Output
Displays
Because very few people have monitors with resolutions higher than 100
pixels per inch (PPI), we have to rely on software to trick our eyes into
thinking that the resolution is greater than it really is. Some advances are
being made by display manufacturers, but they are still beyond the average
Web surfer՚s budget.
A typical LCD monitor (which you՚re probably reading this on) has a dot
pitch of around .20 or .30 millimeters. New technologies, such as the Ferro
Liquid Crystal display are touted to reduce that number to .012 millimeters.
Bringing this technology to the mainstream would bring tremendous
advantages to the world of design and on-screen reading. However, until
they become affordable for the average consumer, we՚ll be relying on
software advances.
Operating System
Microsoft and Apple have both delivered technological advances in the
world of anti-aliasing, but they have somewhat different approaches. The
current versions of both operating systems use anti-aliasing and subpixel
rendering. Both vendors have dramatically increased legibility within their
operating systems, but controversy has arisen over the aesthetics and
legibilty of each.
Microsoft՚s entry in the competition — which is characterized by tight grid-
fitting — is aptly named ClearType. By forcing characters tightly into the