ZoomText Magnifier/ Reader

ZoomText 10 is a magnification application developed by AI Squared

Also referred to as a “Large Print Program”

ZoomText also has screen reader functionality

ZoomText is available for Windows and Mac

ZoomText Walkthrough: Magnification

Magnification

Magnifies the screen from 1x to 60x

There are several ways to change the level of magnification when using ZoomText: up and down buttons on the user interface, hotkeys, mouse roller, the Magnifier dropdown menu, and the Zoom Windows menu in the Magnification tab

Window Type

Full	The entire screen is magnified at the same level
Overlay	A magnification window approximately one forth the size of the entire screen sits on top of the screen.
Lens	A magnification window that follows the cursor.
Line	A line of magnification that stretches horizontally across the screen.
Docked	The screen is split into two vertical sections, one with no magnification and the other with magnification.

Color Enhancements

Color enhancements change the colors you see on screen. Use this feature to change background and font colors. These changes will also be applied to everything on screen, including images and video.
ZoomText allows users to choose from preset color enhancement schemes or create custom schemes. The preset schemes include:
Invert Brightness
Reverse Video
Yellow on Black
Blue Dye
Black & White
White & Black
Users also have the option of creating their own color enhancement scheme. Going to Color Enhancements and then Settings will open the Enhancements window in the Color tab. Under Color Enhancement select Custom and the Custom Settings portion of the menu will become editable.
Users can change effects, including brightness and color inversion) and adjust brightness and contrast. Users can also choose how the color enhancements are applied to the screen – they can choose to apply onto to the zoom window, only to the background, or have the enhancements applied to all parts of the screen.

Pointer Enhancements

What is the pointer? The pointer is the what most people think of as the mouse. It is the “mouse pointer”.

The pointer is typically an arrow but will take on different shapes depending on what the context it is in. For example, you might see your cursor turn into a hand icon or an I-beam.

ZoomText has several preset schemes for the pointer for users to choose from. Users can also create their own pointer enhancement scheme by selecting Pointer and then selecting Settings from the drop down menu. This will launch the Enhancements menu in the Pointer tab. Under Pointer Enhancements, selecting Custom will enable the Custom Settings section of the tab.

Users can choose to enable or disable ZoomText smooth pointers. This feature prevents pointers from starting to look pixelated as magnification is increased. Users can also choose the size of their mouse pointer, from standard to extra large. The color of the pointer can also be customized here.

Users can also choose to enable a pointer locator in this section. Pointer locators help users locate the pointer on the screen by adding a circle or crosshairs. Users can customize the locator’s thickness, color, and transparency. Users can also control when the locator is displayed. Options including: always, when pointer is stationary, when pointer is moving, or when modifier key (Shift, Alt, Ctrl, or Win) is pressed.

Cursor Enhancements

What is the cursor? The cursor refers to the insertion point in text. Say you open up a Microsoft Word document, you click into the document and you’ll see a cursor appear. With standard settings, the cursor is typically simply a blinking horizontal line.

ZoomText has several preset schemes for the cursor for users to choose from. Users can also create their own cursor enhancement scheme by selecting Cursor and then selecting Settings from the drop down menu. This will launch the Enhancements menu in the Cursor tab. Under Cursor Enhancements, selecting Custom will enable the Custom Settings section of the tab.

Under custom settings, users can select the type of cursor locator of wedges, circle, or frame. They can also choose the size, color, and transparency of the cursor locator. Users can also control when the locator is displayed. Options including: always, when cursor is stationary, when cursor is moving, or when modifier key (Shift, Alt, Ctrl, or Win) is pressed.

Focus Enhancements

What is focus? You can think of focus as whatever you’ve clicked onto. On your desktop, if you single right-click on an icon, that icon now has focus. Similarly, if you’re in a web browser and you click on the address bar, the address bar has focus.

ZoomText has several preset schemes for the focus for users to choose from. Users can also create their own focus enhancement scheme by selecting Focus and then selecting Settings from the drop down menu. This will launch the Enhancements menu in the Focus tab. Under Focus Enhancements, selecting Custom will enable the Custom Settings section of the tab.

Under custom settings, users can select the type of focus locator from block, underline, or frame. They can also choose the thickness, margin, color, and transparency of the focus locator. Users can also control when the locator is displayed. Options including: continuously, briefly, or when modifier key (Shift or Ctrl) is pressed.

Finder Tools

ZoomText has 3 different built-in search tools which work in different contexts. These tools can be used to search the computer, documents, and webpages.

Desktop Finder

Use the Desktop Finder to search for files and applications on your computer.

Limit or extend your search to Desktop, Start Menu(Quick Launch), Notification Area(Tray), Programs menu, My Documents, and Control Panel.

Web Finder

Use the Web Finder to search for terms on a webpage.

Move through the instances of your search term by using the Previous and Next navigation buttons or by seeing a list of all instances on the page by pressing the List button.

Use the Execute button to follow links or activate buttons.

The AppRdr button will start the AppReader from the current Web Finder position.

Use the Speech button to turn on or off navigation speech output. This setting is independent of the normal speech settings.

Text Finder

Use the Text Finder to search for terms in applications.

Use the Search Area settings to search either the active window or the entire screen.

Use the settings under Options to match either parts of words or whole words only and whether or not search terms need to match case exactly. For example, if you search for the word “hat” do you want to see instances of “Hat” (first letter capitalized) and “HAT” (all letters capitalized)?

Use the Start search from settings to choose where the search begins.

Speak settings allow you to choose how much of the underlying application text ZoomText will read.

Keyboard Shortcuts

ZoomText Shortcuts

Disable ZoomText	Alt + Delete
Enable Zoomtext	Alt + Insert
Increase magnification	Alt + Numpad Plus
Decrease magnification	Alt + Numpad Minus
Turn off and on speech	Alt + Shift + S
Increase speech rate	Ctrl + Numpad Plus
Decrease speech rate	Ctrl + Numpad Minus
Turn on and off color enhancements	Ctrl + Shift + C
Turn on and off mouse echo	Alt + Shift + M
Say current time	Alt + Ctrl + I
Launch Desktop Finder	Ctrl + Shift + D
Launch Web Finder	Ctrl + Shift + W
Launch Text Finder	Ctrl + Shift + T

Windows Shortcuts

Opens the Quick Launch Toolbar with focus on the Windows Search bar	Windows Button (Win)
Minimize all open applications. You can press the key combination to restore the minimized applications.	Win + D
Put focus on the Windows Taskbar. Pressing the key combination again will allow you to cycle focus between open and pinned applications.	Win + T
When focus is on the desktop, pressing this key combination will cycle focus between the Start Menu, Desktop, Taskbar, and Notification Area.	Shift + Tab
Move between open applications. Hold Alt and move through applications by pressing tab or the arrow keys.	Alt + Tab
Type Windows-Left Arrow and the active application will shift to fill the left half of the screen. Windows-Right sends it to the right, Windows-Down places it in the middle of the screen, and Windows-Up maximizes. It’s a really handy option when you want multiple application windows neatly arranged.	Win + Arrow Keys
Exits the current application.	Alt + F4
Opens up a search within the active application.	Ctrl + F
Selects all text in the current application.	Ctrl + A
Cuts the highlighted content and puts it on the clipboard.	Ctrl + X
Copies the highlighted content and puts it on the clipboard.	Ctrl + C
Pastes content from clipboard.	Ctrl + V
Opens the context menu.	Shift + F10