The best way to find the perfect screen resolution that is optimal for you and your LCD screen is to try different settings. However, not all settings may be good. There are a few technical limitations that users should be aware of.

A few years ago, 1024x768 was the most common display resolution. Now HD (high definition) resolution of 2560x1600 is used in 30" or bigger LCD monitors. Special medical monitors have been designed for 3280x2048 resolution. The term "display resolution" is used to describe simply the physical number of columns and rows of pixels creating the display, for example, 1280x1024, or in other words, the size of display. However, the meaning of the word "resolution" here is misleading. Such using "display resolution" means pixel dimensions which does not tell about a real resolution of the display. Technically, display resolution is measured in pixels per inch.

In digital imaging, a pixel (pic's-el, or picture element) is a single smallest point or unit of picture which can be controlled. Pixels are normally arranged in a 2-dimensional grid, and are often represented using dots or squares. Dots per inch (DPI) is a measure of spatial printing or video dot density, in particular the number of individual dots that can be placed in a line within the span of one inch (2.54 cm). As it was mentioned above, DPI is often confused with image size, leading to expressions such as 1024x768 resolution.

What screen resolution is optimal? A higher screen resolution reduces the size of items on your screen and increases the relative space on your desktop. But on the other hand, you may feel uncomfortable if fonts are too small to read a text. Another parameter is aspect ratio (the relative numbers of horizontal and vertical pixels). Traditional displays built with 4:3 aspect ratio. For example, a native resolution of 1280x1024 indicates an aspect ratio of 5:4, which is the most used format on current 17" and 19" LCD monitors. New wide-screen monitors may use almost 2:1 ratio. Wide-screen monitors use a special aspect ratio control to resolve the problem of "unnatural" displaying video with different formats. Normally, a native resolution should allow displaying without any distortion. The best way to find the perfect resolution that is optimal for you and your monitor is to try different settings.

To change your screen resolution in Windows OS, open Display in Control Panel. On the Settings tab, under Screen resolution, drag the slider, and then click Apply. When prompted to apply the settings, click OK. Your screen will turn black for a moment. Once your screen resolution changes, you have 15 seconds to confirm the change. Click Yes to confirm the change; click No or do nothing to revert to your previous setting. Your monitor and graphics card (video adapter) determine how much you can change your screen resolution; normally, it is a limited list of standard settings.

In general, a computer display resolution can be set higher or lower than the physical screen resolution. However, if old CRT monitors provided a variability in resolution, LCD displays are not so easy adjustable because they have a fixed physical resolution. You may be unable to increase the resolution of LCD display above a certain level (normally better than native resolution). The "native" resolution is the same as a screen maximum resolution if a correct video driver installed. Be aware that using a non-native low resolution on LCD may result in a poorer image (may appear blurred), due to dropping of pixels to make the image fit (if using DVI) or insufficient sampling of the analog signal (if using VGA).