Setting Anti-Aliasing Options
Photoshop's Anti-aliasing option helps to make text appear smoother by painting the edges of the text with semi-transparent colors. When text is displayed on a raster monitor, the text is built using pixels, and since pixels are essentially bricks, the edges of curved type have a tendency to look ragged. By painting the edges of the text with semi-transparent pixels, the type blends into the background, creating a smoother look. Unless you apply a gradient or mask, text is typically one color; activating anti-aliasing can increase the colors (at the edge) to 6 to 10. While this works to make the text smoother, it will also make small text (under 12 points) harder to read. The trick with anti-aliasing is to experiment with the various options to determine which one works the best, and that means occasionally turning anti-aliasing off.

Set Anti-Aliasing Options
Open a document that contains a type layer.
Select the Type tool on the toolbox.
Select the Layers palette, and then select the layer containing the text.
Click the Anti-aliasing list arrow on the Options bar, and then select from the following options:
None.
Turns off anti-aliasing.
Sharp.
Creates visually sharp type in the active layer.
Crisp.
Creates crisp type (not as sharp, as the Sharp option).
Strong.
Creates a heavier (bolder) type.
Smooth.
Creates type with a smooth appearance.
IMPORTANT
The anti-aliasing option is only applied to the type in the active type layer.[View full size image]