What's the Best Distance to Screen vs Screen Size Ratio for Digital Signage?

There’s a lot to keep track of when launching a digital signage campaign for your business, but one area you really need to focus on is the viewing distances to screen size ratio, and even resolution.

Experts estimate that on average we see anything between 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day. So having the right setup for your digital displays is essential to cut through the noise.

Aspect Ratio

The optimal aspect ratio for digital signage is 16:9 (or 9:16 for vertical displays). This means for every 16 inches you have on one side, the other side will be 9 inches. It creates a slightly more panoramic effect and is commonplace for movie and TVs as that’s the aspect ratio of most consumer TVs. 1920 x1080 HD, for example, is a 16:9 ratio, as is 4k and 8k.

Of course, depending on your needs, you may need to change things up from time to time. For example, if you’re using an iPad for smaller digital signage like wayfinding, sign-in kiosks, or digital menus, the ratio there is 4:3. Your designs will need to be tailored accordingly to ensure they fit well.

Viewing Distance

Viewing distance is crucial when designing your digital signage. Let’s break down the various viewing zones and their uses.

First of all, for interactive content, the viewing distance is essentially arms length or even closer since they’ll be physically touching the screen. For viewing noninteractive screens though, you’ll obviously want some more distance.

According to NEC, there always has to be a minimal viewing distance for your content, which is usually 1-2 times the height of the display. This is essentially the limit for how close anyone should be to your screens.

If your viewers are going to be in an environment where they’re super close to the screen, like in a queue at the bank, viewing an interactive surface, viewing digital menus, or using wayfinding, you’re going to want a higher pixel density to pick up those finer details. UHD will really shine from this distance.

Now, the “optimal viewing zone” as it’s sometimes referred to is usually around 5-8x the display height. The “comfort viewing zone” is usually the spot where you’re creating that truly immersive experience for the audience.

Finally, the max viewing distance can be as far as 25x the display height. This should be considerered the limit for anything other than large-scale signage. Even for video walls and massive displays, anything beyond this is still not ideal for viewers.

It’s important to remember though that most of the time, your audience isn’t going to be static either, meaning that their viewing distance and angle will continuously change. But this is where you can get creative with screen sizes and resolution to ensure the best user experience.

Optimal Screen Sizes/Resolution

We touched on this briefly above and that’s because there’s a direct correlation between your optimal viewing distance and what kind of screen size and resolution you should be using.

If your audience will generally be closer to the sign, you’ll need to seek out a higher resolution as they’ll pick up on the finer details of the content, whereas if they’ll be further away, full HD would suffice.

All your different signs should work together in sync to deliver your message and garner interest in your brand.

Final Thoughts

We hope this has shined some light on which screen sizes and ratios will work for different scenarios with your digital signage.

It’s also worth noting that in general, different sized screens will have different marketing duties.

You want to use your larger displays to catch your audience’s attention, while mid-sized screens are designed to hook them further; promoting and selling products and deliver information.

Smaller-sized screens usually assist further to convince your lead to make a purchase. Keep that in mind when deciding on your digital signage solutions.