Screen Resolution
Screen resolution has nothing to do with the new year, but it does affect how you view the web (and everything else on your computer).
Like your TV, the picture you see on your monitor is actually made up of thousands of individually colored dots, called pixels. The more pixels you have, the more detailed the picture becomes. Unlike your TV, you can change the number of pixels used on your screen. This allows you to squeeze more information into the same area. Keep in mind: The number of pixels is not always related to the physical size of the screen!
So what does this mean to you? The resolution defines how much stuff you can view at once on your screen. The higher your resolution, the more visible room you have available. You will also notice that as your screen resolution increases, items on your screen, including icons, text and images, appear to shrink in size.
 |
What is your screen resolution?
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Screen resolution is typically measured by the number of pixels horizontal and vertical on your screen. Some common screen resolutions include 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024. Most pages are designed to be viewed with a screen resolution of 800x600. Surveys show that more and more users are surfing the web with a resolution of 1024x768 or larger. The minimum and maximum screen resolution available for your computer depends on your monitor and video adapter.
To check or change your screen resolutions, choose your operating system: Windows Macintosh OS 8-9 Macintosh OS X
- Right click on a blank area of your desktop.
- Select Properties from the menu.
- Click the Settings tab at the top of the screen.
- Adjust the Screen area slider to change the resolution.
- Click OK. Windows will give you a message telling you it will try to resize your desktop. Click OK.
- Click the Apple menu and go to the Control Panels.
- Select Monitors & Sound (some users will have Monitors instead).
- From the list of available resolutions, select the resolution you wish to use. Your screen resolution will change instantly.
- Close the Monitors & Sound window.
- Click the Apple menu and to go the Control Panel.
- From the list of Monitor settings, select the resolution you wish to use.
- Click OK and your screen resolution will change.
|