Mid-Atlantic Regional Group
Blinded Veterans Association
Computer Corner
Magnification Features
This page describes ZoomText's magnification features.
Setting the Magnification Level
The Magnifier toolbar provides quick access to ZoomText's magnification features. Each toolbar button has an intuitive icon and label for easy identification. Many of these buttons have pop-up menus that provide fast access to the most important and frequently used settings. Related buttons are grouped together and the group is labeled with a clickable link that opens their associated dialog box.
Power: Sets the magnification level from 1x to 36x.
Type Sets the zoom window type: Full, Overlay, Lens, Line or one of four Docked types. Each of these windows offers a unique way of viewing what is on the screen, accommodating different tasks and application environments.
Color Selects color enhancement settings. Color enhancements improve screen clarity for easier viewing and reduced eyestrain. You can choose from a variety of preset color schemes or configure your own custom color settings.
Pointer Selects mouse pointer enhancement settings. Pointer enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the mouse pointer. You can choose from a variety of preset pointer enhancement schemes or configure your own custom pointer enhancements.
Cursor Selects cursor enhancement settings. Cursor enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the text cursor. You can choose from a variety of preset cursor enhancement schemes or configure your own custom cursor enhancements.
Focus Selects focus enhancement settings. Focus enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the control focus when you tab and arrow key through menus, dialogs and other application controls. You can choose from a variety of preset focus enhancement schemes or configure your own custom focus enhancements.
Desktop Activates the Desktop Finder. The Desktop Finder helps you find and launch programs on the desktop, system tray and quick launch bar. In addition, the Desktop Finder also helps you find and open items in the Control Panel, Programs menu and My Documents folder.
Web Activates the Web Finder. The Web Finder helps you find links and controls in any web page.
Text Activates the Text Finder. The Text Finder helps you locate words or phrases within the active application window or anywhere on the entire screen.
Setting the Magnification Level
?To adjust the magnification level
On the Magnifier toolbar, adjust the level in the Power spinbox.
Hotkeys: Increase Magnification: ALT + NUMPAD PLUS
Decrease Magnification: ALT + NUMPAD MINUS
The magnification level can also be adjusted in the Zoom Windows dialog, as follows:
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Magnification...
The Zoom Windows dialog appears with the Magnification tab displayed.
2. Adjust the level in the Power spinbox.
3. Click the OK button.
Setting Description
Power Sets the magnification level. Magnification levels include: 1x to 8x in steps of 1, 10x to 16x in steps of 2, 20x to 36x in steps of 4, and fractional powers of 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x and 2.5x.
Display whole powers only Excludes fractional magnification levels from the Power spinbox.
If your mouse has a wheel, it can be used to zoom-in and zoom-out over the mouse pointer position. Turning the wheel away from you will increase magnification, while turning the wheel towards you will decrease it.
Since the mouse wheel is used to scroll documents in some programs, ZoomText uses a modifier key to share the wheel with other programs. By default the modifier key is CTRL, which means that you must hold down the CTRL key while turning the wheel. Turning the wheel without the modifier key will allow the mouse wheel to perform its normal function.
You can turn off all modifier keys allowing ZoomText to use the mouse wheel without a key, but if you do so the normal mouse wheel functions will no longer operate in other applications.
To enable and configure mouse wheel zooming
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Magnification...
The Zoom Window dialog appears with the Magnification tab displayed.
2. Make sure the Enable wheel zooming box is checked.
3. Select the modifier key (or keys) that must be pressed in order for the mouse wheel to be used for zooming. Click the OK button.
A zoom window displays a magnified view of the computer screen. You can think of a zoom window as a magnifying glass held in front of the screen. A zoom window can only display a portion of the screen at any one time, but by scrolling its magnified contents, any area of the screen can be viewed. ZoomText provides eight zoom window types: Full, Overlay, Lens, Line and four Docked positions. Each of these windows offer a unique way of viewing what is on the screen. At any time, you can switch zoom window types to accommodate a different task or application environment.
On the Magnifier toolbar, select Type, and then select the desired zoom window.
Hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + Z Cycles through the zoom window types.
A zoom window type can also be selected in the Zoom Windows dialog, as follows:
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Zoom Window...
The Zoom Windows dialog appears with the Window tab displayed.
2. Select the desired zoom window type.
3. Click the OK button
Screen enhancements improve the legibility of the screen. With these settings you can:
· Adjust screen colors for improved contrast and clarity.
· Modify the mouse pointer and text cursor, making them easier to see and follow.
· Apply focus enhancements, making it easy to see and follow the control focus.
· Apply font enhancements for sharp print-quality text that's easy to read at all magnification levels.
Color enhancements improve clarity of text and graphics, providing easier viewing and reduced eyestrain. The color enhancement options consist of a variety of filter effects that adjust color, contrast and brightness. You can choose from preset color schemes or configure your own custom color settings.
