Wide, Flat, and Hi-Def

How well a monitor in your production or prepress area performs can have a decided impact on your output. Does the monitor allow your staff to correctly see specified colors? Does its size and resolution help speed your shop workflow, or has it only served to slow down that workflow? Has it helped your company pursue soft proofing or has it hindered this goal? Is the monitor showing its age by its performance? And if it’s time to replace it, what new features are critical to your operation?

To aid you in your quest for the perfect monitor, we have compiled an extensive collection of monitor snapshots from many of the leading manufacturers. Some companies offer displays that are geared specifically to the graphic arts, and we’ve listed those when available; for companies that make no such claim on any of their displays, we’ve simply selected one or two units that boast good specs.

In all cases, we’ve only listed a few models from each manufacturer (check out their websites for complete product rosters), and we have only included monitors intended for desktops, not those intended for other uses (retail-type displays, televisions, etc.). We have listed prices when available from the manufacturer’s website.

Acer America
acer.com
The Acer B273HU 27-in. LCD monitor features 2048 x 1152 resolution, brightness of 400 cd/m2, a 40,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and 160° horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Four USB connectors as well as two integrated speakers are standard and the unit is VGA, DVI (HDCP), and HDMI compatible. MSRP: $450. The company offers 10 different series of displays.

Apple
apple.com
Designed for creative professionals, the 30-in. Apple Cinema HD display delivers 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution and 16.7 million colors. It offers 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles, a brightness of 400 cd/m2 and a 700:1 contrast ratio. Apple’s integrated ColorSync technology is designed to allow users to create custom profiles to maintain consistent color onscreen and in print. The unit has a two-port USB 2.0 hub and single-cable breakout for connection to DVI, USB, and FireWire ports. MSRP: $1799. Apple also offers a smaller, 24-inch model with LED-backlight technology, 1920 x 1200 resolution, and on-board microphone, camera, and speakers.

AG Neovo
us.agneovo.com
The company’s X Series monitors are designed for professional work environments. The largest in the series is the X-W22, a 22-in. widescreen that features 1680 x 1050 resolution, 3000:1 contrast ratio, and 300 cd/m² brightness. It also features a “hot key” for preferred video mode (User, Text, Movie, Game, and Graphic) and Auto-adjustment for optimal settings. Other sizes in the series: 20, 19, 17, and 15 inches, plus a widescreen 19-in. version. AG Neovo offers more than a dozen series of monitors.

Benq
benq.us
The V2400Eco LED is a 24-in. display that provides 1920 x 1080 resolution, 250 cd/m² brightness, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The company’s Senseye Technology and six calibration techniques display colors via six pre-set modes: Standard, Movie, Game, Photo, sRGB, and Eco (the last designed to save power). MSRP: $349. Also available in a 22-in. version.

Dell
dell.com
The Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC features the company’s TrueColor technology. Standard performance includes 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles, 300 cd/m² optical luminance, and 1000:1 contrast ratio. When used in conjunction with a high-end, dual-link DVI graphics card, it offers a maximum native resolution of 2560 x 1600. MSRP: $1399.

Eizo
eizo.com
The ColorEdge CG243W color-calibration LCD monitor for prepress, digital photography, video editing, and post-production offers a 24.1-in. widescreen monitor, a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 (16:10 aspect ratio), and a gray-to-gray response time of 5 ms. The panel has a maximum brightness of 270 cd/m² and contrast ratio of 850:1. Its gamut reproduces 98% of the Adobe RGB color space and 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Seven preset color modes (including sRGB, Rec709, EBU, SMPTE-C, DCI) are provided, and the bundled ColorNavigator software corrects color drift by offering a reset function for returning the preset modes to factory settings. The monitor can simulate two types of red-green color vision deficiency (protanopia and deuteranopia) for verification of how color schemes appear to those with color blindness. DisplayPort and dual digital/analog DVI-I inputs are included for connection to three PCs, as is a color hood. Eizo offers 10 models in its ColorEdge series.

Formac
formac.com
The Gallery 1900 Platinum Xtreme-3 is a 19-in. display designed for graphics and video professionals. It features 24-bit MVA Active Matrix technology and offers a native resolution of 1280 x 1024, a contrast ratio of 13,000:1, an ultra-wide viewing angle of 178° horizontal and vertical, and a 300 cd/m2 brightness. Also available in black.

Gateway
gateway.com
Gateway offers two flat-screen 24-in. LCD monitors. The FHD2401 features a 1920 x 1200 resolution, 2000:1 static contrast ratio, 400 cd/m2 brightness, and viewing angles of 160° left/right and up/down. MSRP: $399. Its FHD2402 model also has 24-in. of viewable screen real estate and includes 1920 x 1080 native and maximum resolution, contrast ratio of 40,000:1, and a brightness of 300 cd/m2. MSRP: $259.99. Gateway is a division of Acer.

Hewlett-Packard
hp.com
HP’s DreamColor LP2480zx Professional Display is a 24-in., color-critical monitor based on the company’s DreamColor Engine technology. It offers 1920 x 1200 resolution, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, a viewing angle of 178°, and a 250 cd/m² maximum brightness. Features include: a tri-color LED backlight; 30-bit LCD panel technology; seven customizable color-space presets for luminance, gamma, gamut, and white point; customizable user- and color-calibration settings with on-screen display; enhanced connectivity; and more. A DreamColor Advanced Profiling Solution is optional. Price: $2499.  The company’s LP3065 30-in., widescreen LCD is geared toward designers and content creators, features a 2560 x 1600 resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 178° viewing angle, and a 370 cd/m² maximum brightness. The display also has a built-in USB hub. Price: $1217.

iiyama
iiyama.com
At 27 in., the new Prolite B2712HDS-1 LCD display is the largest screen offered by iiyama. It features a high-definition 1920 x 1080 resolution, 50,000:1 advanced contrast ratio, 400 cd/m² brightness, and horizontal/vertical viewing angles of 170°/160°. MSRP: $455. The company’s Prolite E2710HDSD model offers the same resolution and brightness as well as 20,000:1 contrast ratio and a 24-80 KHz horizontal sync (vs. the 31-80 KHz available on the newer model).

