I’ve been using KiCad on and off since at least 2016, and it’s made such great strides in that time that is seems like this is finally near the top of the usability list for me: KiCad’s default font and line widths are MUCH MUCH MUCH harder for my aging eyes to see comfortably than almost any other package.
What I mean by this is that when using the defaults (which, as far as I can tell, is what every single KiCad schematic I’ve ever had the pleasure to view uses), I have a substantially harder time seeing the details of a KiCad schematic than (for example) an Altium one, or OrCAD, or even (though not as much) Eagle. I work on a fairly large monitor, and most schematics are drawn on A4/US-Letter size “paper” because that’s what is easily available. But I find with KiCad, I have to zoom in a lot farther (for the same size canvas) to be able to read the text and see the lines - and this makes KiCad schematics much less pleasant to use.
An example: at work, for the second rev of a particular board, they converted from Altium to KiCad - yay! It’s so much easier to use for me with KiCad - I don’t have to install expensive tools just to review a design. But I find that both on-screen (PDFs of schematics) AND ESPECIALLY in print (printed on US-Letter paper), the KiCad schematic is so much harder to read - the fonts are smaller and thinner, the default colors are lower-contrast - even though both designs are very similar and laid out on the page in a similar way at a similar size. The printed KiCad design is very nearly unreadable even with a magnifying glass!
I am getting older and my eyes are not what they once were, but I can’t help but think that improving this situation could help people both worse and better off than I am in that department - Is this a thing that’s on anyone’s radar?
You can change the defaults to suit yourself. Under File > Schematic Setup, you can change the default font size and the symbol line thickness. For wires go to Schematic Setup > Project > Net Classes and change the default class wire and bus thicknesses. Other net classes are also set up here. You can even give them colours.
Much of this is technically correct; yes, there are things to change under “Schematic Setup”. Have you actually tried using them? What do you expect to happen when you change the “6mil” default “text size” to, say, “15 mil”? I just did that on a sizeable project, and I couldn’t see any text that actually changed size.
My point here: I think the defaults are doing KiCad a great disservice. While some of them are changeable, none of them are EASILY changeable, nor can I apply one change that applies to all documents that I open (meaning, since I tend to view lots of documents created by others, I have to make these not-easy-to-apply changes EVERY TIME.
I would love to see designs coming out of KiCad be 1) more accessible and 2) less ugly. Is this a goal that others share?
It doesn’t change existing text and graphics, only what’s created after changing the settings. To change the existing objects you have to go to File > Edit Text and Graphics Properties. I have for example made power wires thicker.
There are also quite a few alternative ‘themes’ available - have you checked out the plugin and content manager? Some of these are higher contrast or black and white and may improve readability. There are alternative themes for both schematic and layout available.
I have a substantially harder time seeing the details of a KiCad schematic than … other CAD tools.
I made the same observation during my switch from Eagle to Kicad. At that time I was so irritated about the display quality that I even spend some time with similar project windows side by side, zooming in and out to compare both.
In the meantime I have accepted this drawback, I just work with more zoomed in windows (1…2 more zoom steps) on the schematic (compared with Eagle).
As far as i know there is no gitlab issue open regarding this topic.
I have never seen KiCad schematic printed in color. I have only B&W laser printer so I use B&W mode.
When I moved from Protel 3 to KiCad in 2017 I didn’t noticed special difference but just may be I didn’t pay attention to it.
All my KiCad schematics till now are single page schematics. I like precision drawing (I use smaller symbols than in original KiCad libraries) as it allows to have bigger schematic at A4 sheet.
I fell in love with KiCad zooming at first sight. I have never seen it before but 10 minutes was enough for me to wonder deeply why all other programs don’t behave like this. Using only mouse wheel (0 clicks) in less than 1…2s I can be at any place at schematic and in any zoom level.
This allows me to work always in correct zoom level to not have a problems with seeing wires (since 15 years I need glasses to read).
Thinking a moment about problem - it is possible that if I were using KiCad big symbols I would have some problems because zooming to see wires could make to have too small part of schematic at screen. I will show example, but now I’m writing from Win7 PC where I don’t have KiCad.
for references I use Text size 0.045 in, Bold (KiCad default 0.05)
for values I use Text size 0.04 in (KiCad default 0.05)
If they were bigger I would have a problem to fit them between symbols.
If wires were thicker schematic would look for me too heavy.
For years I collected all schematics printed at A4 paper to just have them on hand. In 2017 I changed at my desk from 1 monitor to 3 monitors and soon I noticed that opening right pdf is easier than looking through block of printed schematics. So last schematic in my paper block is from 2018.
Before I had current schematic at screen and old at paper now I just use two monitors (and copying part of old schematic between monitors is simpler than from paper ).
Because of these texts that could look too small when printed don’t bother me as now I don’t use printed schematics at all and at screen I can always zoom in a little.
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