Make websites easier to read with Readability

Readability works with most popular web browsers, including Firefox and Internet Explorer. Start by heading to www.snipca.com/x37. When the page loads, scroll down a bit and then experiment with the Style, Size and Margin controls by clicking on the radio buttons next to each setting. As different options are selected, the live preview below reflects the changes so it is easy to find the best layout.

Next, find the Readability link (it looks like a big button). Firefox users can simply drag this up and then drop it onto the toolbar, while Internet Explorer users should right-click on it and choose Add to Favorites from the pop-up menu. When Windows displays a security warning dialogue box, click Yes to confirm and then click Add to put Readability into your list of Favorites. This completes the installation ­ the next step is to find a page with some text on it.

Here we’ve gone for a football report. There’s an advert at the top and all sorts of unnecessary stuff down the sides that’s distracting us from the actual report, so in IE we can just click on the Favorites Center icon (the gold star) and then pick Readability off the list. The transformation is instantaneous. In the screenshot we’ve opened the same page before and after Readability has been applied so the difference is obvious. To return to a traditional view of any site, just click the browser’s Back button.