(1) See resolve and name resolution.
(2) The number of bits used to record the value of a sample in a digitized signal. See sampling.
(3) The degree of sharpness of a displayed or printed character or image. Resolution is expressed as a matrix of dots.
Screen Pixels Per Inch
A screen resolution of 1024x768 means 1,024 pixels (dots) horizontally across each of 768 lines, which run vertically from top to bottom. Very often, a third number is added to the specification to designate colors; for example, 1024x768x65K indicates a setting of 65,000 colors. In addition, the third number may also be the refresh rate; for example, 1024x768x60 means 1024x768 pixels at 60Hz (refreshed 60 times per second). See how to select a PC display system.
Printed Dots Per Inch
For printers and scanners, resolution is expressed as the number of dots per linear inch. 300 dpi means 300x300, or 90,000 dots per square inch. Laser printers and plotters have resolutions from 300 to 1,200 dpi and more, whereas most display screens provide less than 100 dpi. That means jagged lines on screen may smooth out when they print. Scanners have both an optical (physical) resolution and an interpolated resolution, which is computed (see scanner). See lines of resolution.
Screen Resolutions
These are common screen resolutions. Higher resolutions are available for demanding applications such as document imaging. The higher the resolution, the more information (pixels) can be displayed on screen at one time.
Memory Requirements
The more resolution and colors, the more memory required by the display adapter to lay out the image. This chart shows the memory needed for one frame, but adapters come with a lot more memory today because they use a pipeline with multiple frames. They also use additional memory for anti-aliasing, textures and intermediate rendering stages.
