lcd monitors capable of drawing brands

There are many computer monitors out there, and all seem to have similar specifications. It can be hard to find a clear answer to what’s the best monitor for art and graphic design.

This is a quick comparison of my favorite monitors for artists and designers. More picks are in the overview below, such as value picks and EIZO models.

With a surprisingly high-quality picture – deep color saturation, great accuracy, strong contrast and brightness, and exceptional sharpness – the LG 27UL500 UltraFine computer monitor looks much better than some monitors costing way more money.

The only monitor that can rival the Apple Pro Display above in terms of color fidelity, the EIZO CG279X is the perfect choice for professional artists and photographers who need absolute color accuracy, brightness, and contrast – and for a much lower price.

A truly professional caliber monitor, the EIZO ColorEdge has a startlingly beautiful screen with such depth and energy that any image will show brilliantly.

It is very easy to do the most detailed work, make the most minute and subtle adjustments and fixes, and see the effect of any retouching or editing work before submitting or printing a piece.

Still an expensive monitor, the EIZO CG279X ColorEdge Professional 27” Color Graphics Monitor is an absolute necessity for top-level commercial artists and illustrators, photographers, and animators, and it is, at that level, an amazing value.

Surprisingly inexpensive for a professional monitor with this kind of over-engineering and this level of performance, the EIZO FlexScan EV2785 is fully up to the needs of even the most demanding commercial or fine artist.

With full 4K UHD resolution, superb contrast, and brightness, this EIZO FlexScan look noticeably better than even the best, less expensive monitors that are designed for more normal consumer use, and like other EIZO monitors, it is designed for long work sessions with a minimum of fatigue or eye strain.

Even at almost 1,200 dollars, the EIZO FlexScan EV2785 27″ Professional Color Graphics Monitor is an easy recommendation for the best value in a truly professional monitor for artists.

A big, bold monitor with super high resolution and bright, beautiful colors, the EIXZO EV3285FX is a favorite among professionals, and it’s easy to see why.

But the EIZO FlexScan is so popular among professional artists, illustrators, animators, photographers and video editors not just because of the accuracy and control they get, but because it is designed for long, detail-intensive work sessions – anti-flicker technology, high refresh rate, auto-brightness sensor, anti-glare screen and blue-light filters all provide maximum comfort and minimum eye strain.

Another superb monitor from a company that clearly knows commercial and fine artists and our needs, the EIZO EV3285FX FlexScan Professional 31.5″ Color Graphics Monitor is the best truly professional large format computer display for artists on the market today.

It seems like some of the biggest and most well-known manufacturers of computers, monitors, and accessories are starting to suffer from issues over lower quality and reliability recently, and their latest lines and models just aren’t what they used to be.

Their latest 4K monitors are absolutely superb in performance, material quality, construction, and reliability. And BenQ is already famous for offering amazing value for the money.

While I would normally be a little wary of a computer monitor billed as a multi-media display, with obviously a lot of engineering and resources put into speakers and sound, it is clear that the same engineering has led to a monitor that has everything even the most serious or high-level artist or animator might need – and, somehow, at a true bargain price for this level of equipment.

A big, bright, high-resolution screen that can be worked on for long periods of time without fatigue or eye strain, the BenQ EW3280U 32-inch 4K UHD Eye Care Monitor with IPS Switching is the best large format computer monitor for artists on the market today and the best value.

With exceptional brightness, contrast, resolution, color depth, and color accuracy all immediately obvious the moment you look at it, and more and more obvious the longer you work, the Dell Ultrasharp also clearly shows how certain great monitors with the same specifications as others, can somehow look and work much better.

While it is not the least expensive computer monitor on the market, the Dell Ultrasharp is worth the money and more – a truly premium product in terms of material quality, workmanship, and performance, and more than sufficient for all levels and kinds of art production, from amateur to serious professional. It is also a perfect monitor for the art student or newcomer to growing into.

But all of that cannot possibly prepare you for the experience of seeing or working on the Apple Pro Display XDR – the life and depth of images, the breathtaking beauty, and the way you can see and better work on every single aspect of your art.

In fact, if you have ever made a mistake on a piece of art and not noticed it until after you had professional prints made (or, more upsettingly, have submitted the work to a client!), well, I daresay it wouldn’t be possible with this screen – you would see the mistake straight away.

But you also see the beauty, quality, and skill of your work and your own talent, in all its glory, and that is one of the things I love most about the Apple Pro Display XDR. It is such a stunning monitor and makes my artworks look so good that I always end up feeling like a better artist – and, somehow, I think this makes me a better artist.

Now, is it worth almost six grand? Yes, absolutely! Whether you (or I) can afford it or not, well that’s another question… But don’t forget you’ll also need a Pro Display Stand, which is not included and costs more than most other monitors in my guide!

The high resolution offered by 4K monitors allows for a level of precision in fine detail work not possible even a few years ago. The color fidelity that comes from IPS (In-Plane Switching, which improves a screen’s color fidelity and visibility), along with other technologies, lets you see what you’re doing with color choices, contrasts, and complements, as well as very subtle gradation and shading.

So while specifications and the latest technologies are certainly important, just as important is the quality of the components, construction, and graphic design elements and, of course, a beautiful, bright, accurate, and stable display.

After looking at and testing lots and lots of monitors and talking to friends, colleagues, and other artists and graphic designers, I have put together this guide, intended to make sure you find the best computer monitor currently available for commercial artists, fine artists, animators and illustrators, professional and serious amateur photographers.

All these monitors are fully compatible with all platforms and current hardware, so if you’re running Apple macOS, Windows, Linux, or are on Chromebook, they will work for you.

It comes down to what’s important to you and what you can afford. All of the monitors in this guide for best computer displays for artists have great color and resolution, depth, life, and light, but they look better as you go up in price.

These are all great computer monitors for artists, though, and whichever one you buy will have the color fidelity, brightness, and contrast, and resolution you need, will be a joy to look at and to use, will make you a better artist and improve your work, and will offer the best value you can get for the money.

A good monitor for art has a 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels), uses IPS Screen technology, and delivers high brightness and color gamut for reliable color accuracy. It also uses technologies to reduce your eye strain and fatigue. I recommend monitors from EIZO, for example, Eizo EV3285 4K Ultra-Slim Monitor or EIZO ColorEdge CS2731 27″ IPS LCD Monitor.

