How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

**Harlan Messinger** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

Don Li wrote:

I've tried
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:0.8em;">
or
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:11pct;">
or
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:80%;">
to no avail. In IE7 it shows up as Medium. What did I do wrong?
>
Thanks.

?? Setting the font size in the document doesn't change the IE
*setting*, it changes the sizes of the fonts *relative* to that setting
(assuming you're using relative units like % or em).

Anyway, why are you trying to set the primary font of your page to a
size that's smaller than the user finds convenient to read?

**Don Li** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

On Apr 16, 10:44 am, Harlan Messinger
<hmessinger.rem ovet...@comcast .netwrote:

Don Li wrote:

I've tried
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:0.8em;">
or
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:11pct;">
or
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:80%;">
to no avail. In IE7 it shows up as Medium. What did I do wrong?

>

Thanks.

>
?? Setting the font size in the document doesn't change the IE
*setting*, it changes the sizes of the fonts *relative* to that setting
(assuming you're using relative units like % or em).
>
Anyway, why are you trying to set the primary font of your page to a
size that's smaller than the user finds convenient to read?

Would like to get key points of WHAT, For WHOM, WHY and HOW across on
one screen (about 80% of a full screen) without scrolling.

**David Stone** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

In article
<8f944a56-33ef-4999-8654-c1bb7bc1ca28@u6 9g2000hse.googl egroups.com>,
Don Li <tatata9999@gma il.comwrote:

I've tried
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:0.8em;">
or
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:11pct;">
or
<body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:80%;">
to no avail. In IE7 it shows up as Medium. What did I do wrong?

Perhaps you forgot to change the default font sizes in your
browser, so that your "small" text doesn't look the way you
expect? Or perhaps you are running into issues where your CSS
is trying to make the text smaller than the minimum font size
set in your browser?

See elsewhere in this group for information about why you shouldn't
set the body font-size to anything other than 100% (i.e. the user's
preferred font size), and especially about problems with Verdana
relative to other fonts.

**Andreas Prilop** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008, Don Li wrote:

What did I do wrong?

You tried to mess with the reader's preferred font size for BODY.
Don't do that! Do not specify a font size for BODY.

--
In memoriam Alan J. Flavell

http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=author:Alan.J.Flavell

**Beauregard T. Shagnasty** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

Don Li wrote:

I've tried

Please read this:

http://tekrider.net/html/fontsize.php

.. What did I do wrong?

You decided to pick a size which would make many visitors (including me)
squint at the monitor. If 100% is too large for your own taste, decrease
your own browser's default size. But leave it adequate for me.

I expect your post was just a test. Normally you would move the styling
to your CSS style sheet.

--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Vista

**Jonathan N. Little** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

Don Li wrote:

Would like to get key points of WHAT, For WHOM, WHY and HOW across on
one screen (about 80% of a full screen) without scrolling.

Whose screen? You will have no idea what your visitor's screen size will
be. They could be using one of the iPhones! Also screen size != browser
window size, not *everyone* runs a browser maximized. I rarely do. Time
to rethink your design.

--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO

Little Works Studio Site Maintainance

http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

**Don Li** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

On Apr 16, 11:15 am, "Beauregard T. Shagnasty"
<a.nony.m...@ex ample.invalidwr ote:

Don Li wrote:

I've tried

>
Please read this:http://tekrider.net/html/fontsize.php
>

.. What did I do wrong?

>
You decided to pick a size which would make many visitors (including me)
squint at the monitor. If 100% is too large for your own taste, decrease
your own browser's default size. But leave it adequate for me.
>
I expect your post was just a test. Normally you would move the styling
to your CSS style sheet.
>
--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Vista

People. Please consider the following factors:
a) the majority of my users are likely not knowing how to set font
size with their browser and I don't intend to provide instruction on
that (once again, they are not you, not tech savvy);
b) the 'small' font size looks good (not the default 100% size) for
the home page (feedback from beta users).

Thanks.

**Andreas Prilop** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008, Don Li wrote:

the majority of my users are likely not knowing how to set font
size with their browser

Those who also don't know how to adjust the rear-view mirror?

--
In memoriam Alan J. Flavell

http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=author:Alan.J.Flavell

**Harlan Messinger** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

Don Li wrote:

On Apr 16, 10:44 am, Harlan Messinger
<hmessinger.rem ovet...@comcast .netwrote:

>Don Li wrote:

>>I've tried
>><body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:0.8em;">
>>or
>><body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:11pct;">
>>or
>><body style="font-family:Verdana, Arial,Helvetica ;font-size:80%;">
>>to no avail. In IE7 it shows up as Medium. What did I do wrong?
>>Thanks.

>?? Setting the font size in the document doesn't change the IE
>*setting*, it changes the sizes of the fonts *relative* to that setting
>(assuming you're using relative units like % or em).
>>
>Anyway, why are you trying to set the primary font of your page to a
>size that's smaller than the user finds convenient to read?

