According to the latest browser stats, 20% of computer users still have their screen resoulution set to 800 x 600. That’s a significant amount of people, but many designers, I’ve noticed, are designing fixed-width sites optimized for 1024 x 768 or higher. That means 20% of users have a horizontal scroll bar to deal with when viewing such designs. Not so good.

I’m one of those 20% using 800 x 600 screen resolution and for a good reason. My eyesight is not the best anymore. That’s the price I have to pay for getting older and wiser, I guess.

There are 2 or 3 easy solutions to accomodate everyone:

1. Create a fixed width design with a main container no wider than 760 pixels
2. Create a fluid design which will expand or contract as the need arises
3. create an alternative stylesheet for 800 x 600 resolution

Implementing either one of those methods could make the difference between whether a visitor stays or leaves the website. It’s as simple as that.