Monitor recommendations, anyone

[casinclaire]

I'm looking to replace my monitors in the near future and wonder if anyone has any recommendations. I've had two Dell monitors for years, and I have to say they are real workhorses, but the smaller one has much better visibility in InDesign when it comes to guide, ruler tick marks, etc. Unfortunately, it is not the one I have to work on.

I'm hoping to find a monitor that displays, for instance, nice, thick guidelines in bright colors rather than the thin, thread-like guidelines I have to squint at on my current  large monitor -- more like my small monitor and more like the luscious, thick rules I see in demos and tutorials.

Does anyone out there have a preferred brand/style/size of monitor they can recommend?  Any ideas on cost would be helpful, too. I'm not sure I'll have an opportunity to see InDesign in action on any monitor before I buy it, so I'm hoping to get some guidance here.

Thanks in advance.

[BobLevine]

I have two of these Dell QHD Ultrasharps and love them:

https://amzn.to/2KEKuub

[casinclaire]

Hi. Thanks for replying!

That's really good to know because I have had good longevity with my two Dells (24" and 28").  The large one (model P2815Q) is about six years old, but the 24" (model 2405FPW)  is -- wait for it --  something like 14 years old and showing no sighs of wear.  If the display on the 28" was as good as on the 24" (and I'm still only talking about skinny vs. thick guidelines and near-invisible ruler ticks; the color seems to be well calibrated) I'd be happy with it for a bit longer.

I have wondered about the reason for the difference between the two, and I have a couple of theories -- 1) that it may be due to the high resolution I use on the 28" or 2) it may be because I use an HDMI connection (vs. DVI or display port connection).

I have a high-end Nvida graphics card that has an HDMI connection which leaves me free to hook up my 24" (no HDMI) to the available DVI port. I always assumed HDMI was a step up but I'm not so sure about that anymore. I haven't tried display port; the monitor has the option but I'm not sure about the board. (Or maybe that's the other way around...)

Do you mind telling me about your connections?  Maybe there's something there that I need to know about, although I'm still interested in a new monitor, so will be looking at the model you have told me about (thanks for the link).

As for my resolution being set high, I hate to think this could be the reason.  If it were, then what would be the point of having a large, high-res monitor? I am hoping mine problem is just my specific monitor or something about the connection that I can change -- at least until I can replace the monitor. I assume  you also run a high-res screen, and you are satisfied with what you see (that is, I'm assuming you don't have to deal with thread-like guides that you can barely see in InDesign? I sometimes actually have to lean in to find them!).

Thanks so much for responding. I know this is a long-winded reply to yours. Hope it isn't too much of a hassle.

[BobLevine]

mini display port on one and HDMI on the other.

I tried a P2815Q a while back and frankly, I thought it was garbage. Sent it back and went with QHD displays I'm using now. Sharper, better color. That monitor is 4K but it's low-end in every other aspect.

You get what you pay for in this instance.

[casinclaire]

That's very interesting that you tried the P2815Q. The best thing about it has been its size. Do you recall why you felt it was garbage? I'm wondering if you had the same experience I have re the less than stellar visibility of guides, etc., or if there were other shortcomings that I might find have gone away when I switch out -- maybe some bonus I don't even know I'm missing.  I can say, now, I don't like the color or light balance adjustments I'm able to get out of it. Sometimes I'm surprised that I get as close to the colors I want as I do, when I go to print. But despite the aggravation of trying to calibrate, so far I've lucked out in that regard. But I do NOT like the adjustment controls on the monitor.

If you are happy with the monitors you're using now and don't have the annoying guideline visibility problem, then it sounds like it is my monitor (and your opinion of it seems to back me up) and not the resolution which is good news to me, since I really need the high res for my work. I do book design and have a lot going on at one time, so the more real estate, the better. Sometimes I'd like to have a third monitor, but I'm not sure how I'd hook it up or if it would even be supported.

With your current monitor and your current HDMI and display port connections, can you tell any difference one way or the other between the two displays, especially as pertains to visibility of guides and ruler ticks?

[casinclaire]

Again, all I really want to know now is if you see a difference between your HDMI and display port connections and if you have a preference.  Thanks for all your help.

[BobLevine]

Sorry, missed your earlier post.

No noticeable difference.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

No, I see no difference when using either the HDMI port or the display port on either my Macs or PCs.

However, what does affect them is the resolution of the monitor, which is controlled by graphics card. On my Macs, I usually have the same PPI resolution available regardless of HDMI or display port.  But one some of our Windows workstations, there can be different resolutions available depending upon which port is used.

HDMI usually gives better color accuracy and resolution on our Windows machines.

FYI, one monitor brand and line that is an excellent value for designers, photographers, and others in digital media: the Asus ProArt line of monitors. ASUS monitor for professional  Very reasonable prices from many online resellers, and very good color accuracy and fidelity. The line was recommended by a colleague on a private professional list for Photoshop/Photography. Asus ProArt is now all I buy for my studio, Mac or Windows.

[casinclaire]

Thank you.  This is so helpful.  I have looked online for recommendations of specific monitor lines that a designer would especially appreciate and hadn't found anything, which is one of the reasons I posed this question in the forum. I'll definitely check out the Asus line. Thanks for the link.

Yes, re resolution, I figured that would have an effect on the pixel width of guidelines, etc. (though I never thought about a diff between Mac and Windows).  I've just been hoping against hope that, despite a monitor being set at a high resolution, there might be a brand out there that would still present more visible guidelines when I'm working in InDesign.  (I really want to blame my monitor and not the resolution because that might mean there is an alternative to what I have!).

As I wrote in an earlier bit of this thread, my main (28-inch) monitor is on an HDMI connection.  My older 24-inch monitor -- going strong at 14 years old -- is on a DVI connection.  I'm pretty sure my graphics card will support display port, though, so I should be able to handle a display port connection on a newer monitor. I'll be interested to compare. (There may not be much diff between HDMI and display port, but I am curious if there will be any diff between one of those and DVI.)

Thanks again, so much, for your reply and recommendation.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

casinclaire​, here's a good review of the difference between these technologies. DisplayPort vs HDMI vs DVI vs VGA - AVADirect