From my experience, a 27″ or 32″ 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) IPS monitor with high brightness and color gamut is best for design. I recommend monitors from EIZO, for example, Eizo EV3285 4K Ultra-Slim Monitor or EIZO ColorEdge CS2731 27″ IPS LCD Monitor.

One is that the best monitors help you learn – and, believe me, you are never too old, too experienced, too knowledgeable, or too good an artist to learn!

Really seeing exactly how colors interact with each other – when the colors themselves and their slight shifts and changes are perfectly represented – allows us to understand better color theory and practical usage of colors in our artwork.

The same is true with detail. When we see exactly how textures, fine lines, and the tiniest details affect the object and the overall composition – in terms of space, perspective and dimensions, balance and relationship, color and light – we learn more about composition, representation, and much more.

I hope my guide helped you to choose your new monitor for your design work and you will have a lot of fun designing, illustrating and painting your creative ideas!

Hi, I am Iva (rhymes with “viva”). I am an artist, illustrator, founder of Art Side of Life®, and Top Teacher on Skillshare. Since 2009 I"ve worked as an illustrator, character designer, art director, and branding specialist focusing on illustration, storytelling, concepts, and animation. I believe that we are all creative in infinite numbers of ways, so I"ve made it my mission to teach you everything I know and help either wake up or develop your creative genius. Learn more about me.

This fierce competition has not only brought down the prices of drawing tablets – but has also pressured even the established brands to do better and come up with more competitive drawing devices.

As an artist, having multiple choices of display tablets to pick from is always a good thing. But more choices make the buying process a bit more confusing as you have a lot more options to filter through.

To help you find the perfect drawing device we spent some time shortlisting, comparing, and filtering out to finally make the list of most deserving candidates for being the best drawing tablet with screen.

So no matter whether you are a beginner, hobbyist, professional or someone looking to upgrade your drawing setup – this article will for sure help you find the perfect display tablet.

Large screen, good color accuracy, excellent stylus, amazing drawing experience, good build quality – All at a reasonable price, making it the best drawing tablet with screen.

What if you are an intermediate-level artist or simply a hobbyist, who does not want to be restricted by the limited features offered by a beginner tablet. At the same time, you cannot justify spending thousands of bucks on a so-called Pro-grade drawing tablet.

It is fully packed with features and comes with a larger 22-inch screen while still maintaining a reasonable price and superior build quality. All these qualities make the Xp Pen Artist 22 the best drawing tablet with screen.

The textured film provides resistance to the stylus which improves the stylus feel and handling. It also helps with reducing reflection or glares off the screen.

Included with the tablet is an equally capable stylus. The Xp Pen PA6 stylus comes with 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity with support for tilt sensitivity and two buttons on the side.

Most advanced stylus, excellent display, powerful processor, and best in class drawing performance, all in a compact form factor. Available in two sizes.

Apple iPads are increasingly becoming popular in the artist community. In the past few years, we have seen a number of artists use it as their main drawing device.

Starting with the size, the iPad Pro is available in two sizes 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. When you compare that with other display-based drawing tablets which come in 16, 22, 24 inch and even 32-inch screen sizes.

Many artists like the immersive drawing experience that you get when working on a larger display. you can’t get that on the (relatively) smaller screens of the iPad.

Next, the software limitations. Some of the most popular applications which are often used by professionals and termed as “industry standard” are simply not available on iPad.

So if you are someone who in addition to making digital art and animation also dabble in 3D modeling, 3D sculpting, compositing, editing, and/or any combination of these tasks – The iPad Pro may not be the best choice for you.

Although the iPad may be lacking in 3d and animation apps, but when it comes to making digital paintings and illustrations, iPadOS has its own set of drawing apps that are as good as their desktop counterparts.

One of the best drawing tablets in the market that is pretty much a great choice for any kind of digital creative work, no matter whether you work with 2D, 3D, photo, and video related tasks.

The Wacom may not be that popular amongst giants such as Apple and Microsoft, but when it comes to digital art equipment, it absolutely dominates the market.

The Wacom Pro Pen 2 is one of the most regarded styluses. Its performance, how it handles pressure, how it responds to light touches – you don’t get that in other styluses.

The stylus has an ergonomic design with a wider tip at the front which slowly tapers towards the back. It gives you better comfort. The front end of the stylus is made of a rubbery material that provides a better grip, especially on sweaty hands.

There is a shortcut Remote called Wacom Expresskey remote included in the box. It has 17 buttons and a touch ring – all of which are programmable. You can assign them to any shortcut of your choice in any drawing or modeling software.

The shortcut remote works wirelessly and has magnets at the back with sticks to the side bezel of the tablet. Allowing you to place it anywhere you desire.

Working on this massive screen is not that easy. The Cintiq Pro comes with built-in foldable legs that give it a nice slope of about 19 degrees which feels very comfortable and inviting to work on.

On top of a large drawing tablet, the Cintiq Pro comes with a great stylus and an ecosystem of great accessories such as Wacom Expresskey Remote and different tablet stands.

You simply don’t get this combination anywhere else. And that makes the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 a very well-regarded drawing tablet amongst the artist community.

For many artists, this is their dream drawing tablet. If that is you and you have reached that stage where you feel comfortable investing that kind of money, go ahead and get the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24/32.

Great display with excellent color accuracy, shortcut buttons, multiple dials, premium metallic build quality, and one of the best styluses with very stable and reliable performance.

They have managed to come with a drawing tablet that stands tall on all the benchmarks while still coming at a great price compared to what is available in the market in that segment.

Along with the buttons you also get a rotating and a digital dial that help you with things like changing the size of the brush and eraser as well as pan, zoom, and rotate the artboard.

With Innovator 16 you get the Xp Pen PA 5 stylus. This is a battery-free stylus and comes with 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity as well as 60 degrees of tilt sensitivity.

So if you are looking for a drawing tablet with a screen that is high quality and has all the bells and whistles that you want, plus comes at a reasonable price – the Xp Pen Innovator 16 is the right option for you.

The most feature-packed 16-inch drawing tablet with an amazing screen, great stylus, and excellent build quality. Easily competes with tablets twice or thrice the price it comes for.

Huion has been making drawing tablets for quite a while, so they have a lot of experience in making some really good stylus. Their styluses are counted amongst the best and they are on par with the Wacom stylus.

