Pixellijn

Pixellijn is a term used in Dutch graphic design and digital imaging to describe a line whose thickness corresponds to a single pixel on a raster display. In practice, a pixellijn is achieved when a stroke or border is aligned with the underlying pixel grid so that it renders crisply at the intended resolution. The concept is particularly relevant for low‑resolution displays and small visual elements.

Applications include user interface icons, small illustrations, and typography at tight sizes, or any scenario where precise, crisp edges are required. The main goal of using a pixellijn is to avoid blurring that occurs when lines fall between pixel boundaries and to ensure predictable rendering across devices that share a common grid.

Implementation considerations involve designing in vector software with a stroke set to the target output width and snapping elements to the pixel grid to maintain a pixellijn. Export and rasterization should preserve the grid alignment, while anti‑aliasing and display scaling can influence legibility. On high‑density displays, a one‑pixel line may appear thinner relative to the overall size, which leads some designers to use hairline approaches or scalable solutions.

History and usage notes that the concept arose with early digital displays and has remained a practical guideline in icon and UI design, especially where pixel‑perfect rendering is important. It is commonly discussed in Dutch graphic and digital typography contexts and is related to broader ideas of pixel alignment and raster rendering.

See also: pixel, raster graphics, vector graphics, anti‑aliasing, grid alignment.