Choose your window background colour

Consider which colour lies halfway along the spectrum of visible light. Listing the colours of therainbow - red – orange – yellow – green – blue – indigo – violet –notice that green lies half-way.

The window background colour that's better for your eyes is light green. We recommend changing your display to a green window, with black or deep purple text. 

Here's how to do it on a PC running XP:

Go to: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Appearance > Item > Window > Colour > Other > select the green you want > OK > OK.

Here's how to do it on a PC running Vista:

Go to: Start > Control panel > Personalization > Window colour and appearance > Show colour mixer > select the green you want > OK

Mac: I wonder if a Mac user can let me know the path on a Mac please, and I will add it to this blog.  You can e-mail me at: ninasunday@gmail.com

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Optimise your refresh rate or flicker control

Are you still using a CRT monitor (that's the one with a deep body, not the new flat screens)? If so, does peripheral flicker annoy you,or did just get 'used to it'? The entire image area of most CRT monitors is refreshed approximately 60 times per second. But a higher refresh rate means less flickering of the display. Less flickering reduces eye strain and fatigue.

The standard refresh rate for eliminating flicker is 75 Hz or above.
Microsoft Windows lets you reset the refresh rate or flicker control higher than the factory default of 60 Hz. 75 Hz (or higher)is better for your eyes than factory default of 60 Hz.

While reducing peripheral flicker is good for your eyes, I must warn you, it may shorten the life of your monitor. To avoid hardware damage, be careful to tick the optionoffering only refresh rates 'optimum for the performance of your system'.

It's your choice whether you are willing to purchase a replacement monitor sooner rather than later because of ahigher refresh rate. Working at your computer with less flicker is better for your eyes.(Perhaps also compare the cost of upgrading yourglasses each year.)

Here's the path to change the refresh rate on a PC running Windows XP.

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Display > Settings > Advanced > Monitor > Screen Refresh Rate >

Tick 'Hide modes this monitor cannot display' then select the option you want > OK > OK.

If you are using a different system try Control Panel Help and search for 'flicker' or 'screen refresh rate'.

Apple Mac or Windows Vista: To be added.

Choose the most readable fonts for your medium. Arial may be winning the popularity game as the preferred font for documents, but is it always easiest to read? Most documents are set in either 'serif' or 'sans serif' fonts.The letters of serif fonts – like Times New Roman, Courier orGaramond – feature little 'feet' at the end of the strokesin the letters.

Contrast this with a 'sans serif' font such as Arial or Verdana. You will notice these feet are absent, they are 'sans' or 'without' serif.

On Paper

Serif fonts are universally easier to read in paper-based documents at small point sizes.  Times New Roman, which was designed in the 1930s as a font with good legibility and economy of space, is one of the most popular. You'll be surprised how many publications use Times New Roman as their body type. 

Sans serif fonts, however, win the readability contest on computer screens. While Arial is okay, many website designers prefer Verdana,  which has been specifically designed for good onscreen readability.

Be reader-focused

With computers, we now have great freedom to choose our font style
and point size.  It is good practice to be reader-focused when we write, so pick the best format for the medium you're working with.

In summary, the medium determines the font.  It's Verdana or Arial for e-mails and onscreen; for print it's got to have 'feet'.


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Copyright Nina Sunday 2011.  All rights reserved.  Published in Sydney, Australia.

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For Speed Reading training for your group of 10-16 staff in your organisation's training room, visit our Speed Reading training web page
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