On high scaling displays, text cursor is difficult to see in text comments with border width of 0 pt and no fill color

[rakunavi]

Hello all,

In some cases, the text cursor is very difficult to see in PDF-XChange Editor under certain conditions.

1. High display scaling value

• In PDF-XChange Editor, the width of the text cursor is one pixel, regardless of the display scaling value. In contrast, Microsoft Word, for example, changes the width of the text cursor according to the display scaling value. Acrobat is similar to PDF-XChange Editor, so PDF-XChange Editor is not the only PDF application that is particularly inferior. Ideally, however, it would seem that the text cursor would be easier to read if the width of the text cursor were thicker according to the display scaling value.
  
  The following figure compares text boxes created in Microsoft Word and PDF-XChange Editor, respectively, with display scaling values of 100%, 200%, and 300%, as always shown in this topic. Based on the assumption that the scaling values are adjusted to be that much larger on displays with higher dpi so that the final size of the image is the same when viewed by the eye, the captured images for the three scaling values are adjusted to be the same size.
  
  
  • figure1.png

2. Zero Border Width

• In the case of typewriter comments or text boxes with a boundary width of 0 pt, if the text cursor is at the beginning of a line, the comment boundary border and the text cursor are too close to each other, making their presence difficult to see. In this regard, in Acrobat, when a typewriter comment or a text box is set to "No Border", the comment border is not displayed when text is entered. Since the frame itself is not displayed in Acrobat, the distance between the text cursor and the comment boundary frame does not matter at all.
  
  
  • Animation1.gif

3. No Fill Color

• If the fill color of the text comment is set to "None", the distance between the comment border and the text cursor will be even closer.
  
  The verification to understand this is a bit tricky. In the video, first create a text box comment and set the width to 0 pt. Then, double-click on the text comment to enter edit mode, make the text cursor blink, and use Ctrl+Wheel to adjust the zoom factor. Notice that the distance between the comment bounding box and the text cursor changes according to the zoom factor, as shown in the figure below.
  
  
  • figure2.png
  The distance between the comment bounding box and the text cursor does not necessarily become wider at higher zoom factors, but rather wider or narrower depending on the zoom factor. Choose a zoom factor that results in wider distance (in the video, choose 200%) and note carefully the distance between the boundary and the text cursor at that time. Next, select the text box comment with the Comment Selection Tool and change the Fill Color to None. You will notice that the distance is narrower after changing the fill color to "None".
  
  
  • Animation2.gif
    
    
    figure3.png
  In other words, if the inside of the comment is filled with white color, the border of the comment will be narrower by that amount, but now that the Fill Color is turned to "None", the border will be thicker, and as a result, the distance between the border and the text cursor will be narrower.

4. Selection color of customize UI is similar to text cursor color

• Since the color of the comment border is the "Selection" color in the Customize UI of the Preferences dialog, the closer the "Selection" color is to the black of the text cursor, the worse the visibility when the text cursor is at the beginning of a line.
  
  The following verification video shows the cursor moving up and down after creating a text box comment in the following settings.
  
  
  • Display scale is 200%.
  • Textbox border width is 0 pt.
  • Textbox fill color is "None".
  • "Selection" color is set to black in the Customize UI.
  • Animation3.gif
    If you are viewing this video on a monitor with 200% scaling,
    set the browser zoom factor to 50% to play the video at the same size as the actual screen display.
  The text box shown in the video contains a total of seven lines, but when the text cursor is on an even number of lines, who can see the text cursor?

Conclusion

• Even if only one of the above conditions is tolerable, the combination of multiple conditions above will cause the user to lose track of the text cursor position when editing text comment. For example, even if everything is set to the application's default settings, simply creating a typewriter comment on a high-resolution monitor with a high display scaling value would satisfy all of the first three conditions, except for the fourth condition of selection color.
  
  
  • Animation4.gif
    If you are viewing this video on a monitor with 200% scaling,
    set the browser zoom factor to 50% to play the video at the same size as the actual screen display.
    
    
    Animation5.gif
    If you are viewing this video on a monitor with 200% scaling,
    set the browser zoom factor to 50% to play the video at the same size as the actual screen display.
  When the text box was created in Microsoft Word with all top, bottom, left, and right margins set to 0 mm, no fill color, no border, zoom factor of 200%, and display scale of 200%, the cursor movement is shown below. This is not a direct comparison since it is not a PDF application, but don't you think the position of the text cursor is much easier to see than in PDF-XChange Editor?
  
  
  • Animation6.gif
    If you are viewing this video on a monitor with 200% scaling,
    set the browser zoom factor to 50% to play the video at the same size as the actual screen display.
  I am well aware that the matter I have reported here is a behavior that is fundamental to the application and will not be easy to change. However, compared to the operability of other applications such as Microsoft Word, there seems to be room for improvement in PDF-XChange Editor.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Best regards,
rakunavi

- PDF-XChange Editor PRO Version: 10.5.2 build 395
- Adobe Acrobat Reader Continuous Release Version 2025.001.20435 (64-bit)
- Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2502 build 16.0.18526.20168) 64 bit
- OS Version: Windows 11 Pro / Home 24H2 Build 26100.3476
- PC Model: GMKtec Nucbox M7 Pro with HUION Kamvas Pro 19 / Lenovo IdeaPad C340-15IWL

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, rakunavi

Thank you for the report, #1-3 all seem to be somewhat adjacent to each other, and simply ensuring the larger size remains in place on higher DPI screens could likely help, if not entirely resolve the other two.

Regarding #4, I have also passed it along to the Dev team, but this may be one of those cases where nothing can be done. It seems to me like an effect of the extensive freedom of customization we offer there. I would in the meantime suggest further use of the customization options to circumvent the issue.
We will have to wait and see what the Devs thinks, perhaps they will have a solution.

RT#7411: High DPI visual issues with text cursor

Kind regards,

[rakunavi]

Hello Daniel, thank you for taking the time to read through my report and creating the ticket!

The ultimate ideal might be for the text cursor width to reflect the Windows settings, rather than being app-specific as it is now.

• Windows Settings > Accessibility > Text Cursor > Text Cursor Thickness

• Animation.gif

Please give my best regards to the developer.

Best regards,
rakunavi

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, rakunavi

That is a good idea, I have made an extra note on the ticket there just in case.

Kind regards,