No, it's a myth.

A monitor's PPI (Pixels Per Inch) resolution only depends on its physical size and display settings. It doesn't matter if it's hooked to a Mac or a PC. Furthermore, a monitor set at 1600x1200 pixels will have a very different PPI value than it does at 800x600 pixels.

If you'd like to know what a display's actual PPI is, measure the length of the graphic below in inches with a soft ruler--a sewing tape or plastic ruler is safest for the screen--and then enter that value in the calculator under it.

Note: For best results, go to this FAQ entry first: »Digital Imaging »Monitor Adjustments, Part I

(JavaScript must be enabled for this calculator to work.)

Length (inches):

Pixels Per Inch:

What happens if you change the monitor's settings? The PPI value changes proportionately. Doubling the resolution doubles the PPI, for instance. A 19" monitor may easily vary from 50 to 100 PPI with different settings.

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DPI (Dots Per Inch), which is sometimes erroneously used interchangeably with PPI, has nothing to do with how a graphic is displayed on a monitor. It is used for output to other devices, most commonly printers. One of the graphics below is saved at 10 DPI and the other is at 1000 DPI. Which is which? The only way to know is to download them and check with image-editing software.






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by climbers edited by tmpchaos
last modified: 2011-11-02 16:51:56