Help with Magnifier

Magnifier (Lightning)

Lightning is free to use programme which can magnify your computer screen by up to 32 times. It works with any modern Windows PC and any software applications (not just websites). If you find it difficult to read small text on your computer, Lightning is the ideal solution.

Starting Lightning

To use Lightning follow these simple instructions (Internet Explorer only):

To start the Lightning magnifier first click on the dixero icon on any page on this site to display the dixero toolbar.
Click the Magnifier icon. This message will appear (Internet Explorer only):

Click "Run" and the Lightning software will download:
The software will take a few seconds to download on a broadband connection, and a few minutes on a dial-up connection. You only have to download the software once per day and your settings will be remembered between uses.
Once the download is complete this message will appear:

Click "Run" and the Lightning magnifier will start.

If you are using another web browser such as Firefox or Opera you will be prompted to download and save the Lightning programme file to your computer. Once the file has been downloaded, locate it on your computer and run it.

Using Lightning

Lightning is very easy to use and can be customised to suit your preferences. The first time you run the software your screen will be magnified to 2x normal size, and the Lightning window will be visible:

Lightning window

Changing the level of magnification

Use the + and - buttons to change the level of magnification, from 1 to 16.

Colour inversion

If you prefer to read light lettering on a dark background, click the invert icon. This will reverse the colour contrast of the screen, so that dark colours appear light and vice versa.

Changing the style of magnification

Lightning has 6 styles of magnification, to suit all preferences. They are:
- Full - the whole screen is magnified
- Lens - an area around the mouse pointer is magnified, the rest of the screen remains at 1x magnification
- Line 1 - a horizontal line across the screen is magnified, which follows the mouse cursor around the page
- Line 2 - a horizontal line across the screen is magnified, while the mouse pointer remains at 1x magnification
- Split horizontally - The screen is split horizontally into two equal sections. The bottom half shows a magnified view, the top half remains at 1x magnification.
- Split vertically - The screen is split vertically into two equal sections. The right half shows a magnified view, the left half remains at 1x magnification.
Try the different styles with different levels of magnification to find the one which works best for you.

Changing the cursor colour

Use the cursor menu to select the cursor colour you wish to work with.

Advanced settings

Click the settings icon to access the advanced settings for Lightning

Full details of the advanced Lightning settings can be found in the Lightning Help file, which can be accessed by using the Help menu in Lightning, or by pressing F1 with the Lightning application focussed.