unreadable text size when writing new emails

[TuesdaysChild]

When I am typing a new email, the font and size setting is normal (Arial 10),
and yet the size of the text display while I'm typing is so tiny that it is
completely unreadable. The screen resolution is normal, and after the email
is sent, I can look at it in the Sent Items folder and read it perfectly.
Right now, in order to see what I'm typing, I have to change the font size to
20 and hope that I remember to change it back to a smaller size before I send
the email. This is annoying. Please help.

 

[Pat Willener]

You have exactly described your problem, but no info on your environment
- Outlook version?
- Account type (POP/SMTP; IMAP; Exchange Server)?
- Message type (plain text; HTML; RTF)?
- Email editor (Outlook; Word)?
- Any additional info on your environment that may matter?

 

[Brian Tillman]

When I am typing a new email, the font and size setting is normal
(Arial 10), and yet the size of the text display while I'm typing is
so tiny that it is completely unreadable. The screen resolution is
normal, and after the email is sent, I can look at it in the Sent
Items folder and read it perfectly. Right now, in order to see what
I'm typing, I have to change the font size to 20 and hope that I
remember to change it back to a smaller size before I send the email.
This is annoying. Please help.

The crystal ball says "fix your zoom setting".

 

[TuesdaysChild]

Ok. I have attempted to change the zoom settings, however I cannot find an
option anywhere to do so. I have enabled the Standard toolbar, and there is
no box for zoom settings. I even tried to custommize the toolbar, and "Zoom"
wasn't even an option. I have Outlook 2003 and Word 2003. In Word, the zoom
is set to 100% and everything looks fine in there. What now?

 

[BWDiesel]

Ok. I have attempted to change the zoom settings, however I cannot find an
option anywhere to do so. I have enabled the Standard toolbar, and there is
no box for zoom settings. I even tried to custommize the toolbar, and "Zoom"
wasn't even an option. I haveOutlook2003 and Word 2003. In Word, the zoom
is set to 100% and everything looks fine in there. What now?

Did your ever find a solution to the problem, My wifes PC is doing the
same thing. When sent they look OK but even when reading emal it has
to be Zoomed to 48 to even read.

 

[TuesdaysChild]

No, I didn't! I've tried everything I can think of and just can't figure it
out. I've posted in a few different threads about this and gotten no
response, so apparently nobody else knows how to fix it either.

 

[DanReamsWI]

I have the same problem. Basically, here is my setup, my experience,
my trouble-shooting, and my observations. I think I'm on the right
track...but I don't yet know how to solve it.

My Setup
- Outlook 2003
-- Set to Tools|Options|Mail Format| of 'Use Word to edit email' and
'Use Word to read RichText messages'. [AN IMPORTANT POINT, as you'll
see below.]
-- Default email composition type is set to HTML
- Word 2003

My Experience
All was well, with my email reading and writing, related to appareent
font size (zoom), until I changed the zoom within a Word document.
That's when it all turned sour. From then on, when viewing RichText
emails, the text would show up as puny.

To temporarily alleviate that, within the email message I was viewing,
I would got to View|Zoom| and change it to 100%...from 62%. Why was
it set at 62%? I have no idea, other than that perhaps it was a
remnant of my having changed the zoom settings in the aforementioned
Word document at one time.

I later found that, IF I HAD READ A RICHTEXT EMAIL, THAT SHOWED UP
SHRINKY, THEN ANY CREATE-NEW MESSAGES I OPENED WOULD ALSO BE SHRINKY.
Annoying to say the least.

So, being a good little IT'ish boy, I went into Outlook's options,
disabled the 'Use Word' features, exited all Outlook windows, went
into the Task List and killed any remaining Outlook or Word processes
(often needed, since both of them like to linger around back-stage
after the show), re-launched Outlook, and saw what I could see.

In this new scenario -- only using Outlook -- all messages that I read
are displayed at the expected, normal zoom size. All new messages I
create are displayed at the expected, normal zoom size.

My problem is that I really like Word's functions, in the email
editor. The ability to convert plain text, to HTML, is a function I
use a lot, because I like to reply to folks with highlighting,
bolding, or other formatting. That is not available, via Outlook, but
is only available when using Word as the editor.

When I change back, to using Word again, the problems re-appear. And,
I have tried various combinations of the Word options, such as only
turning on one or the other of the two options.

I believe the problem is not specifically an Outlook problem, but
rather, it has something to do with the state in which Word itself was
left, after I viewed that original Word document using whatever
zooming changes I made.

So, I went into Word docs, zoomed them all to 100%, saved the
documents, exited Word...but to no positive effect, related to the
Outlook problem of this posting. My next step will be to investigate
if there is some Word cache I can clear out, some settings I can
reset, etc. However, I WORK for a living...so when I get to it will
be another matter.

The search continues....

 

[DanReamsWI]

One follow-up point to my previous posting:
I err'd. Within an Outlook message, when NOT using Word as the email
editor, one can still change the format, of a REPLY to an email
message, by going to the 'Format' menu, of the message, and changing
it there.

I just may leave my Outlook set up this way and forego chasing the
problem further. I think the only function, that I often use, that I
will then be lacking, is the ability to place borders around imbedded
[within the message] graphic images, and i am willing to give that up
to avoid having to use the Zoom function all the time.

 

[DanReamsWI]

One follow-up point to my previous posting:
I err'd. Within an Outlook message, when NOT using Word as the email
editor, one can still change the format, of a REPLY to an email
message, by going to the 'Format' menu, of the message, and changing
it there.

I couldn't leave well enough alone. I just had to try the one more
obvious step that happened to occur to me when I was hitting <SEND> on
the last posting. I have solved the problem! (Although with
anything, who knows if it will return some day). Here's what I did:

- I went into Word and created a new document (but did not save it).
It showed up puny (as I was hoping). Turned out it was set to 70%,
which is close enough to the previously mentioned 62% to make me
happy.

- I changed the viewing of it to 100%.

- I closed the document (still not saving it), and closed Word.

- Opened Outlook and re-enabled the two Word options (see previous
posting for what those are).

- Looked at all my email. THEY DISPLAYED AT THE 100% SIZE.

- Opened a new email composition window, and it too DISPLAYED AT THE
100% SIZE.

- Closed Outlook and the changes still held.

It's now just a matter of seeing how long it sticks.

Hope this thread helped.

I just may leave my Outlook set up this way and forego chasing the
problem further. I think the only function, that I often use, that I
will then be lacking, is the ability to place borders around imbedded
[within the message] graphic images, and i am willing to give that up
to avoid having to use the Zoom function all the time.

My problem is that I really like Word's functions, in the email
editor. The ability to convert plain text, to HTML, is a function I
use a lot, because I like to reply to folks with highlighting,
bolding, or other formatting. That is not available, via Outlook, but
is only available when using Word as the editor.