How do you choose the best image size for your monitor?

The screen size is one of the most important choices you make when you purchase a computer screen. A screen that's too small is difficult to read and has little screen space, but a screen that's too large may not fit on your desk.

• 22 inches: small desks and business use
• 24 inches: general and business use
• 27 inches: PC gaming, movies, and design
• 29 inches (often ultrawide): for gaming, movies, design, and business
• 32 inches: console gaming, movies, and design
• 34 inches (ultrawide): for gaming, movies, and business use
• 38 inches (ultrawide): for gaming, movies, and professional designers
• 49 inches (super ultrawide): for professional designers and gamers

The screen size of a monitor is expressed in inches. Screen size is the distance between the bottom right corner and the top left corner of the screen. An inch is an American unit of measurement and equals 2.54cm. We mention the number of centimeters for each inch size for convenienve.

The viewing distance and the size of your desk affect your choice. For the best display, it's important you're not too close or too far away from the screen. If you exceed this distance, the images become unclear. It's also important that it fits on your desk. A 34-inch ultrawide monitor isn't suitable for a small desk, but you also don't want a monitor that doesn't stand out on a large desk. That's why you should measure your desk before your purchase.

A 22-inch monitor measures 56cm, so it's fairly small. This makes it especially suitable for a student house or for business use. You don't always need a large size for reading and typing texts, using the internet, and working in Excel. A 22-inch monitor fits on a small desk, but is also very suitable for a dual monitor setup with 2 screens. This allows you to double the screen space, without the monitors taking up too much space on your desk.

With a 61cm screen size, 24 inches is the default size for everyday use, office tasks, and school. Full HD (1080p) stays fairly sharp on monitors of this size. As they're not too big, you can easily place them in a setup with 2 screens. A 24-inch monitor is also suitable for gaming, though a larger size is more comfortable. Do you want a lot of movies or edit photos as a hobby? Choose a 24-inch QHD monitor.

You have a lot of screen space with a 27-inch monitor, which equals 69cm. This makes 27 inches very suitable for gaming, graphic design, and image editing. Thanks to the larger size, you're more immersed in your game of movie. For a 27-inch screen, we recommend a QHD or 4K resolution. That's because Full HD can look blurry on the larger size. Note: a 27-inch PC screen takes up quite some space.

A 29-inch monitor equals a 74cm screen size and often supports an ultrawide aspect ratio. This makes a 29 inches suitable if you're looking for an ultrawide screen but don't have space for a 34-inch monitor. You can enjoy the same advantages, including the wider screen space and watching movies in ultrawide settings. You can enlarge the field of view for gaming and enjoy a bigger overview. This way, you're always one step ahead of your opponents.

A 32-inch monitor has an 81cm screen size and is a large screen for entertainment enthusiasts. These monitors are very large when you sit close to them, so they're suitable for gaming and watching movies and series from a distance. If you still want to get completely immersed in your Photoshop project, make sure to choose a 32-inch 4K monitor or 1440p monitor so the image remains sharp. A 32-inch monitor does take up a lot of space on your desk or cabinet.

All the above monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9, except for the 29-inch ones. It's standard for monitors and TVs, in which the screen is slightly wider than it is high. An ultrawide monitor has an aspect ratio of 21:9, which equals 86cm. The screen has the same height as a 24-inch screen with an aspect ratio of 16:9, but it's much wider. This provides 30% more screen space, so you can place multiple windows side by side, play games in ultrawide mode, or watch movies without black bars.

If you need more screen space, a 38-inch monitor is the solution. With a diagonal of 96cm, you get almost the same size as two monitors of 24 inches. You have a better overview of your work and can open even more windows next to each other as a result. The large size is suitable for professional photo and video editing, watching movies, and gaming in ultrawide mode without black bars.

A 32:9 monitor is suitable for photo and video editing in multiple windows or for super ultrawide gaming. An ultrawide screen is slightly wider than a 'regular' screen, but a super ultrawide screen is no less than twice as large. The 32:9 aspect ratio and screen size of 125cm makes it feel like you have two screens, but without an annoying bezel in the middle. The extra screen space doesn't hurt either for busy analysts, programmers, or developers.