Chromium-based browsers have light-grey, slightly washed-out font (Windows 7).

cmdoss8

I'm using Firefox now but would be using Vivaldi a lot more if not for the fact that the font in Chromium-based browsers (Chromium itself, Chrome, Vivaldi, and Brave are what I've tested) on most (but not all) sites has a light-grey, washed-out look that is harder to read compared to Firefox's nice, dark, crisp, easy to read look.

This isn't really a Vivaldi problem so much as a Chromium one (and maybe something with my laptop, though it was the same on my desktop before it died), but I've tried the Chrome subreddit and the official Google Chrome help site with no luck, so I thought I'd try here.

Here's some of the things I've done in an attempt to fix this after searching for solutions:

Fresh installs browsers.
Various chrome://flags settings such as "Use hardware acceleration when available" and "Disable DirectWrite" (when they were available)
ClearType on/off.
Installing/reinstalling/uninstalling various fonts in Windows, and changing various Windows font settings.
Changing font settings in-browser.
Target field settings such as "/high-dpi-support=1 /force-device-scale-factor=1"
Text Size / page zoom at different levels

Note that I have no other font/display issues anywhere else; only Chromium-based browsers.

To me it almost seems as if a light/thin version of one or more fonts is being used instead of the regular version (as was suggested here and elsewhere), however no amount of uninstalling/reinstalling various fonts or changing font settings either in-browser or in Windows itself has had any effect.

A comparison (though for some reason it looks less severe in my screenshots than how it actually looks in practice):

Chromium: alt text
Firefox:

An_dz

As far as I remember Chromium follows your ClearType settings.

So adjust it to a less blurry setting and Chromium will follow it.

Here, on Windows 8, both Vivaldi and Firefox look very similar, though Firefox is slightly less blurry.

greybeard

This is an issue I have been struggling with for some time, regardless of browser, and may not be related to cleartype as it is already on and configured to the best I can get it.
Sidenote: MS has done it's best to hide these configuration settings and provide me with what it thinks is best for me.
This is more (I believe) a practice of web page designers thinking that pastel foreground colours on pastel background colours together with the use of Thin Fonts is cool.
This combination makes for an eye straining experience for an old guy like me with cataracts in both eyes.

stpvid1

@greybeard said in Chromium-based browsers have light-grey, slightly washed-out font (Windows 7).:

This is an issue I have been struggling with for some time, regardless of browser, and may not be related to cleartype as it is already on and configured to the best I can get it.
Sidenote: MS has done it's best to hide these configuration settings and provide me with what it thinks is best for me.
This is more (I believe) a practice of web page designers thinking that pastel foreground colours on pastel background colours together with the use of Thin Fonts is cool.
This combination makes for an eye straining experience for an old guy like me with cataracts in both eyes.

Use Bahnschrift Semibold Font as a Standard font, its easier to read on screen, HTH

greybeard

@stpvid1 Many Thanks for the tip.