Overall, the Huion Kamvas Pro 16 2.5k is for power artists and professionals who want more than just the basics. A tablet they can push to the limits. If that is you, Kamvas Pro 2.5k is the right choice for you.

Compact, portable, and cheap with surprisingly good features. Comes with a beautiful screen, programmable shortcut buttons, and a very capable stylus.

Often when we discuss drawing tablets with screens, we mostly focus on big-budget tablets. We often forget how far entry-level tablets have come compared to what was available just a couple of years back.

To keep the price in check, the Gaomon PD 1161 choose to go with the smaller 12-inch screen. But apart from that, it has all the features that you would usually see in larger drawing tablets.

On the left of the tablet, you will see there are eight programmable shortcut buttons. These can be very handy and can help you quickly change between brush eraser, undo-redo, add new layer, pick color from the canvas, and so on.

Overall, if you are on a tight budget but still want a very capable drawing tablet with screen – that will help you get started with digital art, the Gaomon PD 1161 is a perfect choice.

Uses the same technology as its Cintiq Pro professional lineup of tables. Comes with Pro Pen 2, the best stylus for digital artists. Provides one of the best drawing experiences.

Comes with a factory-calibrated display for accurate colors out of the box. Has handy foldable legs as well as a VESA mount for third-party tablet stands for better ergonomics.

Wacom is popular for its high-end professional drawing tablets and they are the first choice of professionals, design studios, and movie production companies all around the world.

One of the first things you will notice about the Cintiq 16 is its outstanding build quality. Even though the tablet is made of plastic, it feels reassuringly high quality.

The Cintiq 16 has a very clean and minimal design. You have a large screen at the front with no buttons or dials to distract you. Even the Wacom branding is matte black and sort of hidden.

The tablet comes with a 15.6 inch FullHD IPS screen with 96% sRGB color accuracy. Unlike many other cheaper drawing tables, the screens of the Cintiq 16 are factory calibrated and show perfectly colors from the get-go.

As we have mentioned earlier, a stylus is more important than a screen when it comes to drawing tables. Your overall drawing experience heavily depends on how good the stylus is.

One of the things that separate it from other styluses in the market is how well it responds to light touches. Other than that their pressure sensitivity is good, and the tilt recognition is also a step ahead of the competition.

So if you are someone who wants a tried and tested drawing tablet that you cannot really go wrong with, the Wacom Cintiq 16 is the best choice for you.

If you are someone who has just started learning digital art, a display tablet can help you speed up your learning and provide you a more interactive drawing experience.

If you ever wondered – “Which is the most pocket-friendly display tablet that still provides an amazing drawing experience” – The Huion Kamvas 13 is the answer.

In spite of being an entry-level tablet, Huion hasn’t cheap out on specs. It comes with 3rd generation Huion PW517 styles. This is the same stylus that you get with some of Huion’s top-of-the-line tablet models.

Just as every great design contains a gestalt of rhythm, harmony, color, and form, the best monitors for graphic design unify disparate qualities and features, that sum up to become a perfectly honed tool for creation. In one day a modern graphic designer might tweak a web icon in Illustrator, adjust a RAW photo’s color palette in Photoshop, prepare a brochure for CMYK print in Indesign, and add type to a 3D animated TV advert. It might be surprising to the uninitiated, but these different tasks will often demand different color spaces and screen specializations, some of which most regular computer monitors wouldn’t be able to touch: queue graphic design monitors.

Top monitors for graphic design do a great job with accurate colors in a wide color space so that you don’t have to speculate as to how a T-shirt will look when it comes back from the printer. Their screens get bright enough so that lighter colors will pop and darker colors will recede into true blacks while lighting up uniformly without flicker. Great monitors for graphic design will also be highly detailed, with resolutions above HD, so that you can’t distinguish individual pixels with the naked eye. Most design monitors are also large, with generous accuracy across viewing angles, and good connectivity.

If you’re looking for an impeccable monitor for graphic design, it’s all about control. The best monitors for graphic design are well-honed tools that give you the control to take mastery over your vision, and these are our picks:

As a digital artist and graphic designer myself, I love it when large projects take me into the weeds. Whether I’m matching a color from Photoshop swatches to a Sherwin Williams color book to determine what color we should paint an exhibit wall or I’m restoring photographs to incorporate into slides, it always comes down to the details. When I bought my last laptop, I spent about a month scouring the internet comparing screen quality, so when writing this list I wanted to make sure that I did the topic justice. I researched numerous monitors from leading manufacturers, taking into consideration professional reviews, peer suggestions, and user impressions, and then comparing the specs to classics and brand new models alike. I outlined some of the criteria I looked for below:

Color accuracy is the central issue in a good monitor for graphic design. Mastery of any art form requires strong intuition phrased against precise sensitivity and, much as a chef with a bad thermometer could undercook the roast duck, a digital designer that’s using a monitor with bad color accuracy will get imprecise prints. Color accuracy is affected by lots of variables, including consistency, gamut, and bit depth. But one of the first metrics to find when assessing a screen is its Delta E metric (ΔE

Color gamut measures the breadth of the color space that can be rendered on a monitor. Some color spaces do better with greens and teals, while others do better with reds, russets, and browns. Certain color standards are useful for specific scenarios. For example, sRGB is the most “basic” color space of the digital age, as it contains the standard colors used on the web, and most commonly used in web-based digital media. DCI-P3, meanwhile, is a cinema-focused color space standardized by the Digital Cinema Initiatives group. DCI-P3 offers better coverage of reds and is used in high-end HDR displays. AdobeRGB is a wider RGB space than sRGB, which extends into the more saturated greens, blues, and teals that are available on higher-end photo printers. Most great monitors for graphic design are capable of covering most of the sRGB space and usually extend into a wider Adobe RGB or DCI-P3 space.

Bit depth measures the millions or billions of possible colors displayed on a monitor. The standards you’ll want to look for are 8-Bit and 10-Bit monitors, which cover all of the colors usually available in SDR—or more (in the case of 10-Bit). For most of us, 8-Bit is good enough, but 10-Bit can be worth it in the right application.

Consistency measures how well the whole screen keeps colors accurate. Generally, monitors using IPS (In-Plane Switching) displays do a good job with consistency across the whole screen, while other options, like TN (Twisted Nematic) models, might display colors differently in the bottom and top of the screen.

