A method relates to operating a system using a mixed monitor workstation, such as a medical PACS workstation, having a first display of a first resolution and a second display having a different resolution. The method may include moving a graphical element displayed on the first display to the second display, and rescaling the graphical element when moved such that the graphical element has a different pixel size on the second display than it did on the first. The method may also include allocating a graphical element to the first display or the second display based on characteristics of the graphical element. Various criteria may be used to allocate the graphical element; for instance, whether color images are currently being displayed on a low resolution monitor, whether a graphical element is a high or low resolution image, and others. The method may be implemented using software associated with the workstation.