[Thinkpad] X30 and Widescreen External monitor?

[Stuart F. Biggar]

> > Try to get 1440x900 to work if you can. Don't let the numbers fool you -
> > your monitor has bigger pixels than your X30, so if you can read text at
> > native resolution on the X30, you will be able to on the external monitor.
> > (The X30's 12.1" 1024x768 screen has 106 pixels per inch; if your monitor is
> > a 19" then it has only 89 pixels per inch.)
> >
> > Be sure to enable ClearType and adjust it with the ClearType Tuner. (Google
> > "cleartype tuner".)
> >
> What's the advantage of ClearType though?  That's interesting that
> external monitors have bigger pixels.  This is regardless of
> resolution?
> 

The pixel size, number of pixels and monitor size are interrelated.
The more pixels for a given size of monitor, the smaller the pixel
size and higher the dpi.  For example, the 1600x1200 15" Flexview
screens on some T43p models has 133 dpi with small pixels (1/133").
The same 1600x1200 on a 20" external LCD will have larger pixels and
lower dpi (same ratio as the size ratio).  IBM and others used to
make a 200 dpi LCD display for very high res medical imaging - I
don't know if it is still available.  It required a video card
with 2 dual-link DVI connectors and had something like 3200x2400
pixels on a panel about 22" if I remember correctly

IMO ClearType is useful on high res monitors where you are
displaying text characters using lots of pixels per character.
Then ClearType tends to make the letters look less pixelated
on the curved or diagonal parts of the letters.  I find ClearType
a nuisance for small font sizes on low res displays - they look
fuzzy to me.

Stuart