Brightness and HDR compatibility go hand in hand. Brighter screens are easier to see in brighter settings. Importantly, brighter screens create more of a difference between lighter and darker colors, which is crucial for high dynamic range (HDR). The other crucial factor for HDR is a screen’s capacity for displaying very dark shades. The best HDR monitors use local dimming on dark areas, which makes for superb contrast next to super-bright areas.

Detail is the other important feature beyond color accuracy. A monitor’s resolution describes how many pixels it can display, with more pixels equaling richer detail and clarity. 4K, or 3840×2160, is fast becoming the standard for monitors for graphic design, supplanting the old HD standard of 1920×1080. 4K monitors provide enough detail that the human eye cannot make out individual pixels. 2560×1440 or WQHD is another popular standard. Some monitors now go well above 4K as well. I use 4K and love it, so where possible I picked 4K monitors or above.

Why it made the cut: With authoritative, super-accurate coverage of the sRGB digital space, a brilliant 402 nit screen, some HDR toning, and even an adaptive-sync feature, this is a super-powered monitor for digital design.

ProArt is a family of ASUS tech aimed squarely at designers and digital creators. The ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV, is one of the more affordably priced middle-grade options from the series, yet it’s that middle price point that actually makes it shine as one of the best monitors out there for most graphic designers.

This is a monitor that excels for designers working in the digital space. It offers authoritative 100% coverage of the sRGB color space used in web media, with a Delta-E score of below 2. That means that the difference between digital color on this monitor and standardized digital color is imperceptibly different to all but the color-scientist expert (and maybe even them). It has a 4K resolution that’s extremely crisp and bright, with excellent contrast, and limited HDR, with 10-Bit color. With its proprietary “flicker-free” IPS panel, it’s also noticeably consistent in brightness and color across the whole panel.

The ProArt PA279CV is a great 4K panel for anyone designing for the digital space; what it’s missing is great authority for print and film design. The panel’s color gamut falls short in the DCI-P3 color space and the AdobeRGB color space. Still, its impressive accuracy in sRGB actually outshines some more expensive monitors for those specializing in web design, where those additional color gamuts could confuse the process. With adaptive sync features that will also appeal to gamers, the moderately priced ProArt is an authoritative choice for web designers that doesn’t try to be too much.

Dazzling is the word when it comes to the Apple 32-inch Pro Display XDR. This true professional-grade monitor doesn’t shy away from extraordinary. With a price tag that puts it out of most people’s reach, it’s still a great choice for design studios that want an authoritative display that will do a good job with pretty much anything you throw at it. (I mean, if you’re already dropping thousands on Apple’s new Mac Studio desktop for creatives, what’s a few thousand more?)

Looking at the Pro Display XDR, you’ll immediately notice the monitor’s jaw-dropping vibrance and detail. With a 6K screen, this monitor is incredibly pixel rich, sporting a resolution that would have sounded like fiction a few years ago. That resolution is put to good use, with exceptional brightness and precise local dimming, for one of the highest contrast HDR experiences around (Apple likes to call it XDR). This gorgeous contrast supplements a deep propensity for color. The display clocks nearly 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and nearly 97% of AdobeRGB. Its Delta-E score is below 1, meaning that this vast color book is also authoritatively accurate.

While the Pro Display XDR is a feat of engineering and one of the best monitors around, it’s not … shall we say … a populist’s monitor. It’s hard not to use the word exceptional when describing the Pro Display, and the hefty price tag is no different. The monitor’s comically expensive Pro Stand doesn’t exactly sweeten the deal, costing you around $1,000 more for tilting. The monitor also has a limited sub-95% coverage of the sRGB color space, which isn’t as important for some professional tasks but does come into play when you’re designing for the web. All in all, the Pro Display XDR is worth it if you have the budget and if you need exceptional color accuracy for print and film.

Why it made the cut:At a value price, this fast gaming monitor is also an impressive beast for graphic design, with deep contrast and the best AdobeRGB coverage of any monitor at its price point.

Unleash a volley of favicons with this crossover graphic design and gaming monitor from GIGABYTE. If you moonlight as Zagreus, perpetually trying to break out of the underworld, while spending your day detailing kernings in Adobe Illustrator, this screen is made for you.

With this monitor, GIGABYTE has done an amazing job of blending good things. Its extra-wide color gamut hits about 95% of AdobeRGB, while its 350 nit brightness and 8-Bit color handle HDR-level contrast with some confidence, even if it doesn’t have perks like local darkening. Simultaneously its IPS panel revs to the tune of 170Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium, delivering a blistering screen refresh time that will outpace anything else on this list in terms of frames per second.

The M27Q doesn’t have a lot of drawbacks. Some might be turned off by its WQHD resolution, which seems like a faltering step now that the market has largely moved from HD to 4K, but the resolution is still pixel-rich enough to produce a great image. On a 27-inch monitor, most people won’t notice individual pixels. Otherwise, with its high delivery of AdobeRGB and super-quick refresh time, this is the best gaming monitor for graphic design out there.

Why it made the cut:With a gamut that covers 99% of AdobeRGB and 98% of DCI-P3, a generous 31-inch 4K IPS panel, true deep blacks, and a few pro features, this is an exceptional reference monitor that excels for all types of graphic design.

Behind the “Stranger Things” intro sequence, behind the Geico logo’s surprise appearance after the advert punchline, there’s most likely a reference monitor. The Eizo ColorEdge CG319X is a pro-level reference monitor that’s precise enough to rely on when color grading is of the utmost importance. Designed for video editing and CGI, this monitor is also an excellent pro-grade tool for graphic design.

The ColorEdge offers a lot of colors. With an extra-wide color gamut, it delivers 99% AdobeRGB, 98% of the DCI-P3, and Rec.2020, while also doing a stellar job with the majority of what can be represented in print CMYK and ISO-coated printing. It easily cycles between different color profiles and can even be calibrated across a network, so big studios using Eizos can be sure that their projects are consistent, even when bouncing results from multiple computers. The monitor even comes with a physical sensor that automatically monitors its color profile. Its contrast ratio is 1500:1, segueing with 10-Bit color to produce deep blacks and radiant lights in over a billion hues.

