[NTG-pdftex] Can PdfTeX vary font weight ?

Typesetting the 2008 Christmas Letter (in Computer Modern Roman 10pt scaled \magstep 1}, I was dismayed to find that both on-screen and on paper the font is depressingly light; on a bran(d) new HP CP1215 colour laserprinter, the top of the lower-case "s" definitely breaks up. I assume that this arises from the Bluesky type-1 outlines that PdfTeX presumably uses, but I wondered if there is any way for PdfTeX to artificially increase the weight (well, really the stroke width, but I know that's asking too much !). ** Phil.