Thank you for choosing to download our 2011 Desktop Calendar.
This year features images of Zack and Kenny from January 2, set against our classic deep space background.
This image is free to download but remains the property of TheTimeCapsule.ca and therefore is bound by international copyright laws.
As such, you may not reproduce, distribute, or alter it in any way without prior written permission by TheTimeCapsule.ca
(backup copies are allowed).
With the formalities out of the way, let's get down to business.
Before you download this image, you need to know your screen resolution and ratio.
Your screen resolution is determined by how many pixels wide and how many pixels high it displays.
This is important because it determines what size of image you will need to download to display properly on your desktop.
Equally important is your screen's ratio.
That is, the height, divided by the width, times 100, to attain a percentage.
This is important because it is possible that many sizes of the images would display properly, given the same resolution.
This really isn't as complicated as it sounds.
You can determine all of this manually if you'd like, but we've included a resolution detector that automatically determines your monitor's ratio.
Click here to determine your screen's resolution and ratio. (Java must be enabled)
So, what does all this mean?
Well, chances are, we have an image size that will fit your screen perfectly.
However, with so many monitor sizes (including widescreen), we can't create a separate image for all of them.
Based on nineteen of the most common monitor resolutions, we have designed our images to fit the seven most popular ratios.
The chart below lists the nineteen resolutions and, based on your screen's ratio, suggests which image you will need to download to ensure a perfect match (in most cases) for your individual desktop.
How to use this chart:
First of all, click on the link above to determine your monitor's resolution and ratio.
Look on the chart for your ratio (Rounded off - ex: 66.7% is rounded from 66.66666%).
In the next column, find your resolution.
The column after suggests the size you will need to download in order to produce the best possible image for your desktop.
Click on the suggested size to download your image.
Why download a larger size than necessary?
Have you ever saved an image sent to you in an email and tried to view it full screen?
It's not a pretty sight, and here's why.
Email programs lower the quality of images, leaving just enough picture data to produce a relatively clear image for the size that is displayed.
I'll explain what this means in regards to image quality.
Let's say we have an image that is 200 pixels wide and 150 pixels high.
If you try to view it at 800 x 600, the image will try to display four times the data it has available.
What you are doing is taking the same 200 x 150 pixels and spreading them out evenly across an 800 x 600 pixel space, leaving a whole lot of unknown data between them.
Your computer compensates for this by adding extra pixels, using colours that blend with the original pixels.
This is known as interpolation and, depending on how much you enlarge the image, can leave it rather unrecognizable.
You can overcome this problem by downloading an image that is the exact size you will be viewing it at.
There is an advantage, however, to downloading a larger image and viewing it smaller.
When you shrink it, you will not be displaying all the information the image has stored in it's data, therefore, there will be an abundance of extra information that the computer uses to increase the quality of what you are actually viewing.
This is especially important in our desktop calendars because the actual calendar element has lines that are only one pixel wide.
By shrinking a larger image, these lines will appear sharper than they would when displayed at actual size.
What does “minimal distortion” mean in the chart above?
Unfortunately, we can't produce an image for every possible monitor resolution.
There are just too many -- and tomorrow, another one will pop up (especially with widescreen monitors increasing in popularity).
The image size suggested for download is not an exact match for the resolution and ratio listed but will produce a slightly distorted image.
This distortion is so minimal, you shouldn't notice it.
What do I do if my resolution or ratio doesn't appear in the chart above?
If your resolution or ratio doesn't appear in the chart, then we don't have an exact match for your desktop.
However, look through the “Download This Image” column and find a resolution where the first number matches your resolution's first number
(ex: if your resolution is 1280 x 1030, look for 1280 x ...).
Then find the resolution listed where the second number is as close to your resolution as possible, but slightly smaller
(ex: if your resolution is 1280 x 1030, you would choose 1280 x 768).
If you can't find your first number either then choose a resolution where both numbers are as close as possible, but slightly smaller.
The first number should be closest to what you need, but it is important that both are smaller.
All downloads include instructions on how to install a desktop image and include instructions on how to compensate for an image of a different ratio.
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