The concept of Reset Stylesheets has long been debated in the web design & development world. While some swear by their importance, others crib about their shortcomings. So where does that leave web designers?

Let us attempt to understand Reset Style Sheets more closely in order to decide whether to use them or not to use them.

What are Reset Stylesheets?
Reset Stylesheet is a CSS file that is used in HTML documents. This file contains specific CSS rules that neutralize the default rendering of the HTML elements and positioning by the browser. It brings down the margins and padding to the baseline value of 0 and removes all the tags from HTML. This is done in order to avoid cross-browser differences that creep in due to their built in default settings.

Using Reset Stylesheets to Eliminate Browser Inconsistencies
All you need to do is to link it to the header. And while writing your own CSS, you just have to choose how the elements should look. You can define the format of the text, set up the level of padding, change font face and ever alter the spacing. When the browser is set to 0, you have a clean slate to work on and can make sure things are as you want them to be.

This way browsers would render the page design as you intend it to be and not as per the browser defaults. The reset stylesheets eliminates the specifications of the browser.

Advantages of Reset Stylesheets

• Reset Stylesheets helps web designers to create designs that look the same on all browsers. This is because reset stylesheets create a baseline starting point resets the browser formatting to 0. Because of this, you have total control over the CSS and can define what you want and how you want the same. Thus you can be sure that your designs will look the same irrespective of the browser, operating system or environment.

• Reset stylesheets eliminate the effects of browser differences. As a result the default padding and margins that would have inherited the browser default settings are removed from the page elements

• Reset stylesheets act as a starting point upon which you can built your customized styles and define specifications.

• Reset stylesheets can be altered to suit your requirements. Instead of resetting the values to zero, you can designate a different value for the same and create a uniform consistency for all your sheets.

• Reset stylesheets also saves a lot of time. Though the learning process may be daunting and can take some time. However, once you know how to use reset stylesheets well and have considerable experience of the same, then you can simply induce your reset and modifications into the design and start designing.

Disadvantages of Reset Stylesheets
Reset stylesheets need to be reset to 0 before they can be modified into any other value. Because of this you will have to add things that you may find necessary all over again. Moreover, special attention needs to be devoted to areas where you want certain elements to appear. What was the browsers’ realm of work would have to be handled by you.

Reset stylesheets are surely time-consuming. However, considering the plethora of benefits it offers, it would not be too much of an investment.

Should You or Shouldn’t You?
Reset Stylesheet is an efficient web design tool that lets you customize your website designs and tweak it to perfection. Hard work pays off! And it’s just the same with Reset Stylesheets.

Maneet Puri is the managing director of LeXolution IT Services, a premier web development company that caters to clients from across the world. His firm is an industry leader in providing professional web design services.