LCD screen manufacturers typically offer customization services for LCD screens and capacitive touchscreens. After understanding the customer's customization needs, the manufacturer needs to determine the LCD screen's parameters and the final LCD display design. Therefore, understanding the various parameters of an LCD screen is equally important for customers. This allows them to better understand whether their customization needs meet their expectations and whether the LCD display design truly matches their end products. Below, we will explain in detail the most common parameters encountered during the LCD screen customization process.

I. LCD Screen Size

       LCD screen size is arguably the most fundamental parameter. Users must first determine the viewing area size of their product to determine the appropriate LCD screen size. LCD screen size refers to the diagonal length of the screen's display area, measured in inches. For example, a 3.5-inch screen has a diagonal length of 3.5 inches. It's important to note that screen size usually refers to the display area and does not include the device's casing or bezel dimensions. Therefore, if the customer's product casing is already designed, the exact size of the screen's display area must be measured to select the appropriate LCD screen size.

II. LCD screen resolution

       The resolution of an LCD screen is the product of the number of pixels horizontally and vertically. For example, a 640*480 resolution means 640 pixels horizontally and 480 pixels vertically. The more pixels a screen has, the higher the resolution and the clearer the image. It's important to note that screen clarity isn't solely determined by resolution; screen size must also be considered. This leads to another parameter: pixel pitch. Pixel pitch is the distance between two adjacent pixels within the display area of an LCD screen; it's the minimum length of a pixel repeating unit. For example, a 12.1-inch 1024*768 resolution screen already provides a clear and detailed image, but an 8.0-inch 1024*768 screen will offer even better detail. This is because, at the same resolution, a smaller screen size means more pixels per unit area, resulting in a smaller pixel pitch and thus a more detailed image. Therefore, when considering screen display clarity, customers need to consider screen resolution, size, and pixel pitch (PPI) together.

III. Selection of LCD Panel

       There are many types of LCD panels, the main ones on the market are TN panels, VA panels, and IPS panels.
       TN LCD panels are the most basic display template, simple to manufacture, and relatively inexpensive. The advantage of TN LCD panels is their high light transmittance. Higher light transmittance means higher screen brightness, while allowing for lower backlight brightness, thus reducing screen costs. However, TN panels also have their drawbacks: poor viewing angles and noticeable grayscale inversion. We won't go into detail about grayscale inversion here; those interested can refer to our previous article: The Role of TN LCD Panels in Industrial Displays.
       VA LCD panels use a vertically aligned, normally black mode, resulting in excellent black levels. Therefore, their advantage lies in high contrast, allowing for better display of details in dark areas. The viewing angle of VA panels falls between that of TN and IPS panels. The biggest drawback of VA panels is their relatively slow response time. Learn more about VA panels: The display principle of VA LCD screens.
      The essence of an IPS LCD panel is to add horizontal switching technology to TFT display technology. The core of this technology is to prevent the liquid crystal molecules from twisting, thereby achieving a wider viewing angle and better color accuracy. IPS panels typically have a viewing angle of up to 178 degrees. Therefore, IPS LCD panels have advantages such as ultra-wide viewing angles, high contrast, excellent color reproduction, and no motion blur in dynamic displays. These advantages have led to the widespread use and acceptance of IPS panels in various application fields, especially in outdoor, marine, and automotive devices that require wide viewing angles. Of course, IPS panels also have their own disadvantages, namely the risk of light leakage at the screen edges. For an analysis of the reasons, please refer to the article: Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of IPS Screens.

       TN, VA, and IPS panels each have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as cost considerations. Customers need to choose the appropriate LCD panel based on their own needs.。

IV. LCD Screen Brightness

       The brightness of an LCD screen typically refers to the product of the backlight brightness and the screen transmittance. The unit of measurement for brightness is cd/m², or nits. We usually adjust the backlight brightness to increase the screen's brightness. Generally, 500 cd/m² is considered a high-brightness LCD screen, and some outdoor equipment screens can reach 1000 cd/m² to meet the readability requirements in sunlight. Another way to improve screen brightness is to increase the screen's transmittance. As mentioned earlier, different display panels have different transmittance; TN panels have higher transmittance than VA and IPS panels, so increasing the brightness of TN panels is less costly. However, IPS and VA panels offer better viewing angles. The choice between these factors requires engineers to carefully consider the relationship between transmittance and display quality based on customer needs, designing display products that meet those needs.