Sources
Sources
Every placement rule Desktop Services uses comes from one of these public pages, in our own words. Anything else is plain geometry or is marked as this site's rule of thumb.
- OSHA eTool, Computer Workstations: Monitors (at least 20 inches away, preferred 20 to 40 inches; top line at or below eye level; centre 15 to 20 degrees below horizontal eye level)
- OSHA eTool, Computer Workstations: Keyboards (elbows about the same height as the keyboard, shoulders relaxed)
- Microsoft Learn: High DPI desktop application development on Windows (96 DPI is 100% scaling)
What comes from where
- Screen distance: at least 20 inches, and generally 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) from the eye to the front of the screen: OSHA eTool, Monitors.
- Screen height: the top line of the screen at or slightly below eye level, and the centre of the screen 15 to 20 degrees below horizontal eye level: OSHA eTool, Monitors. The planner turns those angles into inches with your distance.
- Keyboard height: "Elbows should be about the same height as the keyboard and hang comfortably to the side of the body": OSHA eTool, Keyboards. The planner reads that as "keyboard at elbow height"; the 1 inch tolerance is this site's rule of thumb.
- Screen size and pixels per inch: geometry from the diagonal and the resolution (a flat screen with square pixels). Real panels are a little smaller than the advertised diagonal, and the bezel adds to the width. The planner's desk-width check adds 1 inch per screen for the bezels: this site's rule of thumb; thick frames need more.
- Windows scaling: Windows treats 96 pixels per inch as 100%: Microsoft Learn. Picking the step nearest pixels-per-inch divided by 96 is this site's rule of thumb; Windows also recommends a value for each screen.
Pages move. If a link no longer works, search the title on the publisher's site.