LaCie
lacie.com
The LaCie 730 features RGB-LED backlight technology, 14-bit gamma correction, and is designed to cover 125% and 123% of the NTSC and Adobe RGB gamuts. The 30-in. display features a 2560 x 1600 resolution, 200 cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 178° viewing angles. It’s available packaged with hood and LaCie blue eye pro Proof Edition calibration software ($3600), and in a package with hood, software, and LaCie blue eye colorimeter ($3800). A 24-in. version of this display also is available with the same packages ($2000/$2200), and LaCie offers several other LCD displays for graphics professionals as well.

Lenovo
lenovo.com
Lenovo’s ThinkVision line of LCD monitors come in a variety of sizes and specs, from 17 to 22 in. At the top of the line, the L2251x Wide is Lenovo’s greenest and most ergonomic display, featuring 1680 x 1050 resolution, brightness of 250cd/m2, and a 1000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. MSRP: $300.

LG
lge.com
The LG W3000H is a 30-in. widescreen HD display that offers 2650 x 1600 resolution, 170° viewing angle, and 370 cd/m2 brightness. In addition, it features: a wide color gamut expanding the range of colors to 92% of the NTSC spectrum; a Flatron f-Engine that independently adjusts contrast and brightness; and a fully articulating stand. Price: $1450.

NEC Display Solutions
necdisplay.com
The MultiSync LCD3090W-BK-SV from NEC is a 30-in., widescreen LCD with the company’s SpectraView II color-calibration solution. The monitor achieves coverage of 97% of Adobe RGB color space and features NEC’s X-Light Pro backlight/sensor design and ColorComp technology to compensate for variations in luminance and color uniformity. It offers 2560 x 1600 native resolution, 350 cd/m2 brightness, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The SpectraView II solution comprises a color-measurement sensor with software. Price: $2449.  The SpectraView II is available on six other NEC displays as well, in sizes beginning at 19 in.

Philips Electronics
philips.com
The 240S1 24-in. monitor offers 1920 x 1200 resolution, 300 cd/m² brightness, SmartContrast ratio of 25,000:1, and a viewing angle of 178º. A 24-in. 240B1CS version has built-in stereo audio; 22-in. and 19-in. versions are also available, with or without audio.

Planar Systems
planar.com
The 26-in. PX2611W comes with a 1900 x 1200 resolution, 178° viewing angle, 400 cd/m2 brightness, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. Planar also offers a 27-in. model, the PX2710MY widescreen LCD monitor, which features 1920 x 1080 full high-definition resolution, 1200:1 contrast ratio, and 170° horizontal/160° viewing angle with a tilt range from 0° to 20°. A 24-in. model is also available.

Quato
quato.de
The Quato Intelli Proof 240 Excellence is an Adobe-RGB and ECI-RGB optimized, 102% NTSC Wide Gamut-proof display with 16-bit hardware calibration and uniformity compensation. The 24-in., wide-panel display features a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m2 luminance, and 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution. Built-in iColor Display calibration software adjusts the monitor’s internal calibration processing unity up to 42-bit resolution, enabling the model to show 1024 gray or billions of colors using frame-modulation technology. Similar models are available with 25- (Intelli Proof 262 Excellence) and 22-in. (Intelli Proof 220 Excellence) displays; the company also offers Creative Proof and Proof series of displays. Distributed in the US through GraphixWorld (graphixworldllc.com).

Samsung Electronics USA
samsungusa.com
The XL2370-1 23-in. widescreen LCD monitor features an LED backlight with 250 cd/m² resolution, 1920 x 1080 resolution, and a 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Samsung bills the model as eco-friendly because it contains no halogen, mercury, lead, or VOCs and uses up to 3% less power. MSRP: $1613.

Toshiba
toshibadirect.com
Toshiba’s 21.6-inch PA3768U-1LCH high-performance TFT LCD monitor features full 1080P HD (1920 x 1080 resolution), a contrast ratio up to 1000:1, brightness of 300 cd/m2, and color-depth support for 16.7 million colors. It has dual VGA and DVI video interfaces, port replicator, and USB docking station. Monitors are also available in 22-in and 23.6-in. versions. MSRP: $230.

ViewSonic
viewsonic.com
The 24-in. VG2427wm LCD is designed for graphics professionals. It offers 1920 x 1080 resolution, 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a luminosity of 300 cd/m², and 170°/160° viewing angles. The display features an Eco-mode to reduce power consumption, fully adjustable ergonomic base, and USB ports. ViewSonic offers sizes ranging from 17 to 24 in. in its Graphic Series line.

Westinghouse Digital
westinghousedigital.com
With 1920 x 1200 resolution, a dynamic contrast of 3000:1, and static ratio of 750:1, the L2610NW 26-in. LCD has a color capability of 16.7 million colors, optional wall-mounting capability, and 170° horizontal/160° vertical viewing angles. MSRP: $545.