An upcoming Windows 10 update is set to introduce a range of new font management facilities that will increase the extent to which users can customize their setups.
Windows 10 users can already select a default font from a long list of pre-sets and install new ones via a simple drag-and-drop mechanism, but the upgrade is set to introduce further granularity.
The new features, which include the ability to fiddle with the way fonts render on-screen, are expected to arrive via open source application PowerToys, built by a small group of Microsoft developers.
According to the product roadmap, an upcoming build of the freeware – designed to give Windows 10 “power users” a greater pool of settings to play with – will allow users to optimize text rendering and force symmetric smoothing, which could be especially useful for owners of high resolution monitors.
Windows 10 customization
With previous builds, PowerToys has allowed Windows 10 users to make tweaks that further personalize their operating system, including building new layouts for multi-monitor rigs, modifying keyboard shortcuts and remapping keys.
Now, the tool’s designers have turned their attention to addressing choppy text rendering – a problem that arises as a result of the way the OS translates font design into pixels. With the upcoming font rendering feature, text should appear smooth in all sizes and on monitors of varying resolutions.
On top of the new font rendering options, PowerToys is also set to introduce the second generation of its Color Picker tool, which allows users to identify the hexadecimal value of any color that appears on screen.
The second iteration will let users refine their color selection more easily, and will also align with Windows 10 theme selection.
Although no definitive release date has been set for the arrival of the new font rendering system and Color Picker, the features are expected to land as part of a sizable PowerToys update next year.
Via Windows Latest