and Firefox on Vista users get the improved-over-XP ClearType by default as well.

It’s also worth mentioned that sIFR, while mostly used for adding non-default fonts, will give all your users Flash’s rather nice antialiasing even if you use it with a ‘core’ font.

[edited by: Robin_reala at 7:40 pm (utc) on April 8, 2007]