# Monitor Screens
**URL:** https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002
**Category:** Archive - Specifications Discussions #3
**Created:** [March 18, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002 "2008-03-18T19:25:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@rm\_beard\_ccs](https://forum.4specs.com/u/rm_beard_ccs)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/1 "2008-03-18T19:25:54Z")
I recently heard about a study indicating that use of large size monitor screens increases an employees’ overall efficiency by 70 hours over a the course of a year.
I am currently considering replacing my 17" monitor with one of a larger size and higher pixel quality. Since my primary use will be reading text, having a view of two pages seems to be a desirable feature for pursual and editing of text. Pixel count is important to visual quality of text at a smaller size.
Since most of this group spends a large percentage of their time in front of monitors, does anyone have comments, recommendations, and/or experiences with the evaluation of monitors? What is recognized as the most desirable screen size? What is the minimum pixel count for this application?
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### Author:  [@melissaaguiar](https://forum.4specs.com/u/melissaaguiar)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/2 "2008-03-18T19:35:10Z")
I went from a 17" to a 24" and it is amazing. I do work better now because I found that my eyes do not strain any longer to see text while developing specifications. I would recommend a larger monitor. I have my dpi is set at 1680 x 1050.
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### Author:  [@Davemetzger](https://forum.4specs.com/u/Davemetzger)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/3 "2008-03-18T19:43:58Z")
It’s amazing how tachnology changes our expectations.
I can remember when 21" color televisions (not monitors) were absolute state of the art, that only the rich could afford.
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### Author:  [@redseca2](https://forum.4specs.com/u/redseca2)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/4 "2008-03-18T19:44:46Z")
Our office standard is TWO monitors side by side. In some kinds of spec editing the difference is astounding and you work out entirely new ways of doing things.
I like everything to be 100-percent, true size, what was called “wizzywig” (what you see is what you get)in the computer publishing dark ages, and you can have almost four pages accessible in that format at one time.
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### Author:  [@rhinkle](https://forum.4specs.com/u/rhinkle)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/5 "2008-03-18T19:46:59Z")
get two. I had dual screens at my previous employer and could be so much more efficient. I also printed out less paper as I could compare two documents electronically without flipping between windows.
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### Author:  [@tsugaguy](https://forum.4specs.com/u/tsugaguy)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/6 "2008-03-18T19:50:44Z")
almost goes without saying, but you want the flat screen type (no problems with flicker as compared to old CRT), and yes two monitors! Ours are 17", seems to be an ok size.
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### Author:  [@melissaaguiar](https://forum.4specs.com/u/melissaaguiar)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/7 "2008-03-18T19:56:14Z")
Ok,
I guess I am a chicken here about two monitors; how do you work two screens on one CPU system? I thought about doing that but for my one woman business thought it would be a bit much for me. Could two monitors really change the way I review my docs?
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### Author:  [@don\_harris](https://forum.4specs.com/u/don_harris)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/8 "2008-03-18T19:59:20Z")
Ron,
I just got upgraded to a 20 inch diagonal flat screen at work. Two pages are very readable at 85% zoom. When I go to 100% it only shows one page. So maybe 24 inches might be better. Problem is I now have to buy a new monitor for home. The difference is phenomenal.
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### Author:  [@wayne\_yancey](https://forum.4specs.com/u/wayne_yancey)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/9 "2008-03-18T20:11:16Z")
I had 2 - 19" inch monitors at last employer. System must support two monitors. Current employer is moving to large single 21-22" monitors. Go with Russ’s configuration or buy the biggest damn montior you can afford.
My associate in the next workstation uses 2 - 19" monitors. One is set portrait and one set landscape. If you are also a CAD user this configuration is a productivity enhancement.
We use ViewSonic monitors. Good products.
Wayne
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### Author:  [@robin](https://forum.4specs.com/u/robin)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/10 "2008-03-18T20:20:32Z")
I have a widescreen 24 inch as my main monitor and a 19 inch as my second and it makes a huge difference. I do save a lot of paper and is much more efficient. I can keep outlook on one screen to check emails, or a TOC on one screen while I scroll through sections etc etc. With the widescreen, I can have documents side by side, but with the dual monitors, I don’t have the added task of sizing docs to fit side by side. I can really tell the difference when I do work at home and only have one monitor - I miss my office setup! They are worth every penny!
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### Author:  [@bwoodburn](https://forum.4specs.com/u/bwoodburn)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/11 "2008-03-18T20:55:31Z")
I like a vertical screen for a full-page display, and used a 17" Portrait pivot CRT (big and clunky!) up to 6 years ago, while I was an independent consultant. Liked it better than the 19" conventional CRT where I went to work in-house, until I discovered that the Nvidia video cards we use could do portrait format with just about any monitor, so for years I had my conventional 19" CRT turned on its side! That was much better than 19" landscape. But I still wanted something at least a little bigger.
