# How macOS scaling works Created: 2023_03_22 19:27 Tags: [[Technology]] I read a great write-up on monitors, scaling and font smoothing https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/ This finally made me understand what integer scaling means - at `n` integer multiple your monitor has a 1:x mapping of logical pixels to physical ones - so it is best to get a monitor that has a native (read physical) resolution that is an integer multiple of the 'size' of display real estate that you like. For me, this meant getting a 5K display (since that works best with macOS) and I also learned that I should turn off Font Smoothing (which is on by default on macOS). To actually enforce this, I use an application [Font Smoothing Adjuster](https://www.fontsmoothingadjuster.com) which makes it easier to modify than navigating macOS's awkward settings application. ## Font smoothing Font smoothing makes your font slightly bolder (essentially adding an outline around each character) which messes with how fonts are meant to be shaped at certain pixel sizes (especially smaller ones). A good example from Nikita's article is reproduced below: ![[Pasted image 20230322203436.png]] To disable font smoothing, you can use this command: ```sh defaults -currentHost write -g AppleFontSmoothing -int 0 ``` To re-enable font smoothing to the default level (medium): ```sh defaults -currentHost delete -g AppleFontSmoothing ``` ## References - Nikita Prokopov's article on Monitors and fonts: https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/ - Font Smoothing Adjuster: https://www.fontsmoothingadjuster.com -