Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Generally, the higher the resolution, the larger the display you will want. Why? Because OS and
application program icons and text normally use a constant number of pixels, higher display
resolutions make these screen elements smaller onscreen. By using a larger display, you can use
higher resolution settings and still have icons and text that are large enough to be readable. Although
it is possible to change icon and text size, this often causes other problems with formatting in various
windows and dialog boxes, such that in most cases it is best to stick with the default sizes.
At lower resolutions, text and onscreen icons are large. Because the screen elements used for the
Windows desktop and software menus are at a fixed pixel width and height, you'll notice that they
shrink in size onscreen as you change to the higher resolutions. You'll be able to see more of your
document or web page onscreen at the higher resolutions because each object requires less of the
screen. Tables 12.19 and 12.20 show the sizes and resolutions for commonly available standard and
widescreen LCD monitors.
Table 12.19. Common Sizes and Resolutions for Non-Widescreen (<1.50 Ratio) Monitors
Table 12.20. Common Sizes and Resolutions for Widescreen (>1.50 Ratio) Monitors
Because LCD monitors have a 1:1 relationship between resolution and pixels, any two displays
having the same size and resolution always have the same pixel per inch or pixel pitch specification.
Regardless of the actual resolution, any two displays having the same number of pixels per inch will
display text, icons, and other elements on the screen at the same sizing. Although having a higher
resolution display is generally considered better, you need to be careful when selecting small LCD
displays with higher resolutions because icons and text will be much smaller than you might be
accustomed to. You can change the icon and font sizes in Windows to compensate, but this often
causes problems such as abnormal word wrapping in dialog boxes. Also, many fonts are fixed, and
 
 
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