Now that the office has standardized on twin 19" LCDs for the CAD folks, I asked for a single LCD monitor - but a bigger one, that pivots to portrait mode. Got a 22" HP w2207. It was the envy of the office…
It also comes in a 24" model, but this 22" is almost too big (and significantly cheaper, in the mid-300s). I can see a whole page, larger than life, and still have room for WordPerfect’s reveal codes panel below the page. Or, I can turn it back to landscape, and page through the PM two pages at a time at about full size, to check pagination.
It’s a great monitor (1680x1050@60Hz), slightly marred by a couple of minor flaws. The pivot software isn’t quite right yet – mainly, it doesn’t automatically sense when you turn it, as it’s intended to (I have to use the Nvidia software and a few mouse clicks to change the orientation, but that isn’t often). And the double-jointed base, while handy, has to be extended for clearance while pivoting. (I jury-rigged some attachments to fix that.) Also, it has a glossy screen with a glossy bezel - looks great, but I had to be careful orienting it to eliminate reflections. Also, since we moved, small text looks a little blurred in places. I think before the move it may have had the anti-aliasing turned off, but I can’t figure out how to get it back to the crisp look it had.
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### Author:  [@tmejia](https://forum.4specs.com/u/tmejia)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2008, 12:34am UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/12 "2008-03-19T00:34:37Z")
I use a 21" and 24" ViewSonic side by side. I think they are easier on the eyes. When I have to use my laptop with a single 17", I am less productive. Being able to open e-mail on one and look at your document on the other works great. The two monitors also allows you to review Drawings on one screen while editing your spec on the other. My computer supported two monitors so it was a plug and play installation.
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### Author:  [@specman](https://forum.4specs.com/u/specman)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/13 "2008-03-19T03:43:04Z")
I use two monitors, with one at 22 inches. It works great–I’m even thinking of adding a third.
Monitor 1 (Smaller): Email and internet searching
Monitor 2 (Large): Specification writing and CAD (for my code work)
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### Author:  [@sheldon\_wolfe](https://forum.4specs.com/u/sheldon_wolfe)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2008, 6:17am UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/14 "2008-03-19T06:17:06Z")
Now [here’s](http://snipr.com/22306%20%20%5Bwww_plastk_net%5D) what you need!
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### Author:  [@lynn\_javoroski](https://forum.4specs.com/u/lynn_javoroski)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/15 "2008-03-20T23:00:06Z")
(Just as an aside, it’s “wysiwyg” - pronounced “wissywig”)
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### Author:  [@David\_J.Wyatt\_CSI\_CCS\_CCCA](https://forum.4specs.com/u/David_J.Wyatt_CSI_CCS_CCCA)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/16 "2008-03-21T15:28:38Z")
This is a refreshing discussion!
For the last year, I have been working with two computers on at the same time - my desktop monitor and my personal laptop. On my laptop I keep MasterFormat, PRM, and other key references, which I use all day long. On the desktop I edit and write projects.
I also use the laptop to enlarge drawing details so I can read them while writing the specifications.
About a month ago I was asked by management to stop using my laptop. For some reason they felt it was superfluous and would not indulge it. We argued about it a little and I lost.
On reflection, I thought perhaps I was wrong and they were right. But, reading this dicussion thread makes me realize I am not alone. This is one of the great things about such forums - the benchmarking that lone spec writers need.
Thanks folks!
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### Author:  [@awhitacre](https://forum.4specs.com/u/awhitacre)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/17 "2008-03-21T16:11:02Z")
David: if its your laptop, what does management care if you use it or not?
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### Author:  [@mchavez](https://forum.4specs.com/u/mchavez)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/18 "2008-03-21T16:12:42Z")
Kill the bosses! No dual monitors and I’d go on strike! not to mention anybody touching my red stapler!
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### Author:  [@rbaxter](https://forum.4specs.com/u/rbaxter)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/19 "2008-03-21T16:13:19Z")
My office recently gave me the widescreen desktop monitor and laptop setup and I love it. It is so nice to be able to look at other documents on screen as I edit the master documents. I can view as many as 4 documents at the same time including Masterspec evaluations, manufacturer guide specs, produt info, e-mail, drawings, and spec sections from other projects. The office gave me the laptop when I informed them that, with my busy schedule, I could attend more project meetings if I could still work on specs at the same time.
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### Author:  [@wayne\_yancey](https://forum.4specs.com/u/wayne_yancey)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://forum.4specs.com/t/monitor-screens/1002/20 "2008-03-21T16:17:37Z")
David,
Levels of importance.
Does management back up the requirements in their specs during CA with the same vigor?
Did they also demand you stop using your personal coffee mug?
Update your resume.
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