Font size in different resolutions

[SethCall]

What is the most user friendly (i.e., I dont know how my browswer works) way to make fonts appear a good size in 800 * 600, but also 1024 * 768, and maybe even larger?

By this I mean one line of code, and it renders *nearly* the same in every resolution. Is this possible?
Thank you.

[SmallTime]

in a word, no.
If you are talking about 800x600 in a 15" monitor, 1024x768 in a 17" monitor, 1280x1028 in a 19", you may get pretty close to the same size for your 12px font, but you might have someone running their 17" monitor at 800x600, or their 16" laptop at 1600x1200, etc, etc.
For the rundown on the pro's and con's of various strategies, which have been discussed at great length here, try the site search for "font size", etc.

[Robert Charlton]

>>but you might have someone running their 17" monitor at 800x600, or their 16" laptop at 1600x1200, etc, etc.<<

Aren't these people going to notice that most sites don't really display well and adjust their displays? I mean, how many sites are going to incorporate browser sniffers for all the different screen sizes and resolution combinations that users are likely to come up with?

[Nick_W]

Best way is to go with em's. They won't look the same on all resolutions but as has been noted: That's impossible anyway.

With em's you at least get proportional font sizes.

Nick

[SmallTime]

I haven't seen an ems solution that works cross browser/os - and most end up looking like a site for the blind. Perhaps I just haven't run across a decent example.

Many folks have no clue about setting their display, or they like it like that. (I have a laptop with a 16" 1600x1200 screen, large fonts on. You generally don't change default resolutions on lcd screens)

You can't browser sniff for all the combo's there are out there now (or if you do, you probably get it wrong).

The only thing to do is test in as many combos as you can, and solicit opinion for other situations.

[SethCall]

arg too bad too bad.. well thx though: i will give em a try for a bit...

[rcjordan]

>adjust their displays

My bet is "No" --at least for sites used by the general public. However it comes out of the box is the way they run it.

The best I've been able to come up with is to swap stylesheets.
[webmasterworld.com...] (msg 29)

[dhdweb]

>>but you might have someone running their 17" monitor at 800x600, or their 16" laptop at 1600x1200, etc, etc.<<
Aren't these people going to notice that most sites don't really display well and adjust their displays?

17" at 800x600 here and all looks great!
A lot also depends on the monitors dpi (or is it ppi?)

I have seen 17" monitors that look like 640x480 when set at 600x800

dhdweb