The Eizo ColorEdge puts a premium on reliability. With exceptional color delivery across multiple color spaces, this reference monitor is worth it for studios working on complex color-grading, national print campaigns, or animating an intro sequence for a movie. Where accuracy counts, the monitor’s sensor and calibration distinguish it. It doesn’t have the HDR range or the 6K resolution that’s found in the Apple 32-inch Pro Display; rather, it’s an investment in reliability. If HDR is what you’re after, Eizo does make an HDR reference monitor, which is held to the same standards of perfectionism as this monitor but its price point of around $30,000 makes it unaffordable to all but Hollywood.

Often touted by reviewers as possibly the best affordable monitor for graphic design around, the SAMSUNG U28E590D is a mixed bag. While the monitor is a solid choice for graphic designers who stick to internet-based content, it isn’t the best choice for more expansive projects that bleed into print, instead, it’s a great crossover monitor that does a solid job for both digital design, media, and gaming.

There’s no doubt that this monitor is an impressively good buy for most users. It totes a 4K screen, with close to 400 nits of brightness, and sports a 10-Bit color palette that does an especially good job for a Twisted Nematic (TN) screen, even if it doesn’t beat out a good IPS. That TN panel also means this monitor gets the free-throw every time gaming, with a free-sync enabled 60Hz screen and a better-than-average pixel response. But that TN panel also creates some issues: It has limited viewing angles and suffers from imprecise color at different points on the screen.

All in all, the U28E590D is a strong choice for anyone who works in digital design but wants a strong monitor for watching movies and playing games. While its color space is somewhat inaccurate compared to others on this list, especially as it renders on different parts of the screen, it does a decent job with sRGB, even if it doesn’t offer much more. Its crossover potential is huge, though; with FreeSync and good pixel response, it takes advantage of its 60Hz refresh rate, while its vibrant and detailed screen will be appreciated in any task.

As with most technology that is purpose-built for a specific niche task, the best monitors for graphic design get expensive quickly. While you shop, it’s important to consider your budget alongside the specs you want. While a leading design studio that works in color-critical animated type for Hollywood will need a true best-in-class reference monitor, a designer working with web-based icons won’t need a monitor with a veritable V10 engine. It’s a good idea to set a budget goal before you wade into the market.

Most great monitors for graphic design aren’t also purpose-built for gaming. Yet most of them will still do a decent job with it. Most good gaming monitors have a quick screen refresh rate above 60Hz (Hertz)—a common screen refresh rate for the IPS monitors that excel at color accuracy. If games are for you, look for a monitor with at least 60Hz, but probably more. Some monitors also have nice features like adaptive sync, which syncs your screen refresh rate to your graphics card, to reduce tearing and stutters.

In the modern era, it’s all about connections. The connectivity of your monitor and laptop will play an important role in your monitor’s performance. If you want to work on 4K video with zero lag on a 4K monitor, it will be important that the hardware and ports you use to connect that monitor are top quality as well. Many monitors are capable of connecting over HDMI or USB-C. If you’ll be using USB-C, consider checking whether your computer has a Thunderbolt port or one of the newest USB-C standards. Some will also want extra ports on their monitor, or the potential to daisy-chain other devices, consider these needs before you buy.

Monitors for graphic design vary in price considerably. A budget graphic design monitor might cost around $300, while a state-of-the-art reference monitor could cost a design studio $30,000.

Since curved monitors allow you to easily spread files out without having to use multiple screens, they can be of great use to graphic designers. Whether a curved monitor is right for you is your choice alone. The ViewSonic Color Pro is a great curved monitor for graphic design.

4K monitors offer four times the pixel count of HD (1920×1080), this can achieve greater detail and smoother images than HD can, especially on bigger screens. While this can translate to greater detail and control, it isn’t necessarily needed for graphic design. People were achieving great design before HD was even around. Still, 4K screens offer impressive resolution that’s smooth and detailed, it’s certainly recommended.

Windows comes with a calibration tool which can be found in the control panel under display. However, for best results, you’ll want to pick up a monitor calibration tool, such as the Datacolor SpyderX Pro, which senses the color on your monitor through a lens and helps you properly calibrate it. Some high-end reference monitors have color calibration sensors built in.

The ideal size monitor is the one that feels right to you, but we recommend 28-inch monitors as a good base. This size is roomy enough to feel impressive if you’re moving over from a laptop screen and will allow you to keep multiple windows open at once, yet won’t feel too big for most desks.

A good monitor is the window through which you can control your digital world. If you’re someone who takes digital design seriously, whether a professional, a hobbyist, or somewhere in between, you’ll want the truest color and richest screen there is. The best monitors for graphic design are tools that are precise enough to rely on—whether you’re designing for a digital brand’s stylebook, branding printed packaging for groceries, or working on the title sequence for a movie.

If you’re a pro-level designer investing in a statement piece for your new office, the Apple 32-inch Pro Display is one of the most advanced screens out there and delivers most of the tools and precision you’d find in a $30,000 reference monitor like the Eizo Prominence. If you want a solid design monitor for print that will also supply your nightly gaming habit, check out the GIGABYTE M27Q 27, which sports a 170Hz refresh rate with 95% Adobe RGB. Finally, I recommend the ASUS ProArt PA279CV as the best monitor for the majority of digital designers working on the web because of its excellent color accuracy and authoritative coverage of the sRGB color space used in web content.

Line weight will fluctuate depending on personal preference, but we recommend the “light and thin” option to start. You can always adjust this later. You can also adjust your drawing weight and line thickness by adding a pen cover or a small weight to the pen stylus.

For more on pen tablet and monitor sizes, refer to the “Match your hand movements with the movements on the screen” section in the article“Must-Know Tips to Improve Your Tablet Drawing Experience!”

Wacom’s Intuos series is a high-quality line of pen tablets that covers a wide range from beginners to advanced users. The pen is about the same thickness as a mechanical pencil or ballpoint pen, so it fits comfortably in your hand. Additionally, there is no need to insert batteries into the pen, making it light and easy to handle.

The benefit of the Wacom brand is that large electronic retailers often have samples displayed in stores that you can try out before purchasing them. After you do buy one, you can then download the drawing software you prefer,such asPainter Essentials 8orClip Studio Paint PRO. In the case of the Wacom Intuos S, which does not support Bluetooth, the drawing software that can be downloaded is limited, but the purchase cost of the pen tablet is cheaper. If you have already purchased drawing software, we recommend choosing this pen tablet option.

