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A screen magnification system is a device that magnifies text and graphics on a computer screen. Magnification programs are designed to work like a magnifying glass moving over a page, following the cursor, and magnifying the area around it. Using a mouse or keyboard commands, a user positions the cursor in the section of the screen to be magnified or has the cursor move automatically across and down a magnified page at a preset speed. The magnified area may be also be emphasized with color and shading, so that users who lose their place on screen may easily locate a magnified area. Fonts used in magnification programs are usually designed to smooth out the jagged or "stair-step" appearance of computer-produced diagonal or curved lines. Today's full-featured screen magnifiers can magnify all items on a screen, including the mouse pointer, text cursor, icons, buttons, and title bars. In addition, the magnifiers provide a set of mouse tracking features, such as the option to link the mouse pointer to screen movement, increase the size and visibility of the mouse pointer, and limit mouse movement to horizontal or vertical directions only. Other features include breaking lines of magnified text automatically so that they fit on the screen and the option of selecting various contrast levels. A full-featured screen magnifier comes with many options and can reach high levels of magnification. Some also include screen reading and Braille output. For the most part screen magnifiers do not have problems with display drivers as they once did. Still, manufacturers will often recommend a specific driver, resolution, and color depth setting. Source: AFB Copyright © American Foundation for the Blind 2005. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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