Vision Tech

Home / Clevertouch & interactive screens

Clevertouch & interactive screensMedium2 min read

Picture too large, cut off or too small on an interactive screen

Please note: this is independent guidance. Vision Tech is not affiliated with Clevertouch. Menus and features differ between models and software versions, so check your screen's own manual or on-screen help, and speak to your school IT team or supplier before changing admin-locked settings, updating firmware or doing a factory reset.

If the edges of your desktop, slides or taskbar are missing, or if there are black borders around the picture, the screen is probably scaling the signal wrongly. This is common when connecting a laptop and is usually easy to fix.

What is happening

The panel receives a picture from your laptop and then fits it to the screen. If the laptop's resolution and the panel's picture size settings do not match, you may see overscan, where the edges are cropped, or underscan, where there are black borders.

Fix it on the panel

  1. Open the panel's menu, settings or the picture options.
  2. Look for an option named something like Aspect ratio, Picture size, Screen size or Overscan.
  3. Try the option that says full, native, 16:9 or just scan, depending on what is available. Names vary by model, so check your on-screen menu.
  4. Check the edges of the screen to see if the full desktop is now visible.

Fix it on your laptop

  1. On Windows, right-click the desktop, choose Display settings, and look at the resolution and scale. Choose the setting marked as recommended for the panel. Many Clevertouch screens are 3840 by 2160, although older ones may be 1920 by 1080.
  2. On a Mac, open System Settings, go to Displays, choose the panel and select the default or a matching resolution.
  3. Check that you are duplicating the screen rather than extending it, unless you intended that.

Try a different cable or port

An old HDMI cable or a different input can cause odd sizing. Try another cable or port, and make sure the cable is pushed in firmly.

If a presentation is cut off

Check your slides are set to widescreen (16:9). Old slides in 4:3 will have borders. That is normal.

When to get more help

Ask IT if the setting is missing, resets every time you connect a laptop, or the problem appears with all laptops. Tell them the screen model, the laptop and what you see.

Did this help? If you are still stuck, email Vision Tech and tell us what you can see on the screen. Menus and button names can differ slightly between versions and makes. If something does not match, stop and ask rather than guess.

Related guides

Clevertouch & interactive screensMediumBlurry text or flickering picture on an interactive screenText that looks soft, fuzzy or too small, or a picture that shimmers and flickers, is annoying on a big screen.Clevertouch & interactive screensEasyPens and erasers not writing on an interactive screenPens that do not write, or a finger that draws when you wanted the pen, are common in busy classrooms.Clevertouch & interactive screensMediumGhost touches and random touches on an interactive screenGhost touches are when the screen behaves as if someone is touching it when nobody is.