Touchscreen Terminology 

A Dictionary for Common Touchscreen Terms:

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4K UHD

4K UHD (Ultra High Definition) refers to a 16:9 video resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The term "4K" originates from the cinema standard DCI 4K, which has a horizontal resolution exceeding 4,000 pixels (4096 x 2160). While 4K UHD is currently the newest resolution widely available in consumer markets, it is sometimes called UHD-1 to prepare for 8K UHD-2. This resolution doubles the horizontal and vertical pixel count of Full HD (1920 x 1080), resulting in four times as many pixels.

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5-Wire Resistive Touch Screen

A 5-wire resistive touch screen consists of a glass panel and a film layer, each coated with a thin metallic layer and separated by a narrow gap. When touched, these two metallic layers make contact, allowing electrical current to flow. The system detects the touch by measuring the voltage change and calculates the X and Y coordinates of the contact point. However, image quality on resistive touch screens is generally less sharp compared to glass-based touch technologies.

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24 VDC

24VDC stands for 24 Volts Direct Current, a power standard that is gaining popularity due to its enhanced safety and cost-effectiveness. Unlike AC power systems that typically operate above 100 volts, 24VDC systems maintain voltage at a safer, lower level.

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AC/DC Power

AC/DC refers to alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) power types. Monitors rated for AC/DC operation can run on 110-220VAC or 12VDC power. While AC provides more power, DC is generally considered safer.

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All-In-One

An All-In-One monitor integrates a mini computer system within the monitor housing. This design saves space and simplifies use by eliminating the need for a separate external computer. However, all-in-one units are typically more expensive to purchase and repair compared to standalone monitors or touchscreens.

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Ambient Light

Ambient light is any surrounding light present in an environment, also known as “available light.” It includes all light sources not specifically provided by the monitor itself. An ambient light sensor can be added to automatically adjust the monitor’s brightness to optimize viewing based on ambient conditions.

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Anti-Glare (AG) Glass

A surface treatment that diffuses reflected light to reduce glare, improving visibility in bright lighting conditions or direct sunlight.  Anti-Glare (AG) glass is applied to protect the LCD panel by dispersing incoming light evenly across the screen. This prevents bright reflection "hot spots" and produces a matte finish that reduces glare.

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Anti-Reflective (AR) Glass

A coating that minimizes mirror-like reflections on the screen by increasing light transmission through the glass. This results in better screen readability and display contrast.  Anti-Reflective (AR) glass protects the LCD panel by concentrating reflected light into a small bright spot rather than across the entire screen. By slightly tilting or turning the monitor, this bright spot can often be eliminated, maintaining a clear image even in direct sunlight.

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Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of an LCD display describes the proportional relationship between its width and height, commonly expressed as two numbers separated by a colon (e.g., 16:9). The most frequent ratios are 16:9 (widescreen) and 4:3 (more square-shaped). Choosing a monitor with the same aspect ratio as your video signal is crucial because the native aspect ratio of the monitor cannot be changed.

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Bezel

The bezel is the outer frame or border around a monitor’s front glass or LCD panel. Some users prefer frameless or zero-bezel monitors for aesthetic or hygienic reasons.

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Cover Glass / Cover Lens

The outermost protective layer of a touchscreen. This glass or plastic layer can be enhanced with coatings like Anti-Reflective (AR), Anti-Glare (AG), or Anti-Fingerprint (AF) to improve performance, scratch resistance, and clarity.

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Contrast Ratio

Contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black a monitor can display, expressed as X:1. A higher contrast ratio indicates better image quality. Static contrast ratio is measured using a fixed image, while dynamic contrast ratio varies during testing and may be inflated.

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Display Colors

Display colors indicate the number of colors a monitor can show, typically expressed in millions. Standard LCDs display 16.7 million colors (24-bit color). The number of display colors relates to color depth through powers of two.

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EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)

EMC is the ability of electronic equipment to function properly within its electromagnetic environment without causing or suffering interference.

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Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

Unwanted electrical signals or "noise" that can interfere with the touchscreen’s ability to accurately detect touch. High-quality touchscreens are designed to resist EMI, ensuring reliable operation in electrically noisy environments.

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EMI (Electromagnetic Interference)

EMI occurs when external electromagnetic fields disrupt the operation of electronic devices. Sources include broadcast transmitters and natural phenomena like solar flares.

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Enclosure

The enclosure is the casing surrounding the monitor and its components. Materials vary by application and include stainless steel, aluminum, ABS plastic, nylon-reinforced plastic, and powder-coated steel, each offering different durability and corrosion resistance.

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Enclosure Rating

Enclosure ratings indicate resistance to dust, moisture, and solid objects. Common standards include IP (Ingress Protection) and NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) ratings.

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Glove Touch

The ability of a touchscreen to detect touches through gloves. Commonly used in industrial, medical, and outdoor applications where users must interact with the screen without removing gloves.