To choose a preset color scheme
On the Magnifier toolbar, select Color Scheme, and then select the desired color scheme.
Note: You can turn color enhancements on and off using the Color Enhancements On/Off hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + C.
To configure custom color settings
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Color Enhancements...
The Enhancements dialog appears with the Color tab displayed.
2. Select Custom...
3. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
4. Click the OK button.
Pointer enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the mouse pointer. You can adjust the size and color of the pointer and activate a locator that emphasizes the pointer's position on the screen. You can choose from preset pointer schemes or configure your own custom pointer settings.
?To choose a preset pointer scheme
On the Magnifier toolbar, select Pointer Scheme, and then select the desired pointer scheme.
Note: You can turn pointer enhancements on and off using the Pointer Enhancements On/Off hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + P.
To configure custom pointer settings
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Pointer Enhancements...
The Enhancements dialog appears with the Pointer tab displayed.
2. Select Custom...
3. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
4. Click the OK button.
Cursor enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the text cursor. A choice of high visibility locators mark the cursor’s position, without obscuring the surrounding text. You can choose from preset cursor schemes or configure your own custom cursor settings.
?To choose a preset cursor scheme
On the Magnifier toolbar, select Cursor Scheme, and then select the desired cursor scheme.
Note: You can turn cursor enhancements on and off using the Cursor Enhancements On/Off hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + R.
To configure custom cursor settings
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Cursor Enhancements...
The Enhancements dialog appears with the Cursor tab displayed.
2. Select Custom...
3. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
4. Click the OK button.
Focus enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the control focus when you tab and arrow key through menus, dialogs, toolbars, and other application controls. When enabled, a choice of high visibility locators mark the position of the control with focus, without obscuring any surrounding text. You can choose from preset focus schemes or configure your own custom focus settings.
To choose a preset focus scheme
On the Magnifier toolbar, select Focus Scheme, and then select the desired focus scheme.
Note: You can turn focus enhancements on and off using the Focus Enhancements On/Off hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + O.
To configure custom focus settings
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Focus Enhancements...
The Enhancements dialog appears with the Focus tab displayed.
2. Select Custom...
3. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
4. Click the OK button.
With conventional screen magnifiers, the clarity of fonts (text characters) is degraded in the magnified view. As a result, many fonts are difficult to read, including; small fonts, serif and italic fonts, and most cursive and ornate fonts. These problems are eliminated with ZoomText's new 'xFont' text enhancement technology (patent-pending).
With xFont, all font types are magnified with perfect clarity – at all magnification levels. In addition, xFont options allow you to fine-tune text legibility by applying Smooth, Bold, and Condense options. The Smooth option sharpens the edges of text characters. Bold increases the thickness of text characters. Condense increases the spacing between characters and/or lines of text.
If your system is too slow to support xFont, you can switch to Standard font enhancements, which displays medium quality text with faster system performance.
To switch font enhancement types
Press the Font Enhancements hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + F. Repeated presses of this hotkey cycles through the three enhancement type settings: xFont, Standard and None.
Note: You can also set the font enhancement type in the Font Enhancement dialog.
?
To configure font enhancement options
1. In the Magnifier menu, choose Font Enhancements...
The Enhancements dialog appears with the Font tab displayed.
2. Adjust the Font enhancement options as desired.
3. Click the OK button.
ZoomText's Desktop, Web and Text Finders allow you to quickly find applications and documents, web page links, and text within the active application or the entire screen. With intuitive filters and search tools, you can quickly find any item of interest.
The Desktop Finder helps you find and open programs and documents located in the Windows desktop environment - including the quick launch bar, system tray and control panel. When executing the Desktop Finder, a dialog box displays a list of items located in the desktop environment. This list can be filtered and searched, allowing you to quickly locate the desired item. Desktop Finder 'Actions' allow you to open the item or view its properties.
1. On the Magnifier toolbar, select Desktop. The Desktop Finder dialog appears. Hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + D
2. Filter and sort the Desktop Items list by selecting the desired options under Show These Items and Sort Items By.
3. To narrow the search, type the information you are searching for in the Search For combo box, or select a recent entry from the combo box list. As you type, the Desktop Items list is automatically filtered to display only items that contain the search string.
4. Select the desired item in the Desktop Items list.
5. Click the Open button to launch the selected program or open the selected folder.
6. Click the Properties button to view the properties for the selected item.
When selecting the Properties button the Desktop Finder remains open, allowing you to repeat this action on other desktop items. To bring the Desktop Finder dialog back into view, switch the focus back to ZoomText by pressing ALT + INSERT, or click the ZoomText button in the Windows task bar.
