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I currently have the following sentence:

Due to variations in how screens display color, actual printed colors may vary slightly.

However, does it make sense to drop the s?

Due to variation in how screens display color, actual printed colors may vary slightly.

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    I like it better with the S. If it bothers you, perhaps: "Due to a variation in how screens display color" or "Due to the variation in how screens display color."
    – aparente001
    May 17, 2017 at 3:50
  • FWIW, I picture something a bit different with and without the s. Without it, I picture a central reference point with each screen's color clustered around it. In the plural, I picture several distinct clusters - there might be some screens with a particularly blue cast, others particularly green, etc.
    – Steve Bennett
    May 17, 2017 at 4:10

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I think variation would refer to a single specific variation (or screen). Variations (plural) refers to variations in general, so that's the one you want.

According to ngrams, due to variations in is far more prevalent than due to variation in.

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  • That makes sense to me. Thanks for the link to the ngrams tool, very cool!
    – Alex
    May 17, 2017 at 4:14

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