>
Would like to get key points of WHAT, For WHOM, WHY and HOW across on
one screen (about 80% of a full screen) without scrolling.

Why? (Honestly, I'm often baffled by the criteria people trying to set
up a web page invent for themselves, especially when they produce
undesirable results, such as here where the result will be that people
find the page less comfortable to read.) How do you know how large any
given user's screen is? What makes you think they have their browser
opened to the full size of their screen anyway? I have a large,
high-resolution screen, and it would normally be ridiculous for me to
maximize my browser--I have no need for a document to be that wide. Yet
these days there are web designers who seem to think they need to have
800-pixel-wide graphics and six columns of text across the page, so that
I either have to scroll to the right (which, unlike scrolling down,
isn't part of the normal web experience) or expand my browser against my
preferences, so that I can only see the browser and can't see anything
else I have on my desktop.

**Harlan Messinger** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

Don Li wrote:

On Apr 16, 11:15 am, "Beauregard T. Shagnasty"
<a.nony.m...@ex ample.invalidwr ote:

>Don Li wrote:

>>I've tried

>Please read this:http://tekrider.net/html/fontsize.php
>>

>>.. What did I do wrong?

>You decided to pick a size which would make many visitors (including me)
>squint at the monitor. If 100% is too large for your own taste, decrease
>your own browser's default size. But leave it adequate for me.
>>
>I expect your post was just a test. Normally you would move the styling
>to your CSS style sheet.
>>
>--
> -bts
> -Friends don't let friends drive Vista

>
People. Please consider the following factors:
a) the majority of my users are likely not knowing how to set font
size with their browser and I don't intend to provide instruction on
that (once again, they are not you, not tech savvy);

Your reasoning is backwards. If you think your users will be unable to
change the size of their text, then that's exactly why you *shouldn't*
make it too small for some of them to read. Some people *need* the type
to be at least normal size. Nobody needs it *smaller*.

b) the 'small' font size looks good (not the default 100% size) for
the home page (feedback from beta users).

On your screen in your browser when you have it set to display type at a
Medium setting and you have the quality of eyesight that you are
fortunate enough to have--and may not still have 10 or 20 years from now.

**Don Li** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

On Apr 16, 11:51 am, Harlan Messinger
<hmessinger.rem ovet...@comcast .netwrote:

Don Li wrote:

On Apr 16, 11:15 am, "Beauregard T. Shagnasty"
<a.nony.m...@ex ample.invalidwr ote:

Don Li wrote:
>I've tried
Please read this:http://tekrider.net/html/fontsize.php

>

>.. What did I do wrong?
You decided to pick a size which would make many visitors (including me)
squint at the monitor. If 100% is too large for your own taste, decrease
your own browser's default size. But leave it adequate for me.

>

I expect your post was just a test. Normally you would move the styling
to your CSS style sheet.

>

--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Vista

>

People. Please consider the following factors:
a) the majority of my users are likely not knowing how to set font
size with their browser and I don't intend to provide instruction on
that (once again, they are not you, not tech savvy);

>

Your reasoning is backwards. If you think your users will be unable to
change the size of their text, then that's exactly why you *shouldn't*
make it too small for some of them to read. Some people *need* the type
to be at least normal size. Nobody needs it *smaller*.

You're confused with my follow-up note, "not likely to know to how to
change font size" is not equal to "will be unable to
change the size of their text".

Just answer the question if you are able to, like yes, one can set a
default font size to this or that for a page, here's how, no, you
can't.

**Andreas Prilop** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008, Don Li wrote:

Just answer the question if you are able to

Welcome to Usenet!

You post something, we discuss its implications. If the discussion
happens to answer a question you've asked, that's incidental.

--
Solipsists of the world - unite!

**Jonathan N. Little** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

Don Li wrote:

Just answer the question if you are able to, like yes, one can set a
default font size to this or that for a page, here's how, no, you
can't.

Just answer the question, are you making this page for you or for the
people who will view it? If for the latter then don't fool with my
default font size, it is a pain to have to keep adjusting my found as I
go from page to page. End result is "I", and many others, just won't
come back which is never a good marketing strategy.

--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO

Little Works Studio Site Maintainance

http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

**Beauregard T. Shagnasty** · Jun 27 '08, 07:14 PM

Re: How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

Don Li wrote:

You're confused with my follow-up note, "not likely to know to how to
change font size" is not equal to "will be unable to change the size
of their text".

Whether or not your visitors know how to change the font size in their
browsers is no reason for you to penalize those who don't.

Think flexible. The Web is not paper. And we do not have your eyes.

Just answer the question if you are able to, like yes, one can set a
default font size to this or that for a page, here's how, no, you
can't.

Sure you can. Set it for 100%.

--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Vista

How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

How to set default font size to small for a page's body?

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