It has drawing capabilities as well as pen pressure sensitivity. The pen tablet’s drawing surface is very smooth, and the pen tip sinks into the pen as you apply pressure. The depression in the tablet’s surface results in a strong pen pressure deflection.

The Intuos Pro pen tablet model has 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity. This is double the level of the standard Intuos model and allows for smoother drawing. Its high-precision allows for nuanced line work, such as calligraphy or comic book inking. With an Intuos Pro pen tablet, you can adjust line strength and depth using pen pressure. It also supports pen tilt, so you can sketch using the side of the pen stylus in drawing programs that also support this. This is a tablet that an artist of any level would feel confident in purchasing.

The surface of the tablet has a moderate amount of friction, mimicking how it feels when you draw on paper. This model also has wireless Bluetooth capabilities, which helps keep the area around your desk less cluttered, even if the tablet itself is large.

This tablet supports pen tilt which is very rare for a tablet of this price. This pen tilt is a bit trickier than the Apple Pencil and other stylus, so it might take you some time to get used to it. You might not notice it when doing normal pen strokes.

The stylus pen comes with two side buttons and the tablet itself features 8 buttons, which you can use to set your own shortcuts. Download the driver to customize and optimize your workflow. When you install the driver and set it, you can also change the orientation of the tablet to work best with you, whether you are right-handed or left-handed.

It has a low price point without sacrificing the drawing comfort and quality of a Wacom pen tablet. The parallax between the pen tip and the cursor is minimal, which allows for accurate drawing. The pen slides with ease, producing long natural pen strokes. It has 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity and supports pen tilt so you can draw intuitively. The pen itself is also durable, so you don’t have to worry about applying force to it when drawing. Its cables are bundled into a single cable, with the end of the cable split into multiple plugs, which helps to reduce desk clutter. Overall, its structure is very solid and durable.

However, it may be necessary to additionally customize it. For example, there is no button on the main unit to register shortcuts. If you want to access these buttons, you need the optional ExpressKey Remote or other handheld device to do so. Furthermore, it does have a stand but is attached to the body of the tablet, and the angle is fixed at 19 degrees. If you purchase the optional stand, you can change the angle anywhere from 19 to 68 degrees. So, if you are particular about your drawing set-up, you may need to make additional investments.

The screen color accuracy isn’t as good as Wacom’s top models, but it is still more than enough for hobbyists. If you want to draw color illustrations professionally, however, we recommend the Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 model.

The Wacom One is a monitor tablet developed and sold by Wacom. Price-wise, it is one of the more affordable of its type, even for first-time digital artists.

While this affordability comes at the cost of slightly lower image quality and color accuracy, a slight delay in strokes and 4096 levels of pen pressure, the tilt detection and pressure are very accurate, allowing for linework comparable to high-end models.

The tablet can be connected to Android devices as well, and with a smartphone and drawing app that supports pen pressure, you can start drawing with a monitor tablet even if you don’t own a PC.

While high-end stylus pens such as the pro pen are unavailable, the pre-packaged Wacom One Pen is exceptionally lightweight, easy to use, and doesn’t need recharging. In addition to the Wacom One Pen, stylus pens with EMR technology from renowned art supply manufacturers suchasStaedlercan be used, allowing you to experiment with a variety of pens.

This tablet doesn’t cost a lot but has everything you need to create at a professional level and even has full lamination on the screen. However, the cable is located on the right side (on the side opposite from the shortcut keys) so it might be hard using a mouse together with this tablet.

It feels good when you draw on this tablet and it responds in the way you want. The smooth line drawing is nice, but when you try to make more varied strokes you can see how the tapering might leave something to be desired. You can customize the 8 shortcut key buttons and the roller wheel. The keys respond to even light touch and the wheel has a satisfying feeling when you rotate it.

The pen has two side buttons, similar to a Wacom stylus but does not have anything on the back end. This will be important for people who are used to being able to use the back of the pen as an eraser.

Included with this display tablet is a stand that you place the tablet on top of and it did not budge while we were testing it. Also included with this tablet are a glove and screen cloth. This might be the tablet for you if you are looking for a display tablet with the right specs while on a budget.

This is Wacom’s tablet PC. Drawing software is not included, so you need to purchase it separately. It runs Windows, so you can use graphic software such as Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, and SAI. It sports 8192 levels of pen pressure and has excellent responsivity. This tablet PC is highly recommended for those transitioning from paper to digital as it also supports pen tilt, so if you sketch with a program that also supports this feature, such as Clip Studio Paint, you can draw digitally using the side of the pen as if you were drawing traditionally with pencil and paper. Drawing with Clip Studio Paint’s watercolor brush also makes it easy to create shades that match pen pressure, making drawing incredibly intuitive.

Getting a high-end model like this allows you to draw illustrations with a lot of layers or comics with many pages without worrying if your PC can handle the workload. The 15.6-inch model weighs about 2.10 kg or 4.6 lbs, which is a bit heavier than other tablet PCs, but still a good choice if you want to carry it outside and draw.

The Surface Pro isn’t a tablet PC solely for drawing. Rather, it is a tablet PC that you can also draw with. By purchasing optional peripherals, you can tailor it according to your needs.

Word and Excel come with this product so if you get the keyboard as an add-on, then you can also use this device for business to create documents and reports. On the other hand, you can also download drawing software and get the Surface Slim Pen 2 as an option to take advantage of the pen pressure functionality and get to drawing.

Surface Pro works well as a drawing tablet because combined with the Surface Slim Pen 2, you can enjoy 4096 levels of pen pressure as well as tilt to get an experience not that different from traditional drawing.

The original kickstand attached to the device is well made and helpful for artists because it allows you to angle your device as needed without having to purchase any additional peripherals. Microsoft also took into consideration those who draw while at a desk when designing the Surface series.TheSurface GO, for example, has a 10 inch display, which is a good size for drawing on the go. The specifications for it aren’t as high end as the Surface Pro, but if you want to keep your start-up costs low, it is a good option to consider.

This powerful tablet comes with the S-Pen, which boasts 4,096 levels of pen pressure sensitivity. Take advantage of this LCD pen tablet for amazing variations in your brushstrokes. The S-Pen is a slim stylus, much like a pencil, making it easy to grip.

