Best 27" screen for graphic design

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dpodblood

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
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Hey all,

One of the graphic designers in our company is switching from a 27" iMac over to a MacBook pro with an external monitor. Obviously being a graphic designer he will need something more than the run-of-the-mill displays we order from dell (which I assume are TN screens). Outside of the 27" Apple cinema display - which costs $1000, what are some good screens for graphic design?

Thanks!
 
dpodblood

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
1
81
Looks nice, but I think my employer would rather I order from a reputable dealer rather than Ebay. Dell, Newegg, NCIX, etc.
 
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blackened23

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2011
8,548
2
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SickBeast said:
Catleap - search it on Ebay
Click to expand...

For graphic design? The catleap is a good bargain but for graphic design you'd want to go for something much better. The catleap is not in the same league as monitors such as the ACD 27", Dell u2711, or the NEC PA271W. Indeed most of those catleaps are arriving to customers with dead pixels or backlight bleed...defects that you won't find on professional monitors most of the time.

There is a substantial quality difference between a catleap and a true professional IPS panel. Furthermore, his budget is 1000$ and for him to get a catleap would be mindboggling. I would get a Dell u3011, because the quality control on those things is absolutely perfect. You won't get backlight bleed like so many catleap owners get - I'm not trying to knock it, but with monitors you get what you pay for most of the time. This isn't something to skimp on for professional graphic design.
 
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SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
blackened23 said:
For graphic design? The catleap is a good bargain but for graphic design you'd want to go for something much better. The catleap is not in the same league as monitors such as the ACD 27", Dell u2711, or the NED PA271W. Indeed most of those catleaps are arriving to customers with dead pixels or backlight bleed...defects that you won't find on professional monitors most of the time.

There is a substantial quality difference between a catleap and a true professional IPS panel.
Click to expand...
Going from an "A" to an "A-" is maybe 5%, whereas you're saving 70% of the price by going with a Catleap.

In most cases people are actually *not* getting dead pixels and problems like backlight bleed are very minor.

Personally I think that the Catleaps are a great bargain and I would like one for myself, even if I were doing graphics design work.

That said, OP, if you want you can find decent IPS LCDs through Dell for a reasonable price. You might be able to get a 24" one for around $300 but it will be 1080p, not 1440p.
 
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JAG87

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
3,921
3
76
SickBeast said:
Going from an "A" to an "A-" is maybe 5%, whereas you're saving 70% of the price by going with a Catleap.

In most cases people are actually *not* getting dead pixels and problems like backlight bleed are very minor.

Personally I think that the Catleaps are a great bargain and I would like one for myself, even if I were doing graphics design work.

That said, OP, if you want you can find decent IPS LCDs through Dell for a reasonable price. You might be able to get a 24" one for around $300 but it will be 1080p, not 1440p.
Click to expand...


Lol Catleap. You want a non-glossy calibrated monitor for graphic design, not some Korean monitor from ebay. You get what you pay for.

OP, order a Dell U2711, it's factory calibrated with sRGB and Adobe RGB presets.
 
Destiny

Destiny

Platinum Member
Jul 6, 2010
2,270
1
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SickBeast said:
Going from an "A" to an "A-" is maybe 5%, whereas you're saving 70% of the price by going with a Catleap.

In most cases people are actually *not* getting dead pixels and problems like backlight bleed are very minor.

Personally I think that the Catleaps are a great bargain and I would like one for myself, even if I were doing graphics design work.

That said, OP, if you want you can find decent IPS LCDs through Dell for a reasonable price. You might be able to get a 24" one for around $300 but it will be 1080p, not 1440p.
Click to expand...

If it was the OP's own money for personal use and not for professional, then yes go with Catleap... but if it is for his compnay, or for his work that needs to earn a living on - NO! Minor issues are unacceptable in the professional field were as one off pantone color, pixel, or off brightness can make or break a deal and harm future business... I doubt James Cameron would trust his post production and CGI projects on a monitor with "minor defects." It is also a luck of the draw to get a perfect Catleap - not one were as the OP would bet his reputation and job on.

Last time someone ordered a bunck PC hardware for my company she got fired!

@OP... I believe there is a HP and Dell models going for $800 +/- that you can find on NewEgg and NCIX...they may need some calibration and they are using the same A+ LG Display panel as Apple Cinema Displays. They may need some calibration though out of the box.

Here is a Samsung one @ NCIX (Quick Search) for $849
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=64747&vpn=LS27A850DS/ZA&manufacture=Samsung

Here is an HP One @ NewEgg for $679 (If NCIX has it they may price match)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824176242
 
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blackened23

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2011
8,548
2
0
SickBeast said:
Going from an "A" to an "A-" is maybe 5%, whereas you're saving 70% of the price by going with a Catleap.

In most cases people are actually *not* getting dead pixels and problems like backlight bleed are very minor.

Personally I think that the Catleaps are a great bargain and I would like one for myself, even if I were doing graphics design work.

That said, OP, if you want you can find decent IPS LCDs through Dell for a reasonable price. You might be able to get a 24" one for around $300 but it will be 1080p, not 1440p.
Click to expand...

5% difference in quality? I hope you're joking because you haven't seen a true professional screen. I assure you the difference is monumental and a good screen will not have crap like backlight bleed or dead pixels the majority of the time. The colors will also be far better.

Again - budget has its place but for a monitor being used for graphics design? You really do get what you pay for. I'd suggest NEC, Eizo, Maybe dell to the OP. If it was a home computer for gaming, catleap would be an easy choice - but he's using this for real work and has the budget for a good one.
 
blastingcap

blastingcap

Diamond Member
Sep 16, 2010
6,654
5
76
OP's problem is that a) he's cheap, yet b) wants a pro-grade panel. Something's got to give.

Since he's objecting to the ACD 27" $1k price tag, presumably he is unwilling to pay for a true pro-grade panel like a http://www.adorama.com/EICG275WBK.html

OP, either increase your budget, or resign yourself (or rather, your coworker) to a less-than-pro-grade panel. If your budget is firmly under $1k, there is no shame in getting a refurbished 27" mid-grade s-IPS panel. (You just wanted "better than TN" after all. Heck, even a 6-bit panel with AFRC is better than TN and you can get those for a lot less than $1k.) I wouldn't go all the way down to Catleap levels though, as those are A- panels and may have more issues with dead pixels, backlight bleeding, etc. and the cheapest ones don't even come with hardware calibration (software calibration could work but it's a hassle compared to hardware calibration). The ones that do cost $150-200 more, pumping the price up to almost $500, at which point you may as well buy a true "A grade" panel that comes with a warranty.
 
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hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
I'd still pay the $700 ish for when the HP 27" is on sale than one of those off brand ones
 
postmortemIA

postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
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