Sometimes, we don't know a utility exists until we go out to search for it. Last week, we received an e-mail from a man whose eyesight was getting worse with age. He explained that he had Windows 98, and while he loved surfing the web, he was unable to read the text on the screen for very long. The fonts on web pages were just too small too read comfortably. That's where "Magnify" comes in.

We originally suggested that he fiddle with the font settings in his web browser, but this solution was not ideal because some sites use nonstandard fonts, and others display text as an image (like menus and logos).

As we thought about it, we realized that our own eyes tired after hours of squinting at a computer screen. We wondered if there was a utility out there that would allow someone to magnify portions of the screen, making extensive reading comfortable.

To no great surprise, it wasn't long before we found a free program that solves this problem. It's called Magnify, and it was written by a Dartmouth student named Mehmet Iyigun. Magnify opens a resizable window on your screen, that shows a magnified version of what appears around your cursor. Or, you can choose to always magnify a particular section of your screen. You can also change the level of magnification very easily.

If you have Windows XP on your computer, Microsoft included built-in magnifying software! Click on Start | Programs | Accessories | Accessibility | Magnifier to get started! The rest of this article is about using Magnify, though most of the options are similar in Windows Magnifier.

We're going to setup Magnify so that it will help you read web pages with a lot of text (like ours).

Step 1: Download & Install

The download and setup is easy. Click here to download the program. Make sure you know where it is going to be saved (I suggest saving it to your desktop). Once the download is complete, double-click on the file to install it. Accept the default options and you'll be set.

Step 2: Using Magnify

You start the program by clicking on the Start button, choose Programs, choose Magnify, and then click on the Magnify 1.2 icon. A box will appear in the middle of your screen, magnifying whatever happens to be around your mouse cursor! (Figure 1).

Figure 1

You can move and resize the Magnify window just like any other window. The first thing we did was to stretch it so that it took up the entire width of the screen. Then, we moved it to the bottom of the screen.

Next, we adjust the settings of the Magnify program. Right-click within the Magnify window -- a menu will pop-up. Click on Settings. (See Figure 2)

Figure 2

In the Mode section, check Magnify Area.
Then, click on the Change Center Point button.
A box will pop-up, asking you to choose the center point of your screen. Click in the center of your monitor.
You'll be taken back to the Settings box. Click on the OK button.

Now you are set to read some web pages. If the text of a page is too small, just look in the magnify window to read it easily and comfortably. As you use Magnify more and more, you'll discover which settings are best for you. You may have to change the center point of your screen, depending on what web site you are visiting.

The right-click menu lets you minimize the Magnify program quickly and easily, so you can only use it when you need it. The program is small, so it won't take up a lot of memory, either.

Final Thoughts

Magnify has a lot more uses than just magnifying your reading. If you are a graphics designer, you can get quick, close-up views of your images when you make changes. It's also great for inspecting your scanned photos for flaws. If you come up with additional uses, send us an e-mail and let us know!