Computers and technology

Buying monitors for graphic design work

One of the most overlooked and undervalued purchases that many designers make when budgeting for a new computer system is the display screen.

If there's one piece of computer equipment that graphic designers interact with more than any other on a daily basis, it's their computer monitor. Yet it is often one of the first items that accountants in design companies choose to cut corners with. Good computer screens are expensive, but their value should not be underestimated.

Bigger is better, more is better still

A large computer monitor will accommodate all those floating palettes that modern graphics applications have, yet still leave room to see the artwork. The amount of time lost when designers have to move palettes around the screen, resize document windows, or scroll around the page can really add up over the course of a day.

For print design a 21" monitor, or larger, is an ideal. However, a 19" screen will probably suffice. For web design a 17" monitor is good for simulating the most popular size of computer monitor, but many web designers will find that the screen clutter created by Flash and Dreamweaver tool palettes is intrusive.

Another solution, that many designers have found helpful, is to plug in two monitors. Many modern desktop computers and portables support two screens (although it's strongly advisable to check before purchasing). This set up allows designers to put all their tool palettes on one screen and have the artwork on the other.

Opting to use dual monitors can also provide a cheap option if you have an old 15" or 17" monitor lying around. All the tool palettes can then go on the old monitor and money can be saved by buying a 17" display for the artwork, instead of one expensive 21" monitor. And, of course, 17" plus 15" actually works out as much more screen real estate than a single 21" monitor.

LCD or CRT?

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors are the flat screen monitors that have almost become the standard in many computing environments. They have the advantage of taking up far less desk space than the old Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens. Good LCD monitors usually give a sharper picture and cause less eye strain.

However, CRT monitors are still considered to have a better color range and are easier to calibrate for color accuracy. As such, CRT screens are still very popular in graphic arts environments where high quality color reproduction is vital. But, of course, there are good and bad quality CRT and LCT displays. And price isn't always the telling factor. Much of the technology used monitors comes from the same manufacturers and so brand is not always a telling factor. Sony manufacture flat screen Trinitron monitors and Mitsubish produce Diamondtron CRT screens. Many of Apple's LCD displays, includuing those in their laptops, are manufactured by Samsung.

Picture quality

Whether it is LCD or CRT, it is always worth checking out a brand of computer monitor in a shop before buying. Some brands are more geared towards the graphic arts than others. In particular, some of the less well made LCD displays can have an awful picture quality.

On the other hand, some of the older curved screen CRT monitors can suffer from image distortion problems. For this reason alone, it is also worth trying to have a play with the monitor's controls to see how easy they are to use and to what degree they affect any distortion or image clarity issues.

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