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HDMI

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) transmits both digital audio and video signals. It supports resolutions from below Full HD up to 10K (HDMI 2.1) but is limited in cable length and involves manufacturer licensing costs.

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Hue

Hue refers to color as represented on the color wheel. Adjusting the hue on a monitor shifts the overall color tone of the displayed image.

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Humidity

Humidity specifications indicate the relative humidity (RH) range a monitor can tolerate, expressed as a percentage. RH measures water vapor content relative to temperature, affecting condensation risk and device longevity.

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Human-Machine Interface (HMI)

A system or display that allows users to interact with machines or devices, often through a touchscreen. HMIs are used in industrial controls, medical equipment, kiosks, and more.

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Infrared (IR) Touch Screen

Infrared (IR) touch screens use an invisible grid of infrared light beams projected over the display. When an object interrupts these beams, the touch location is detected. IR screens offer excellent image clarity and usually support larger screen sizes.

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Isotropic Failure

Isotropic failure happens when high ambient temperatures and direct sunlight overheat the LCD screen, causing it to darken or turn black. Internal monitor temperatures can exceed ambient temperatures, risking irreversible damage if operating limits are exceeded.

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LCD Panel

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panels use liquid crystals controlled by voltage to modulate light and produce images. Different panel types offer varying performance and cost.

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LED Backlights

LED backlights illuminate the LCD panel, enabling image visibility. Compared to older CCFL backlights, LEDs are more energy-efficient, provide better brightness and contrast, and support wider color ranges.

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Luminance

Luminance, synonymous with brightness, is the measure of light emitted from the monitor, typically in cd/m² or nits. It is a key factor in display visibility, especially under varying ambient light conditions.

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Mounting

Most UICO displays include VESA mounting holes (e.g., 75 x 75 mm or 100 x 100 mm) on the rear, allowing compatibility with a wide range of mounting solutions.

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Multi-Touch

Technology that recognizes multiple touch points at the same time. Enables intuitive gestures like pinch-to-zoom, rotate, and multi-finger taps.

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NEMA

NEMA ratings specify enclosure standards in North America, defining protection levels against hazards and environmental factors. The "X" denotes added corrosion resistance.

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Nits

“Nits” is a unit of luminance measuring brightness (1 nit = 1 cd/m²). Typical monitors have 200-300 nits, while sunlight-readable screens range from 1,000 to 2,500 nits.

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Open Frame

Open frame monitors come without typical enclosures, designed for space-limited applications or integration into machines. Components may be mounted behind the panel or provided as a kit for custom installation.

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Operating Temperature

Operating temperature defines the acceptable temperature range for safely using the monitor. Exceeding these limits risks damage such as isotropic failure.

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Optical Bonding

A process that laminates the touchscreen and display together using an optically clear adhesive (OCA), eliminating the air gap. This reduces internal reflections, improves sunlight readability, strengthens the screen, and helps prevent moisture and dust intrusion.

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Optical Clarity

Refers to how clearly light passes through the touchscreen materials without distortion. High clarity is critical for ensuring brightness, contrast, and true color representation from the display beneath the touch layer.

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Orientation

Orientation refers to the monitor’s display direction — landscape (wider than tall) or portrait (taller than wide). Some optical and polarization filters are orientation-specific, affecting visibility and performance.

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Panel Mount

Panel mount enclosures allow monitors to be flush-mounted into panels or doors, exposing only the front face while protecting internal components.

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Pinch-to-Zoom

Pinch-to-zoom is a common multi-touch gesture where two fingers move closer together or apart to zoom in or out on touchscreen displays, especially supported by projected capacitive technology.

 

Pixel

A pixel is the smallest picture element in a digital image or display. The physical size of a pixel corresponds to the pixel pitch.

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Pixel Pitch

Pixel pitch is the distance between the centers of adjacent pixels, measured in millimeters. Smaller pixel pitch corresponds to higher resolution and sharper images but requires closer viewing distances.

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Polarizer

Polarizers are transparent crystals that filter light waves by orientation, controlling brightness and contrast in LCDs. Proper polarizer selection is critical for display performance and compatibility with polarized eyewear.

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Power Consumption

Power consumption refers to the wattage a monitor uses, impacting circuit requirements to prevent overload.

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Power Requirement

This specifies the voltage needed to power the monitor, commonly 12VDC, 12-24VDC, 36VDC, 120VAC, or 220VAC.

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Projected Capacitance (PCAP)

A touchscreen technology that uses a matrix of conductive elements to project an electrostatic field. When a conductive object like a finger or glove touches the screen, it changes the field, and the system detects the touch. Known for its accuracy, durability, and multi-touch capability.

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Projected Capacitive Touchscreen (PCAP Touchscreen)

A touchscreen that utilizes projected capacitance to detect touches. These screens are widely used in smartphones, medical devices, industrial equipment, and any environment requiring durability and precision.

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Protective Glass

An additional glass layer added over the LCD panel for protection. It may feature AR or AG coatings to reduce reflections and glare.

