NoSquint: Terrific Firefox add-on to improve web page readability

NoSquint was referred to me by my good mate “EJ” who runs two Windows laptops plus a gaming machine and is pretty computer savvy. After trying out this Firefox add-on myself, on EJ’s recommendation, I am mightily impressed.

NoSquint adds readily accessible and easily applied options to adjust text size, overall size, plus text and background color, to web pages viewed in Firefox. Here’s what the developer has to say:

NoSquint allows you to adjust the text-only and full-page (both text and images) zoom levels as well as color settings both globally (for all sites) and per site.

Having a hard time reading on the web? Is that website with the ridiculously small font and hot-pink-on-slightly-darker-hot-pink text raising your blood pressure? NoSquint can:

• Override the default text-only and full-page (both text and images) zoom levels for all websites
• Enforce your own foreground and background colors
• Remember your zoom levels and color settings per site, automatically applying them when you return.
• Disagree with what NoSquint calls a site? A powerful exceptions mechanism lets you split up or group together sites with URL patterns.

Installing NoSquint adds a magnifying glass icon into the Firefox Add-on Bar, and Plus and Minus signs across the top, adjacent to the address bar:

The Plus and Minus signs simply provide a quick and convenient method for basic zoom in/zoom out. The Add-on Bar icon is the hub for accessing NoSquint’s full range of functions… each mouse click (left, right and center) produces a different set of options:

Left click – settings pertaining to each individual page visited

Center click – global settings (applied across the board)

Right click – further zoom options and access to settings

Let’s see NoSquint in action. The following screenshot is an excerpt from the NoSquint ‘about’ page, as normally displayed:

Now the same excerpt with a few minor adjustments applied via NoSquint; 110% zoom, slightly darkened text, slightly lightened background:

The beauty of NoSquint is that these adjustments can be applied globally, affecting every page visited. Or customized separately to suit individual pages, which NoSquint then remembers and applies on a per site basis at subsequent visits.

Let’s take a look at an example of how NoSquint can help with reading poorly designed web pages. The following screenshot is taken from an old (now expired) Digiarty giveaway page – as you can see, the white text on light background renders it practically unreadable.

Now after simply adjusting the text color via NoSquint:

How good is that!

Whether you fall into the same category as myself and EJ (getting a tad long in the tooth), are visually impaired, or would merely appreciate a simple and effective method for improving readability in all or specific web pages, NoSquint is a must have!

• View a full run-down of NoSquint settings, functions, and controls on the about page here: about:nosquint
• Download the NoSquint add-on for Firefox here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/nosquint/