It doesn't matter whether you're a freelancer, part of an agency or a creative type embedded in a larger company, choosing the right display is key if you want to get your work looking right first time, every time. Investing in a colour accurate display means that what you see on screen will reflect the final output, be that a print campaign, a web image or anything in between.
Displays are often a forgotten part of your designers' workstation, but if you're working in Photoshop or InDesign you could be wasting time and money by using a monitor that doesn't display images accurately. For example, non-colour-accurate displays often have variations in brightness and chromaticity across the screen, so you end up correcting for variations in the display rather than in the image itself. With a colour accurate monitor, you can see the images as they were captured, saving you time and money by reducing the number of iterations needed, and ensuring that you're working to your client's specifications rather than your monitor's variations.
Obviously, different displays are suited to different tasks. Here, we're looking at the top monitor options for people using key Adobe apps, such as Photoshop or InDesign, at different levels of production. If you want some more information, get in touch with our team on 03332 409 306 or at displays@Jigsaw24.com. Asking costs nothing, after all, and it might save you a few iterations in the long run. If you already know what you need, just click on the banner below to see our full range!
For professionals who need the highest levels of colour accuracy
These displays are ideal for photography, retouching, pre-press and post-production.
If you're working in photography, image retouching, video post-production or design, you'll want to opt for the highest possible level of colour accuracy. We recommend the EIZO CG series or NEC's SpectraView Reference monitors. As Deborah, our product manager explains: "These are the most advanced displays in their line-ups, with the tightest uniformity and colour tolerances. They also come with additional features such as 3D LUTs for smoother colour mixing, hoods to keep glare off the screen and pixel failure warranties for extra peace of mind."
Both can represent the majority of Adobe RGB, and support hardware calibration, meaning corrections are performed in the display's LUT itself as opposed to on your graphics card, giving a more accurate result.
Top picks: EIZO's 24" ColorEdge CG246 and NEC's 24" SpectraView 241 reference display.
For professionals and prosumers
These displays are ideal for general design and photography work.
If you need colour accuracy but aren't too fussed about extras like hoods or the tightest fault tolerances, save yourself a penny and opt for the EIZO CX range or the NEC SpectraView series. While these don't have the hand-picked panels of their more expensive peers, they're still capable of hardware calibration, boast high-bit LUTs and will represent the majority of the Adobe colourspace.
Top picks: EIZO's 24" ColorEdge CX240 self-correcting IPS display and NEC's 24" SpectraView 241 widescreen P-IPS display.
For business users and enthusiasts
These displays are ideal for web graphics, photographers capturing images in sRGB/JPEG and video editors.
"If you're capturing images in sRGB and JPEG formats, or are developing content for the web and only need to work in sRGB, then the EIZO CS and NEC P series offer great value for money," says Deborah."The EIZO CS230 has DUE (digital uniformity equaliser) technology to ensure the most uniform colour representation across the display, a 16-bit LUT, a self-calibration sensor and a five year warranty. Finally, the NEC P range are a good call if you're after value for money. They don't have quite the colour critical chops of the others we've featured, but cover most of the sRGB space and are ideal for general office use as they have great ergonomics, a wide viewing angle and broad connectivity options."
Top picks: EIZO's 23" ColorEdge CS230 self-correcting IPS display and NEC's 23" MultiSync P232W widescreen IPS display.
Want to know more about finding the right colour accurate display? Get in touch with the team on 03332 409 306 or email displays@Jigsaw24.com. For all the latest news and tips, follow @WeAreJigsaw24 on Twitter or ‘Like’ us on Facebook.