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I am working primarily in book graphic design: edit images, color profiles, do the layout of the book, prepare it for print etc. Sometimes I do logos, corporate identity packages etc. I do not do video editing, nor web design.

I am looking to buy a new monitor and would love to hear your opinions on what to buy. I'm looking at:

  • diagonal (doesn't need to be too big, ~24 is ok)
  • view angle, brightness and color acuity
  • price (I can't afford the more expensive ones, but I might find them refurbished, so respond anyway)
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4 Answers

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I'm using two Dell U2410 in a dual-screen setup for layout and design work. It's a IPS panel, so the view angle is realy good. It's a wide-gamut display with different present modes, so you could also switch to SRGB mode for webdesign.

I'm really happy with these displays and the price was much cheaper than a similar Eizo screen.

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What about Dell 2311H ? It seems to be quite similar but 23" and about 40% cheaper. – Bogdan Gavril May 3 '11 at 12:39
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Looks similar. 1" smaller, 1x DVI, Display Port and the card reader are missing. But if you don't need that, it should be ok. Maybe you want to read some reviews and tests about the color spectrum before you purchase. – Roman Wünsche May 3 '11 at 12:47
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Turns out the colors are a bit under par on the U2311. U2410 is for profesionals and U2311 is for enthusiasts and hardcore amateurs. – Bogdan Gavril May 3 '11 at 16:05
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The key point is that you should be looking for an IPS (in-plane switching) panel, not a TN (twisted nematic) panel.

IPS panels cost significantly more, but give better colour reproduction with a wider viewing angle.

Most TN panels display dithered 6 bit/channel rather than true 8 bit/channel colour, and suffer from noticeable colour shifts as you move around them.

Many manufacturers make both and you may need to do your research to find out what kind of panel a particular model uses.

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Good point - this is the general ideea. I am however looking at more specialized answers. – Bogdan Gavril May 6 '11 at 14:48
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Sony and Apple tend to make high end LCDs in terms of color fidelity.

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Have not seen a single Sony monitor recomandation on any forum. Can you detail? Apple yes, everybody says they are very good but too expensive. – Bogdan Gavril May 3 '11 at 16:06
up vote 1 down vote

In my opinion you may want to consider getting one of those rare monitors that can tilt 90 degrees to do portrait as well as landscape mode. Although this affects the viewing angle (it gets narrower) there is a lot to be said for being able to see your whole page on a screen without having to look through a letterbox.

I have a Samsung 2048 x 1152 resolution monitor for this reason, it is the best color rendition and was very cheap on Amazon. A side benefit of the tall screen is posture - I work with a straighter back on my Samsung screen when in portrait mode.

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