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Why are font sizes different when formatting is the same?

  • 2 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 29 views
  • Last reply by coffent

coffent
coffent
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When I reply to an HTML message (in HTML) the text I type is a different size than that in the original message. The original message text is "Body Text, Arial, Medium". If I format my reply text exactly the same, the font is smaller than the original. If I increase the font size, then the font is larger than the original. Why aren't text passages formatted in exactly the same way, the same?

When I reply to an HTML message (in HTML) the text I type is a different size than that in the original message. The original message text is "Body Text, Arial, Medium". If I format my reply text exactly the same, the font is smaller than the original. If I increase the font size, then the font is larger than the original. Why aren't text passages formatted in exactly the same way, the same?

Chosen solution

While Thunderbird may be telling you it is Arial medium. Most likely it is Arial and a number either in points or pixels. Microsoft Outlook in particular spend inordinate amount of space on specifying fonts in point (which are actually no good in HTML)

The only way to be sure exactly how the original mail is defined is to look at the message source (ctrl+U)

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Matt
Matt
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Chosen Solution

While Thunderbird may be telling you it is Arial medium. Most likely it is Arial and a number either in points or pixels. Microsoft Outlook in particular spend inordinate amount of space on specifying fonts in point (which are actually no good in HTML)

The only way to be sure exactly how the original mail is defined is to look at the message source (ctrl+U)

coffent
coffent Question owner
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Thanks - you're right. ctrl+U shows the original message as 

"[div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px"]"

and my reply as "[font face="Arial"][span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1445372843970_36749"][font size="+1"]" (where I've substituted "[" for ">")

Modified by coffent