Display recommendations for design professional

[lollicakes]

I need to purchase a new monitor for use with my Mac Pro tower (has NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics card) and have had trouble finding useful display reviews that pertain to professional design use rather than gaming, movie watching, etc.

I primarily use Quark/InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop and need something that will display typography well (read: crisp, clean, and easy to read), render vector graphics smoothly, and present color accurately; while I send most of my images out for color correcting there are times when I opt to do it in-house.

Since I am not a color correction specialist or independently wealthy I can't spend several thousand $ on a display. I have been looking at the following options but am open to other suggestions:

Apple Cinema Display HD 23"
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=659614
Samsung 2693HM 26" Widescreen LCD
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...x?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=A1500995#Overview
Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP 24-inch Widescreen
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=320-6272

I love the Apple displays but their reviews are sometimes mixed and they are so expensive and I fear I would have to sacrifice on size if I went that direction. Thanks!

PS: I may also occasionally hook the display up to my MacBook Pro...

 

[toxic]

I'm not sure about the Dell, but I think that was the one with random panel types. Think you can rule out the Samsung since it looks like a TN panel (160 degree viewing angle, 5ms response), and the dot pitch is a bit large. I'd buy the Cinema Display if I had the money, it's an S-IPS panel and it has the smallest dot pitch (so a clearer image).

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Sorry to tack on, but does anyone have any opinions experience with the DoubleSight monitors, specifically the dual 19-inch model. That looked rather interesting. Thanks.

 

[Umbongo]

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/ tend to focus on aspects that professionals are looking for, at least on displays aimed for professionals anyway. [H]ard|Forum's display forum is also a good resource.

When looking at displays for the type of needs you have a lot of people are drawn or pushed towards IPS based displays as they (rightfully) have a better reputation when it comes to colour accuracy.

There aren't many companies offering IPS panels in 24" displays now and personally I think in the US these are the only two logical choices on the medium level:

The HP LP2475 is great value at around $600 and many people are choosing it. There is a 72 page thread on [H]ard|Forum if you want to make a really informed decision. Link

If you want a better display (certainly regarded as anyway) with additional features then you probably want to look at NEC's 2490WUXi which goes for around $1,000.

 

[mazurka]

I need to purchase a new monitor for use with my Mac Pro tower (has NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics card) and have had trouble finding useful display reviews that pertain to professional design use rather than gaming, movie watching, etc.

I primarily use Quark/InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop and need something that will display typography well (read: crisp, clean, and easy to read), render vector graphics smoothly, and present color accurately; while I send most of my images out for color correcting there are times when I opt to do it in-house.

I also use Quark/InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop and I bought the Apple 23 inch display late last year (despite the mixed reviews) and I can find absolutely nothing wrong with it. In fact, it's the best display I've ever used and I think will easily meet all your criteria.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

Yea, the ACD's are pretty sweet. The best aesthetics and quality of the three.

 

[Hatchet]

I need to purchase a new monitor for use with my Mac Pro tower (has NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics card) and have had trouble finding useful display reviews that pertain to professional design use rather than gaming, movie watching, etc.

I primarily use Quark/InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop and need something that will display typography well (read: crisp, clean, and easy to read), render vector graphics smoothly, and present color accurately; while I send most of my images out for color correcting there are times when I opt to do it in-house.

Since I am not a color correction specialist or independently wealthy I can't spend several thousand $ on a display. I have been looking at the following options but am open to other suggestions:

Apple Cinema Display HD 23"
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=659614
Samsung 2693HM 26" Widescreen LCD
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...x?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=A1500995#Overview
Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP 24-inch Widescreen
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=320-6272

I love the Apple displays but their reviews are sometimes mixed and they are so expensive and I fear I would have to sacrifice on size if I went that direction. Thanks!

PS: I may also occasionally hook the display up to my MacBook Pro...

Stay away from the Dell 2408, I am a graphic designer and it was a nightmare to calibrate it. Also, the text clarity wasn't perfect and the gamut was almost cartoony.

ACD 23" is stunning but I found it couldn't accurately display color gradients in photoshop. I am still trying to figure out if that was just an isolated issue or not.

I have purchased both and returned both because of disappointing results. I may go back to the ACD just because it had less issues than all the other monitors i've tried. Don't really have the budget for a $1500 monitor either.

Hope this helps. I will be continuing to try to find a monitor that is perfect for graphic professionals that is moderately priced as well.