The main difference between this tablet and the iPad with Apple pencil is that you can use the cursor to hover over elements on screen to bring up menus. This means changing brush size, shape, and more will be easier while you are drawing.

The Galaxy Tab S8 series uses the same digital pen technology (EMR) as Wacom. Response speed has been improved 30% compared to the Galaxy Tab S7. This tablet is great for drawing lines smoothly and quickly. It is compatible with Wacom’s Electro Magnetic Resonance (EMR) technology so you can even use other styluses like the Hi-uni DIGITAL for Wacom, sold separately.

There is a storage area on the back of the tablet to safely place your S-Pen. It will stay in place because the storage compartment is magnetic and will also charge the pen. The S-Pen allows you to perform “air actions” that are customizable gestures with your pen. Press down the S-Pen button while doing the action to perform these shortcuts.

Clip Studio Paint comes pre-installed on the Galaxy Tab and you can use it for free for six months. Try it out if you are curious about transitioning to a tablet for drawing or just want to try out Clip Studio Paint.

Take advantage of Companion mode in Clip Studio Paint and use your smartphone as a handheld shortcut remote when you connect it to your Galaxy Tab via Wi-Fi. Take advantage of having your controls offscreen to make full use of the 12.4 inch canvas the screen provides.

The color gamut and parallax aren’t as good as the iPad Air, but this doesn’t interfere with drawing, and overall, its cost-performance ratio is high. The same Apple Pencil can be used on either model, so both devices feel the same when drawing on them. It also supports the Smart Keyboard.

The cheapest model will have the least amount of storage capacity, but if you use a drawing software like Clip Studio Paint that offers cloud storage, you can draw without worrying about space. Also, please be aware that there is a risk that OS upgrades might eventually be phased out.

The Apple Pencil has excellent line tracking and draws smoothly on the 10.9-inch iPad Air. It also supports pen tilt, so if you sketch with a program that also supports pen tilt, such as Clip Studio Paint, you can draw digitally using the side of the pencil as if you were drawing traditionally with pencil and paper. Apple Pencil pairing can be set up by Bluetooth and the stylus charges from the magnet on the side of the tablet, making it extremely simple to use. The Apple Pencil produces lines that are the thickness of a pencil, and despite being heavier than one, it is still easy to use. There are no variations of the pen body and nib (as of April 2022).

The combination of the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil is extremely smooth, and it is now even simpler than ever to use. It can now be attached to the iPad Pro via magnet, which allows it to both pair and charge. However, this makes grip customization tricky as it might prevent it from being paired or charged. Because of this, there are now some grips that leave the area that connects to the iPad unobstructed, so we recommend looking into those if you want a customized grip for your Apple Pencil.

The iPad Pro is bigger than the iPad Air, but still a good portable size for using it around the house or in a cafe. It has a large screen for a tablet that gives a nice, big drawing surface. The specs of the iPad Pro are good enough to be used in professional settings. There are professional illustrators and manga artists who create works only with iPad Pro.

Although the price point for a Wacom tablet is higher compared to many other manufacturer’s tablets, pen refills and stylus replacements are readily available and easy to buy. It is also safe in terms of maintenance, allowing the tablet to be used for a long time before it needs replacing. It’s hard not to go with a top brand and leader in drawing tablets!

The Surface Pro and the iPad Pro are also available to try at many consumer electronics retailers. However, they may be located in different sections of the store, as apple and windows products are usually separated. At some stores, you can even draw with software such as Clip Studio Paint. However, unlike a drawing tablet, it is not a device developed exclusively for drawing, so even if you can use a pen with it, some stores may not offer this option.

Unlike drawing with a pencil on paper, a monitor tablet is made up of multiple panel layers. These layers cause a gap between the physical pen tip position and the digital line input location. This is the most common cause of the inability to draw lines when drawing with a pen monitor for the first time. You may be able to improve the situation by getting used to your monitor tablets particular parallax or by calibrating your pen’s position.

Working with AutoCAD and similar computer-aided design (CAD) software requires a lot of moving parts to successfully create, view, and analyze designs. It’s one thing having the right skills, but it can’t be done without the right computer and accessories either. A monitor’s display is one non-negotiable. Fortunately, the best monitor for CAD will have no such issue and there are plenty of quality monitor options and screens available.

A fuzzy display screen or one that’s pixelated or warped can affect the quality and viewing precision for AutoCAD and CAD users, but those are not the only factors that can create a less than productive work day. Users working with important files and visuals that heavily rely on the utmost accuracy can’t settle for a subpar on-screen display and require features that have certain specifications and features designed for their line of work or project.

There are endless options for monitors, and it can be difficult to separate out the best monitors for AutoCAD from ones that simply aren’t a great fit for CAD programs. Keep in mind the following considerations when on the search to buy one.

The quality of images often comes down to pixel density, or how many pixels per inch there are (PPI). The more pixels, the denser they are and the clearer the image will be. High-resolution screens will be best for getting the crispest image. There are different qualities of definition and screen types too, including IPS technology, quad high definition (QHD), full high definition, and vertical alignment panels.

There are standard ratios and other options available with the most common being 4:3 and 16:9. This also relates to screen size. Aspect ratios and the pixels of images may look better on smaller screens though many larger screens now have higher resolutions and the ability to display crystal clear images.

Screen size can affect aspect ratios and how well an image translates. Users may also want to consider the portability and what size makes sense for the scale of projects they may be working on. Large CAD models might need something larger whereas people doing fieldwork or who often move from site to site may want a smaller screen size.

A curved screen, flicker-free technology, low blue light mode (or other settings that help reduce strain on the eyes), and a good response time are all features that are worth considering. The tech used to connect monitors to different operating systems and computers should also be thought about. Is an HDMI port necessary? Or are USB ports or other connectivity ports needed? Is a touch screen something that’s necessary? On-screen control options or shortcuts can also increase efficiency. After reviewing these most important factors, delve into other details that will make projects easier for you. Thereafter, you might also want to have a think about the style and budget, too.

Find the best monitor for CAD or AutoCAD from the below selection of hand-picked monitors, some with an IPS screen, LCD screen, and different viewing angles to choose the right one for your needs.

