Pixel density

How many pixels are packed into an inch of screen. High density is why modern type looks printed, not drawn.

Density is how finely a screen renders its lie: pack four physical pixels where one used to sit and curves stop confessing their squares. Type sharpens into print, hairlines become possible, and imagery is suddenly asked for twice the detail it used to need.

Why modern type looks printed, and why assets betray their age: an image sized for the old density arrives soft on the new, visibly approximate next to crisp text. The practice is serving to density, vectors wherever the artwork allows, raster at the multiplier the screen demands, and hairlines drawn where the density can honour them.