[wxPython-users] LCD vs CRT Monitors Issues (!)

[Chris Mellon]

On 9/29/07, Andrea Gavana <andrea.gavana at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
>     I have been working for a while to update and check FlatMenu for a
> (possible) inclusion of this module inside wx.lib for the next
> release, depending on Robin's opinion.
> With the kind suggestions from Tim Morton, who reported bugs and
> limitations of FlatMenu, I think I have almost kicked out all the
> issues.
> However, one problem still remains, and it is related to a difference
> between LCD and CRT monitors. I have an LCD monitor at home and a CRT
> at work, so I could verify the issue. In Tim's words:
>
> "However, I have found another peculiar problem with the Flatmenu
> display on LCD monitors. I normally use a Viewsonic 19in CRT monitor
> and the display of the menu when it is activated with a mouseover is
> fine, but when I view it on (two different) LCD monitors the menu text
> becomes rough, jagged and somewhat bold. It remains when the mouse
> leaves. The whole app must be resized horizontally to refresh it back
> to normal appearence."
>
> I attach the screenshots Tim sent to me to demonstrate the problem. I
> have absolutely no idea why the 2 kind of monitors should behave
> differently in this case, but I though that someone more knowledgeable
> than me might shed some light on this problem.
>
> Moreover, I still have no idea on the behavior of FlatMenu on Mac, so
> if there is one (or more) kind soul who will try it on a Mac and
> report back problems and issues, I will be glad to address them. For
> all users, the latest FlatMenu release can be found in the usual
> place:
>
> http://xoomer.alice.it/infinity77/main/freeware.html#flatmenu
>
> Thank you for your suggestions.
>

This looks like what happens when you re-draw anti-aliased text over
itself without erasing first. You probably have cleartype (which
anti-aliases text) turned on on your LCD, and not on your CRT (where
it tends to look terrible), which is why the bug  correlates with your
monitor type.

Try using a solid background mode when you draw your text instead of a
transparent brush.