The
resolution of a
monitor is defined by the maximum amount of
detail the monitor can render. The dot
pitch of the monitor ultimately limits this resolution. The
dot pitch defines the
diagonal distance between
phosphorous dots of the same
color and is measured in
millimeters. Because a lower dot pitch means more dots on the
screen, it usually produces a
sharper, more defined
image. Dot pitch works in
tandem with the maximum number of
lines the monitor can support, to determine the greatest working resolution of the monitor. It might be possible to place an image at 1600 x 1200 on a 15-inch monitor with a dot pitch of .31
mm, but it wouldn't be readable.
The dot pitch can range from as high as .39 mm to as low as .18 mm. For most Windows-based applications on a 17-inch monitor, most folks find that .28 mm is the maximum usable dot pitch that still produces a clear picture.