**Xometry members can save an extra 5-10% on Dell laptops, desktops, workstations, must-have accessories, and more. To do so, visit Xometry’s Dell page, call (855) 900-5548, or connect with a Small Business Advisor. And don’t forget to check out the time-limited deal from Dell at the top of this page.

“I"m not gaming, mostly AutoCAD, and 3D drawings,” explained a customer. “It"s also a great production monitor and can open up so many windows. I would recommend this monitor to anyone. I"ve had it for only a few weeks, so far so good. I have it sandwiched between two 27" monitors running vertically which gives me the right amount of screen real estate.”

**Xometry members can save an extra 5-10% on Dell laptops, desktops, workstations, must-have accessories, and more. To do so, visit Xometry’s Dell page, call (855) 900-5548, or connect with a Small Business Advisor. And don’t forget to check out the time-limited deal from Dell at the top of this page.

That being said, designers, photo editing pros, or anyone who needs exacting color standards will find this may not be up to par. “Wanted to use this for CAD work,” described one customer. “It is awesome. [The] images are clear and well defined. Picture quality is great. Used for 3/4 hours straight, no eye strain. To top off the awesomeness, the delivery was two days early.”

An ultra-wide monitor or a second computer screen with extra-large screen size is ideal when detailed work and designs are part of the daily routine, but for some businesses, portability is the top priority. Being able to review plans or models on-site or switching between the office and home means a smaller monitor, like

“I"m a civil engineer and I use AutoCAD Civil3d for approximately 75% of my job,” explained a buyer. “My company has a flexible work policy (work from home, etc.), but I"ve never felt comfortable utilizing it because AutoCAD is very difficult to use with one screen. Not anymore! I should have bought this screen years ago… Screen quality and resolution are better than my Dell Inspiron. The brightness seems to be on par with the Dell screen at my office workstation.”

“After getting used to only having one monitor and learning to split my desktop when needed, I love this monitor,” began a customer. “I can say I have no issues. The text is clear, and I do not see any blur, as noted in other reviews. I use it primarily for work, not gaming, and spend most of my time on CAD software and emails. Works like a charm.”

“I work in extremely high-end CAD for my job, and this works fantastically well,” explained a reviewer. “I was also pleasantly surprised that my CAD software supported this high of a resolution, as it has a high-res mode for printing, which I now use all the time.”

“4K monitors make text and UI features so small they are difficult to see,” explained a customer who uses it for CAD projects. “Work and professional quality monitors with QHD resolution are getting harder to find. This monitor rivals those that were in excess of $1,000 five years ago and puts out less heat… No dead pixels and the backlight and color accuracy are good enough for anything I am running on this machine.”

“I use my monitor for both gaming and AutoCAD applications and so far I like it for both applications,” wrote a customer. Another person noted, “The graphics are good enough for me, eye-saving settings are good, and the window snapping provides the space I need for work without the neck strain of looking back and forth between monitors.”

Whether an IPS panel monitor has caught your eye, a screen LED-lit monitor, or something with a touch screen and different orientation capabilities, there are plenty of choices for a premium monitor ideal for working with AutoCAD and other CAD software programs.

BenQ’s eye-protective monitor (US$349.99, Amazon), with IPS technology, and options of using its mini DisplayPort or other connective hubs make it a great choice. Alternatively, an ultra-wide monitor like Sceptre’s (

We hope our review of the best monitors for AutoCAD has been helpful. For more suppliers of related products, including computer monitor flare & radiation filters, computer and monitor mounts, and industrial computer monitors, consult our additional guides, or visit the Thomas Supplier Discovery Platform.

**Xometry members can save an extra 5-10% on Dell laptops, desktops, workstations, must-have accessories, and more. To do so, visit Xometry’s Dell page, call (855) 900-5548, or connect with a Small Business Advisor. And don’t forget to check out the time-limited deal from Dell at the top of this page.

The best 4K monitors are now almost essential tools for visual design work. In fact, for those working with video, 4K is almost becoming a minimum now that 8K video is emerging. 4K, also known as Ultra HD (UHD), refers to a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. That"s four times as many pixels as full HD (FHD), and that increased pixel density makes for a much cleaner, sharper image with more detail and texture on any screen from 27 inches and above.

The good news is that the best 4K monitors are a lot more affordable than they were a few years ago. Because UHD has now become more standard, both for media consumption as well as professional use, there are a lot more options on the market today. The flip side of this is that it"s now perhaps harder than ever to work out which is the best 4K monitor for your needs.

To help with that, we"ve made our own pick of the best 4K monitors based on our own reviews, recommendations from working creatives and a full comparison of their specs. We"ve weighed up the pros and cons of each screen and evaluated them for build and ergonomics image quality, features, colour support and accuracy, brightness and connectivity (learn more about how we test and review at Creative Bloq).

We"ve also considered value for money in order to recommend options for different needs and budgets. The best 4K monitors in terms of image quality are still very expensive – demanding professionals with a big enough budget will want to go for the Asus ProArt PA32UC-K or Eizo ColorEdge CG319X, but we haven"t placed these at the very top of our list because their price makes them simply unaffordable for many people. When factoring in value, cheaper 4K monitors like the Dell S3221QS and Samsung U28E590D end up ranking higher since we think they meet most people"s needs and an accessible price.

If you"re looking for the best 4K monitor specifically for video work, see our pick of the best monitors for video editing. And while some of the screens below can support daisy chaining for a dual monitor setup, you might also want to consider one of the best ultrawide monitors if you want more space to work with.

Pro features for under a grand put this at the top of our list of the best 4K monitors. Following in a long tradition of fine displays from Dell, the UltraSharp U3219Q offers full sRGB covering, 95 per cent DCI-P3 and exceptional colour uniformity, making it ideal for all types of creative, including those working in photo and video.

Dell takes second place on our pick of the best 4K monitors too, but this time with a much more affordable display. So OK, perhaps it"s not exactly cheap, but it"s a lot more affordable than most good 4K monitors. It looks stunning too. Dell monitors aren"t known exactly known for their sleek looks, but the curved S3221QS is a lot more elegant than its name, standing out from all those black and grey business monitors with its white back and base.

Professional 4K monitors can be massively expensive (just see the stunning Eizo ColorEdge CG319X and the Asus ProArt PA32UC-K below), but there are now some fantastic UHD screens that strike a great balan