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Rack Mount

Rack mount monitors include flanges to fit standard 19-inch racks. Heights are measured in rack units (RU), commonly 8U or 9U for 17" or 19" LCDs.

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Refresh Rate

Refresh rate is how many times per second a monitor updates its image, measured in Hertz (Hz). Most monitors use 60Hz; gaming monitors may support 144Hz or higher.

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Response Time

Response time measures how quickly a monitor reacts to changes, in milliseconds (ms). Lower response times reduce motion blur and ghosting.

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Resolution

Resolution is the number of horizontal by vertical pixels on a display, from 640 x 480 up to 3840 x 2160 (4K). Higher resolution improves image sharpness.

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Saturation

Saturation describes the intensity of colors. Higher saturation yields vivid colors, while lower saturation results in washed-out tones.

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SAW Touch Screen

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) touch screens use piezoelectric transducers to create ultrasonic waves on the screen surface. Touching the screen absorbs these waves, allowing touch location detection. SAW screens provide excellent image clarity but require a clean surface and soft touch input.

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Screen Size

Measured diagonally from corner to corner of the LCD screen (excluding bezel), usually in inches.

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Sensor

The component in a touchscreen system responsible for detecting touch. In PCAP systems, the sensor includes a grid of conductive materials (typically ITO) that measure changes in capacitance when touched.

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Shock

The maximum impact a monitor can withstand without damage, expressed in G-forces (acceleration due to gravity) over milliseconds.

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Sleep Mode

Sleep mode activates when no video signal is detected, powering down backlights and video circuits to save energy. Power consumption drops significantly until the signal returns.

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Sunlight Readable / High Brightness / Daylight Readable

Monitors with increased brightness levels (measured in nits) to maintain image clarity in bright or direct sunlight. Indoor monitors typically have 200-300 nits, daylight-readable 400-700 nits, and sunlight-readable 1,000-2,500 nits.

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Surface Capacitive Touch Screen

Surface capacitive touchscreens have a transparent electrode on top of glass that detects changes in electrical charge when touched by a bare finger. They cannot detect touches through gloves or non-conductive objects.

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Touch Accuracy

The precision with which the screen responds to touch input. Essential in applications where accurate placement and interaction are critical, such as in medical or industrial environments.

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Touch Controller

The embedded electronic component that interprets signals from the touchscreen sensor. It converts raw sensor data into usable input (like gestures, swipes, or taps) for the device’s operating system.

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Touch Interface

The full user interface that allows interaction through touch. It includes the screen, sensor, controller, and software components that process and respond to touch input.

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Touch Panel

A term referring to the entire touchscreen module, which may include the sensor, controller, cover glass, and any bonding or coatings applied.

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Touch Screen Monitor

A monitor with integrated touch functionality. These are commonly used in point-of-sale (POS) systems, kiosks, medical displays, and industrial machinery.

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Touch Sensitivity

Describes how responsive a screen is to different types of touch, including bare fingers, gloves, or styluses. Touch sensitivity can often be tuned to meet the needs of specific use cases.

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Touch Technology

Common touchscreen technologies include 5-Wire Resistive, Surface Capacitive, Projected Capacitive (P-Cap), Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW), and Infrared (IR). Each has pros and cons related to image quality, durability, glove compatibility, and multi-touch support.

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Touchscreen Driver

Software installed on a computer that interprets touchscreen inputs and enables interaction. Removing outdated or conflicting drivers is essential for proper operation.

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VESA (Mount)

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) defines standard mounting hole patterns (e.g., 75x75 mm, 100x100 mm) for monitors, simplifying mounting compatibility.

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VGA

Video Graphics Array (VGA) is an analog video interface that transmits video signals only, typically supporting resolutions up to 1600 x 1200. It does not carry audio.

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Vibration

The maximum vibration a monitor can tolerate without damage, measured in G-forces over time.

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Video Inputs

Connections allowing video signals to enter a monitor, such as HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, Composite BNC, DVI, and HD-SDI. Some inputs support audio along with video.

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Viewable Area

The actual visible screen size measured in inches horizontally and vertically, excluding bezels.

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Viewing Angle

The maximum horizontal and vertical angles from which the screen can be viewed without significant image degradation. Typical high-quality LCDs offer 178° viewing angles.

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Water Rejection

The ability of a touchscreen to distinguish between intended touch inputs and water interference (such as raindrops or mist). Critical for reliable operation in outdoor, marine, or industrial environments.

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Waterproof

Indicates that a device is sealed against water ingress under specified conditions, measured by IP or NEMA standards.

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Weight

The total weight of the monitor including components and enclosure, excluding cables and mounts.

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Zero Bezel / Bezel-Less

Monitors without a surrounding frame or edge on the front face, creating a seamless surface for better aesthetics and hygiene.

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​​​​​​For more information, you may enjoy our choosing the right touch screen page.