I just did a fresh first time install of Inkscape 0.46 on my computer, running Windows XP SP3.

When I start Inkscape, all menu's , popup menu's, dialogs , control captions etc. in Inkscape are rendered in a barely readable tiny font, 5 or 6 pt "large"

I'm all after trying to use Inkscape for just a minute....

My computer system:

Windows XP Professional SP3
2 x 20" TFT, connected to ATi Radeon X800GT, both operating in 1200 x 1600 resolution, portrait mode. Image rotation is done by ATi Catalist Control Center.


Anyone familiar with this and knows a solution?

I'm not familiar with this problem, but I would try uninstalling and re-installing. I would also try deleting your Inkscape preferences in your application data folder (I think that's where it is)

I have tried that a couple of times already.

Unfortunately, that did not help anything at all .

I have reported this as a bug (https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/300666, which includes a screen shot.

My guess is that the routine that is used to determine the required font size for menu's and dialogs can't deal with the monitor setup/resolution setting I have: dual monitor in portrait mode, resolution 1200x1600.

That's a Windows setting.

Right click on your desktop -> properties (or so) -> design/display (or so) -> advanced (or so) -> Element:Menu -> [Defaults] Font: Tahoma; Size:8.

Edit:
This is how it looks if I set it to Tahoma 16:

you may be able to change it by playing with the values in the inkscape\etc\gtk-2.0\gtkrc file.
Save a copy before you mess about tho

aho wrote:That's a Windows setting.

Right click on your desktop -> properties (or so) -> design/display (or so) -> advanced (or so) -> Element:Menu -> [Defaults] Font: Tahoma; Size:8.

Edit:
This is how it looks if I set it to Tahoma 16:

That would affect all applications that are running in Windows. In my case, only Inkscape is suffering with this, all other applications behave normal.

Simarilius wrote:you may be able to change it by playing with the values in the inkscape\etc\gtk-2.0\gtkrc file.
Save a copy before you mess about tho

Thanks for the hint

I've made changes in this file. I have modified all values that appeared to me to be setting a size to a value twice the original value.
The result is that all icons in Inkscape, both on buttons and in menu's now are twice as large, the text size is unchanged, still awfully small.

So, were getting closer, but aren't there yet...

lol. sounds like we need to add a variable or 2 in there then, I believe you can override the defaults with gtkrc, not entirely sure how tho.

>That would affect all applications that are running in Windows.

Yes.

>In my case, only Inkscape is suffering with this[...]

In my case (and well everywhere else) it's in sync. Well, you could try installing this thing:
http://kaioa.com/k/inkscape45_win32_clearlooks.zip

Looks like this:
http://kaioa.com/k/inkscape_win32_clearlooksIS.png

It should still work with 0.46, I think. Make a copy of your Inkscape directory beforehand.

Simarilius wrote:lol. sounds like we need to add a variable or 2 in there then, I believe you can override the defaults with gtkrc, not entirely sure how tho.

Tomorrow, I'll try to install Inkscape again on my computer, after having set my monitor setup to 2 x landscape, 1600x1200, just to check if that's the cause of it.

OK, I rotated my screens this morning back to landscape in ATi Catalist Control Center and ran Inkscape.

No difference.

Thne I uninstalled Inkscape completely and installed it again, still in landscape.

No difference, still tiny fonts.

aho wrote:

ErikTiePie wrote:

aho wrote:Right click on your desktop -> properties (or so) -> design/display (or so) -> advanced (or so) -> Element:Menu -> [Defaults] Font: Tahoma; Size:8.

That would affect all applications that are running in Windows.

Yes.

Despite assuming this would change my complete Windows setup and affect all applications, I still looked in that direction. To my surprise, some of the font settings, including the one for "Menu" were blank. I have no clue how these have become blank.

I entered "Verdana 8 points" and then Inkscape had normal menu's

I guess that when Windows reads the settings and can't find a font name with size, it will use some default, probably MS Sans Serif, 8 points. All other applications will take that too, since they rely on Windows to build the menu's , dialogs etc.

However, since Inkscape does that all by itself, it uses some default font and setting as well, but uses an unusable font size.

Something for the developers, to use a different default value when no font name and/or size is found?

Aho and all others, Thanks!

bizarre, glad you fiund the fix tho

For the completeness:
The exact path in Win7 is

Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Change the theme (under Personalization) > Window Color

there select the [Item]: Menu and choose for example "Verdana" at [Font] "8" at [Size].