Draper Projection Screens

Draper Inc. offers one of the world's widest selections of projection screens and projection fabrics.

Characterized by affordable projection screen arrays and fabrics, Draper solutions represent reliable, yet often innovative solutions to the different requirements arising in the home theater environment.

In fact, whatever your home theater constraints and requirements - ambient light conditions, projector technology, screen size, budget restrictions, etc., Draper projection screens offer a solution through a vast selection of home theater screen related products - ceiling recessed electric screens - including screens with ceiling closure, fixed wall mounted, manual screens,  and portable screens.

All Draper screens come complete with side black masks. Electrically driven masks and drops are also available, while independently controlled screen and mask solutions are possible to change the screen format in accordance with the projected video image.

Most Draper projection screens are available in a number of different projection screen fabrics and in various sizes, while in the case of electric driven solutions, Draper screens and masks are available in both 110-volt and 220-volt models.

Considering the large number of possible projector screen fabric/array combinations, selecting your home theater screen from Draper would have been a never ending process if it were not for an easy-to-use online projection screen selection wizard developed by Draper to assist you in selecting the most suitable projection screen solution for your needs.

Which Draper Projection Screen fabric is best for your home theater application?

We have already stated that Draper projection screen arrays come in one of the most comprehensive ranges of screen surfaces available on the market.

And while online screen calculators such as that found on the Draper website do help in picking up a most suitable surface for a specific projection environment, yet unless you have an understanding of the respective characteristics of the various projection surfaces, it would be difficult to ensure that you make the right choice. After all, as we have already stated elsewhere on this site, these specially formulated optical fabrics come with different reflective and colorimetric values to cope with the different projection needs.

To help you in this selection process, we will discuss some of the most popular Draper projection screen fabrics for front projection. Note however that while the details given below covers the most important screen materials available for Draper screens, please do not consider this list as exhaustive. If for some reason you do not find a suitable screen surface for your requirement, we recommend  downloading the respective Draper product catalogs through the links provided at the end of this article.

Draper range of front projection screen fabrics includes nine different screen surfaces, each designed to suit different applications, site constrains, and custom requirements. Most surfaces also come as mildew resistant, flame retardant and washable.

Note: Though most Draper projection screen fabrics are washable, it is important to follow Draper cleaning instructions to ensure that you would not damage these screen surfaces; these instructions can be downloaded from one of the Draper reference links included at the end of this article.

Draper projection screens can be grouped into two main categories - Textile-Backed screen surfaces and 100% Vinyl screen fabrics.

Textile-Backed Draper Projection Screen Surfaces

Draper screens textile-backed surfaces make use of a reflective surface that is laminated to a woven textile base. The screen surface hangs suitably flat because of the stability of the material and the weight of the bottom dowel. Good for all types of projections. Commonly used for single lens video projection, as well as for CRT video and data-graphics projection systems.

 

Fiberglass Matt White: A Matt white vinyl reflective surface laminated to tear-resistant woven fiberglass. This matt white surface diffuses the projected light in all directions, so the image can be seen from any angle. It also provides accurate color and superior clarity. Recommended for use with all high light output projection devices. Requires control of ambient light in the audience area for best results. Washable, flame and mildew resistant.  

Gain 1.0; Viewing Cone: Flat response over any viewing angle

Glass Beaded: Brighter on-axis viewing than matt white surfaces within a narrower viewing cone. The increased gain comes at some loss of clarity. Not for use with ceiling or floor mounted projectors. Flame and mildew resistant, but this is not a washable surface. Available seamless in all standard sizes up to 10 feet high.

Gain 2.5 peak gain; Viewing cone: 40° degrees

Draper screens - AT1200: An innovative and versatile acoustically transparent screen material. Similar in gain performance to standard matt white and does not require tensioning for flatness. Acoustical properties comparable to the finest speaker grille cloth. Washable, flame and mildew resistant. Available in sizes through 6' x 8' or 10' diagonal.

Gain 1.0; Viewing Cone: Flat response from any angle

ATGrey: AT Grey Draper projection screens offer the acoustical properties of the popular AT1200, while providing the best optical qualities of both Matt White and High Contrast Grey. It is unique in that it offers both a 180° viewing cone and the vivid color contrast associated with high contrast gray materials.

Like most Draper projection screen fabrics, this is a washable, flame and mildew resistant surface. Available in sizes up to 10 feet diagonal. This is not recommended for screens smaller than 80” wide when used with LCD or DLP projectors.

Gain 0.8; Viewing Cone: Flat response from any angle

High Contrast Grey: This is a gray textile backed surface with excellent resolution. The gray surface enhances the blacks of LCD and DLP projected images while still maintaining accurate whites and lighter colors. Performs well in ambient light condition. High Contrast Grey lower gain of 0.8 allows use with even the brightest projectors. It also has a flat response over a full viewing cone of 180 degrees. Seamless in sizes up to 8 feet in height. Washable, flame and mildew resistant.

Gain 0.8; Viewing Cone: Flat response from any angle

100% Vinyl Draper Projection Screen Materials 

HiDef Grey: A gray front projection surface that provides greater contrast and black reproduction than standard surfaces, with a lower gain to handle today’s super-bright projectors. The gray color enhances color contrast and black levels in the projected image and also allows for more ambient light in the audience area than traditional surfaces.

This Draper projection screen fabric is available on all tab-tensioned and permanently tensioned screens. Washable, flame and mildew resistant.

Gain 0.9; Viewing Cone: 130°

M1300: A perfect matt white diffusing surface. Extremely broad light dispersion and spectral uniformity. Panoramic viewing angle and true color rendition. Recommended for use with any type of projector in rooms where the light level can be reasonably controlled. Washable, flame and mildew resistant.

Gain 1; Viewing Cone: 140°

M2500: A high-contrast front viewing surface, with excellent resolution and high gain. Mainly intended for data-graphics projectors producing up to 1000 ANSI lumens. M2500 tolerates a higher ambient light level than most of the other Draper projection screen surfaces detailed in this article. Available on all permanently tensioned and tab-tensioned screens. Flame and mildew resistant but this Draper screen fabric is not washable.

Gain 2.1 peak gain; Viewing Cone: 80° for 50% peak gain

Flexible Matt White: This is a pliable matt white projection screen material for use in Draper Cinefold portable folding screens. This Draper projection screen fabric can be stretched, folded and re-stretched repeatedly without damage. This white projection surface comes with a screen gain of 1.0 and flat response over a full viewing cone of 180 degrees.

Gain 1; Viewing Cone: 180 degrees