Free tool
Screen resolution & ratio checker
See what your device really renders, and work out the right TV size, resolution and text size for a screen people read from a distance.
This device
Read live from the browser you are using right now.
TV size, distance & font-size calculator
Pick the resolution and size of your TV and how far people stand — get pixel density and the minimum readable text size.
Screen size
111 × 62 cm
16:9
Pixels per inch
44
17.3 px per cm
Minimum text height
44 px
≈ 2.5 cm cap height — just legible
Comfortable text height
88 px
≈ 5.1 cm — read at a glance
From about 2.0 m individual pixels disappear at this size, so 4K adds little over Full HD at your viewing distance.
Rule of thumb for signage: about 1 cm of text height for every metre of viewing distance for comfortable reading, and never more than 8–10 lines per column.
Common TV resolutions
| Resolution | Aspect ratio | Pixels | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920×1080 (Full HD) | 16:9 | 2.1 MP | Almost every menu board, welcome screen and dashboard |
| 3840×2160 (4K UHD) | 16:9 | 8.3 MP | Large screens viewed up close, photo-heavy content, video walls |
| 1280×720 (HD) | 16:9 | 0.9 MP | Older TVs and small screens; keep text large |
| 2560×1440 (QHD) | 16:9 | 3.7 MP | Monitors used as signage in offices |
| 1080×1920 (Full HD portrait) | 9:16 | 2.1 MP | Window totems, door signs and posters |
| 2160×3840 (4K portrait) | 9:16 | 8.3 MP | Large portrait totems viewed up close |
Why resolution and viewing distance matter for signage
Digital signage is read from three to five metres, not from 50 cm like a laptop. A menu that looks fine on a monitor can be unreadable on a wall-mounted TV if the text is too small or the layout has too many lines.
The calculator uses the classic signage rule of thumb: about 1 cm of letter height per metre of viewing distance for comfortable reading, half of that for bare legibility. It also tells you the distance at which individual pixels become invisible — beyond that, 4K adds little over Full HD.
PlainSignage previews your layout at the exact aspect ratio the paired TV reports and scales text to the screen, so what you see in the browser is what shows on the wall.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my 4K TV report 1920×1080?
Browsers report CSS pixels; multiply by the device pixel ratio to get the physical resolution — the tool does this for you.
Do I need 4K for digital signage?
Rarely. At typical viewing distances of three metres or more, Full HD is indistinguishable from 4K on screens up to about 55 inches. 4K helps for large screens viewed up close.
Portrait or landscape?
Portrait suits window totems, door signs and posters; landscape suits menus, dashboards and video. PlainSignage rotates content for portrait screens even on TVs that ignore system rotation.
Ready to put it on your screens?
Start a free 14-day trial with every feature and one screen. No credit card, no sales call.