The Web Finder helps you find links and controls in Internet Explorer, Firefox 2.0, AOL, HTML email, and HTML Help systems. When executing the Web Finder, a dialog box displays a list of links and controls in the active HTML document. This list can be filtered and searched, allowing you to quickly find the desired item. Web Finder 'Actions' allow you to execute a selected link, scroll to a link or control, or begin reading (with AppReader) at the location of a link or control.
1. On the Magnifier toolbar, select Web. The Web Finder dialog appears. Hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + W
2. Filter and sort the Web Page Items list by selecting the desired options under Show These Items and Sort Items By.
3. To narrow the search, type the information you are searching for in the Search For combo box, or select a recent entry from the combo box list. As you type, the Web Page Items list is automatically filtered to display only items that contain the search string.
4. Select the desired item in the Web Page Items list.
5. Click the Execute Link button to execute the selected link. Click the Scroll To button to scroll the selected item into view. Click the Read From button to begin reading (with AppReader) at the location of the selected item. Note: The Read From option is not available in ZoomText Magnifier.
The Text Finder helps you locate words or phrases within the active application window or the entire screen. After entering the text you want to search for, the Text Finder highlights and reads each found occurrence of the text or the entire line that contains the text.
Note: Text is not spoken by ZoomText Magnifier.
1. On the Magnifier toolbar, select Text. The Text Finder dialog appears. For information on this dialog, see "Text Finder Settings" in this chapter. Hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + T.
2. In the Search For box, type the word or phrase you want to search for.
3. Select any other Text Finder options you want to use.
4. Click the Search button.
The Text Finder dialog is hidden and the first occurrence of the search text is highlighted and spoken according to the selected options. The Text Finder toolbar appears above the found text, providing controls for navigating and reading occurrences of the search text. Note: Text is not spoken by ZoomText Magnifier.
5. To navigate to the next or previous occurrence of the search text, use the Text Finder toolbar or associated Text Finder commands.
6. To exit the Text Finder, right-click or press ESC.
Navigation settings control how ZoomText keeps tracked activity in view, including movement of the mouse pointer and text cursor, and keyboard navigation through menus, dialogs and other application controls. With these settings you can:
· Select the types of activity that will be tracked.
· Define how tracked items are aligned in the zoom window.
· Route and constrain mouse pointer for smoother navigation.
As you move the mouse, type text, and navigate menus, dialogs and other program controls, the zoom window automatically scrolls to keep the focus in view. This behavior is driven by ZoomText's tracking options, which allow you to choose the items that you want ZoomText to track (when they become active). You can also limit tracking to a selected area of the screen.
?To adjust the tracking options
1. In the Settings menu, choose Tracking...
The Navigation Settings dialog appears with the Tracking tab displayed.
2. Adjust the tracking options as desired.
3. Click the OK button.
At times you may want to disable tracking – to keep a specific view in the zoom window.?To turn tracking on and off Press the Tracking On/Off hotkey: CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + T.
Note: ZoomText configurations are always saved with Tracking in the on state.
The Mouse navigation options, pointer positioning and pointer constraints, make it easy to explore and move about the screen. With pointer positioning, the mouse pointer is always brought into view when you need it. With pointer constraints, you can limit mouse pointer movement to horizontal or vertical directions, or within the active window.
?To adjust the mouse navigation options
1. In the Settings menu, choose Mouse...
The Navigation Settings dialog appears with the Mouse tab displayed.
2. Adjust the mouse navigation options as desired.
3. Click the OK button.
Scroll hotkeys allow you to smoothly scroll to any area of the screen, or jump instantly to a specific screen location. Note: Num Lock must be turned off when using ZoomText commands that use the numeric keypad.
To smoothly scroll the zoom window:
1. Hold down ALT and press the arrow key that corresponds to the desired direction.
To... Press...
Scroll left ALT + LEFT
Scroll right ALT + RIGHT
Scroll up ALT + UP
Scroll down ALT + DOWN
2. To increase the scrolling speed, press the same arrow key without releasing the ALT key (each press will increase the speed).
3. To decrease the scrolling speed, press the opposite arrow key without releasing the ALT key (each press will decrease the speed until scrolling stops).
4. To scroll in a different direction, press the arrow key corresponding to the new direction without releasing the ALT key.
5. To stop scrolling, release the ALT key.
Top of Page?To jump to an edge or the center of the screen
Use the following hotkeys:
To... Press...
Jump to left edge ALT + HOME
Jump to right edge ALT + END
Jump to top edge ALT + PAGE UP
Jump to bottom edge ALT + PAGE DOWN
Jump to center ALT + NUMPAD 5
To save and restore a specific view of the screen
The current view can be saved and restored (at a later time) using the following hotkeys:
To... Press...
Save the current view ALT + NUMPAD /
Restore the saved view ALT + NUMPAD *
End of Document