# Text rendering

**URL:** <https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015>\
**Category:** General JUCE discussion\
**Created:** [December 10, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015 "2013-12-10T16:53:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jankoen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/jankoen/32/109_2.png) [@jankoen](https://forum.juce.com/u/jankoen)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015/1 "2013-12-10T16:53:21Z")

</div>

Hi

After I found out that the new version of Juce ( 3.0.0 ) has a new text rendering engine I immediatly tried it on windows. I have to admit that I was not really impressed by the new results. I'm using fairly small standard fonts ( Arial, 12 ). The font rendering still looks a lot different from the native windows rendering ( compared to for example WordPad ).

On the forum -a lot- of topics are about text rendering some dating a few years back. I find it very difficult to find out which is true and which not anymore ( Jules: is it possible to have an advanced search on date, or version of juce ? )

Back to text rendering:

- What are the expected results on windows 7 ? ( can anyone show their best rendering for smaller font size in a picture ? )

- What control do I have on the quality of the rendering ( on windows ) ?

- What fonts did you ( = Jules ) use to optimize the new text rendering ?

&nbsp;

I have to add that rendering on OSX is perfect.

&nbsp;

Jankoen

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://forum.juce.com/u/jules)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015/2 "2013-12-10T18:11:26Z")

</div>

There isn't a new rendering engine. I just tweaked the gamma a bit.

And yes, it looks different from the standard Windows rendering - that's deliberate. That standard Windows renderer was always horrifically over-hinted and didn't do sub-pixel horizontal positioning, which is why I opted for rendering without any hinting. The OSX renderer has always been&nbsp;superb (because it uses vertical but not horizontal hinting), which is why I've used that on that platform.

TBH they might have finally improved it in&nbsp;Windows 8 / DirectWrite, I've not checked. If so I may at some point migrate to that, but it's not trivial to do.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jankoen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/jankoen/32/109_2.png) [@jankoen](https://forum.juce.com/u/jankoen)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 9:42am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015/3 "2013-12-11T09:42:27Z")

</div>

About the changes in juce 3, i did understand that incorrectly.

Attached you find a screenshot, can you confirm that the results are correct, or is there something I'm missing ?

I use Arial 12 pixels most of the time

&nbsp;

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://forum.juce.com/u/jules)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 10:00am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015/4 "2013-12-11T10:00:00Z")

</div>

Considering that your font is far too small for use on a GUI (IMHO), I think&nbsp;it looks fine.

Even the best rendering engines like OSX would only&nbsp;do marginally&nbsp;better at that kind of size. I assume you come from a Windows background and are used to seeing the horrible old-fashioned heavily-aliased text that Windows uses&nbsp;for small sizes..?&nbsp;I've no interest in supporting that kind of thing - I agree with OSX/Adobe/etc that in rendering text, sub-pixel kerning is more important than aliasing, as it produces a more balanced overall line shape. And now, I'm sick of defending myself on this topic&nbsp;yet again, so that's my last word on the matter!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jankoen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/jankoen/32/109_2.png) [@jankoen](https://forum.juce.com/u/jankoen)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015/5 "2013-12-11T10:27:48Z")

</div>

Hee Jules

I was not at all on the road to put you in a defending position. I'm trying to find out what I can do to achive the optimal results.

My problem is this: I have a plugin designed on OSX&nbsp;which looks unclear on windows.&nbsp;I need to improve that.

But anyway, you helped me forward, thanks for that.

Jankoen

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://forum.juce.com/u/jules)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 10:40am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/text-rendering/12015/6 "2013-12-11T10:40:41Z")

</div>

Sorry, I've just had this same discussion _sooo_ many times before, normally with people much more argumentative than you!
