Fixed width pages assume that all browsers are running about about the same resolution with about the same font size, but this is not the case. The current fixed width causes inconvenience when - users are using large fonts (perhaps for accessibility or because the user is also using very high resolution). - users are using small browsers windows (perhaps because they just don't want the browser to eat so much of their screen or because their screen resolution is small).
You can moderate one-half of the problem by using a font-size relative width specification (em). For example http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/em/em.htm http://www.cednc.org/programs/engage/finance/ This still leaves 800x600 browser windows in scrollbar territory. I don't know if there's a way solve that without dropping fixed-width entirely.
Ok set the use of min-width which I didnt know about. Does it look better now when changing browser size?
It certainly helps on the large window end. 800x600 still has to scroll. It might be better to specify min-width in a font-relative way (units: em or ex).
closing