Windows XP Display Question

When looking at text on your monitor using Windows XP Pro, is it considered normal for there to be a slight drop shadow effect for all text? (When I look closely at any text displayed on the monitor, the “drop shadow” I see causes the last letterof each word to partially repeat in a very light shade nearly identical to the color of the background.) I wasn’t sure if this is considered normal behavior for all text, since the text for any icons on the desktop do have an intentional drop shadow effect.

Also, if the drop shadow effect is a normal setting part of Windows XP, is there a way for users to turn it off?