Dot pitch (sometimes called line pitch, stripe pitch, or phosphor pitch) is a specification for a

computer display A computer monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial or textual form. A discrete monitor comprises a visual display, support electronics, power supply, housing, electrical connectors, and external user controls. The ...

computer printer In computing, a printer is a peripheral machine which makes a persistent representation of graphics or text, usually on paper. While most output is human-readable, bar code printers are an example of an expanded use for printers. Diffe ...

image scanner An image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting or an object and converts it to a digital image. Commonly used in offices are variations of the desktop ''flatbed scanner'' ...

, or other

pixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the ...

-based devices that describe the distance, for example, between dots ( sub-pixels) on a display screen. In the case of an

RGB The RGB color model is an additive color model in which the red, green and blue primary colors of light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three addi ...

color display, the derived unit of pixel pitch is a measure of the size of a

triad Triad or triade may refer to: * a group of three Businesses and organisations * Triad (American fraternities), certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America * Triad (organized crime), a Chinese transnational orga ...

plus the distance between triads. Dot pitch may be measured in linear units (with smaller numbers meaning higher resolution), usually

millimeters 330px, Different lengths as in respect to the electromagnetic spectrum, measured by the metre and its derived scales. The microwave is between 1 meter to 1 millimeter. The millimetre (American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, ...

(mm), or as a rate, for example,

dots per inch Dots per inch (DPI, or dpiThe acronym appears in sources as either "DPI" or lowercase "dpi". See "Print Resolution Understanding 4-bit depth – Xerox" (PDF). Xerox.com. September 2012.) is a measure of spatial printing, video or image scanner ...

(with a larger number meaning higher resolution). Closer spacing produces a sharper image (as there are more dots in a given area). However, other factors may affect image quality, including: * Undocumented or inadequately documented measurement method, complicated by ignorance of the existence of different methods * Confusion of pixels and subpixels * Element spacing varying across screen area (e.g., widening in corners compared to center) * Differing pixel geometries * Differing image and pixel aspect ratios * Miscellanea such as

Kell factor The Kell factor, named after RCA engineer Raymond D. Kell, is a parameter used to limit the bandwidth of a sampled image signal to avoid the appearance of beat frequency patterns when displaying the image in a discrete display device, usually ...

interlaced video Interlaced video (also known as interlaced scan) is a technique for doubling the perceived frame rate of a video display without consuming extra bandwidth. The interlaced signal contains two fields of a video frame captured consecutively. Th ...

The exact difference between horizontal and diagonal dot pitch varies with the design of the monitor (see pixel geometry and

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...

), but a typical entry-level 0.28 mm (diagonal) monitor has a horizontal pitch of 0.24 or 0.25 mm, and a good quality 0.26 mm (diagonal) unit has a horizontal pitch of 0.22 mm. The above dot pitch measurement does not apply to

aperture grille An aperture grille is one of two major technologies used to manufacture color cathode-ray tube (CRT) televisions and computer displays; the other is the shadow mask. Fine vertical wires behind the front glass of the display screen separate t ...

displays. Such monitors use continuous vertical phosphor bands on the screen, so the vertical distance between scan lines is limited only by the video input signal's vertical resolution and the thickness of the electron beam, so there is no vertical 'dot pitch' on such devices. Aperture grille only has horizontal 'dot pitch', or otherwise known as 'stripe pitch'.

Common dot pitch sizes

{, class="wikitable" , + Laptop and desktop LCDs , - ! Display definition
(—) !! Area
( Mpx) !!title="nominal screen diagonal", Size
(in) !! Pitch
(μm) !! Resolution
( ppi) , - , align="left" , 1024×768 (

XGA The graphics display resolution is the width and height dimension of an electronic visual display device, measured in pixels. This information is used for electronic devices such as a computer monitor. Certain combinations of width and height ar ...

) , , 0.78 , , 15 , , 297 , , 85.5 , - , align=left, 1280×768 (

WXGA WXGA may refer to: * Wide Extended Graphics Array The graphics display resolution is the width and height dimension of an electronic visual display device, measured in pixels. This information is used for electronic devices such as a computer m ...

) , , 0.98 , , 15.4 , , 262 , , 96.9 , - , rowspan="2", 1280×800 (WXGA) , , rowspan="2", 1.01 , , 15.4 , , 259 , , 98.0 , - , 17 , , 286 , , 88.8 , - , rowspan="3", 1280×1024 ( SXGA) , , rowspan="3" , 1.31 , , 17 , , 264 , , 96.2 , - , 18.1 , , 280 , , 90.7 , - , 19 , , 294 , , 86.3 , - , rowspan="3", 1440×900 ( WXGA+) , , rowspan="3" , 1.29 , , 15.4 , , 230 , , 110.4 , - , 17 , , 254 , , 100.0 , - , 19 , , 285 , , 89.1 , - , rowspan="2", 1400×1050 (

SXGA+ The graphics display resolution is the width and height dimension of an electronic visual display device, measured in pixels. This information is used for electronic devices such as a computer monitor. Certain combinations of width and height ar ...

) , , rowspan="2", 1.51 , , 15 , , 214 , , 118.6 , - , 20.1 , , 292 , , 87.0 , - , rowspan="6", 1680×1050 (

WSXGA+ The graphics display resolution is the width and height dimension of an electronic visual display device, measured in pixels. This information is used for electronic devices such as a computer monitor. Certain combinations of width and height ar ...

) , , rowspan="6" , 1.76 , , 15.4 , , 197 , , 128.9 , - , 17 , , 218 , , 116.5 , - , 19 , , 244 , , 104.0 , - , 20.1 , , 258 , , 98.4 , - , 21 , , 269 , , 94.4 , - , 22 , , 282 , , 90.0 , - , rowspan="3", 1600×1200 ( UXGA) , , rowspan="3" , 1.92 , , 15 , , 191 , , 132.9 , - , 20.1 , , 255 , , 99.6 , - , 21.3 , , 270 , , 94.0 , - , rowspan="6", 1920×1200 ( WUXGA) , , rowspan="6", 2.30 , , 15.4 , , 173 , , 146.8 , - , 17 , , 191 , , 132.9 , - , 23 , , 258 , , 98.4 , - , 24 , , 270 , , 94.0 , - , 25.5 , , 287 , , 88.5 , - , 27 , , 303 , , 83.8 , - , rowspan="2", 2560×1440 ( WQHD) , , rowspan="2", 3.68 , , 27 , , 233 , , 108.8 , - , 32 , , 273 , , {{093.0 , - , 2560×1600 (

WQXGA The graphics display resolution is the width and height dimension of an electronic visual display device, measured in pixels. This information is used for electronic devices such as a computer monitor. Certain combinations of width and height ar ...

) , , 4.09 , , 30 , , 250 , , 101.6 , - , 3840×2400 ( WQUXGA) , , 9.21 , , 22.2 , , 125 , , 203.2

External links

PPI calculator
– Shows dot pitch
Megapixel Calculator
– Identifies aspect ratio and displays photo and video storage requirements for different formats at a given megapixel number Length Television technology