File Manager

• New to Windows 3.1 was the redesigned File Manager. Users now had the ability to view the directory tree next to a window that displayed the contents of the directory. This improved productivity, as users no longer had to venture out of the viewed directory to discover the location of the file that was in use. Another addition to File Manager was the addition of the "Quick Format" tool. In the past, when users wanted to format a disk, it would take a substantial amount of time to complete the process. However, thanks to the "Quick Format" tool, formatting disks could be done quickly.
  
  

Wrappable Icon Titles

• While this addition may not sound as if it is of much importance, the inclusion of wrappable icon titles was one small feature that helped unclutter the program manager. In past versions of Windows, icon titles could be displayed only on one line. If an icon had a title that was long, it could potentially "bleed" into another icon title, making the two icon titles unreadable. With this change, titles could "wrap" under the first line to form a second line. Wrapping made bleeding titles a thing of the past.
  
  

Resuming Stalled Prints

• In past versions of Windows, running out of paper while printing would cancel the print job and the user would have to re-print the document. However, this was avoided with Windows 3.1., which allowed the user to resume and finish printing after loading new paper.
  
  

TrueType

• One of the biggest additions to the OS was "TrueType." This technology provided scalable fonts, meaning not only one type of font was supported. In fact, many different fonts were included with the OS and could be placed in all shapes and sizes. Four scalable fonts shipped with Windows 3.1: Arial, Times New Roman, Courier and Symbol. The OS could now be used as a desktop publishing platform, meaning new customers for Microsoft.