As you plan to purchase a projector for several purposes, whether that’s for business, work, or entertainment use, you should also consider other elements of a projector. One of which is the color of your projector screen.
The quality of the picture would all come down to the quality of your projector. Indeed, projector screens are not just plain white, nor they’re transparent.
Yikes! I can’t imagine how that would turn out.
But given the many options we have in the market, you might wonder, ‘What Color is Best for A Projector Screen,’ then?
We listed out everything you need to know about projector screens and its colors.
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Projector Screen Colors
Projector Screen has colored screen materials suitable depending on the type of projector you use, your wall’s color, the ambiance of the light to your room, and your personal preference.
Typically, there are four projector screen colors to choose from, namely: Silver, White, Gray, and the Black Projector Screen. Let’s take a look at each one of them.
Silver Projector Screen
Does the term ‘silver screen’ ring a bell? In the early days of the cinema, silver screens were commonly used, so it’s the oldest color for a projector screen.
The projectors back then had low-quality light. It still needs materials to enhance its brightness so that people can fully enjoy watching it.
Thus, silver screens were most suitable nowadays, so images can portray as strong visuals as possible, especially to get a detailed and better depth of black and white images. It can go as high as 10 projector gain to maximize the film or image’s brightness.
Today, silver screens are still available, yet they are more expensive than other projector screens. If you want the 60’s theme of cinematic experience, and you have the money, then I wouldn’t stop you from buying this color.
White Screen
The industry-standard, white screens became a hit when projectors’ prominence was used in several places and for several purposes.
The white color never fails to give us the most accurate color and bright lights that we need when we watch a certain movie, tv-show, or a presentation alone.
The screen fabric can either be a matte or the standard one. But using the PVC or Vinyl Tensionable Material on white screens creates the illumination effect that blends and diffuses with light.
The illumination effect can hide the image flaws from a video or presentation. This is similar to the reflection we see on a regular monitor or HDTV.
Either way, the color white highly affects the contrast of the projected image giving us a realistic display and bright-colored images.
Just like how a certain color reflects a plain white bond paper, so does in a white screen projector. It’s definitely an excellent choice if you can control the lighting through your room.
Gray Screen
A darker projector screen was introduced back in 2001 to deal and assist with contrast problems of digital projectors even before screen connectors came into existence.
The color is either in medium or light gray, which helps deal with ambient light around a room and most suitable for projectors with low lumens.
However, with the invention of modern high-contrast DLP projectors, you can use the classic white screen without any contrast issues. But this doesn’t mean leave off the enhanced contrast and sharpness effect when you use a gray screen.
As a matter of fact, you can still buy this projector screen if there’s no way you can turn off lights in a room when presenting or watching a video.
Black Screen
Not long after silver screens were invented came the black projector screen. There’s no need to turn off the light compared to a white screen because this color is more effective in projecting black or contrasted images.
For this reason, it is more similar to silver screens in terms of visibly contrasting images. Like how chalk is more visible in blackboards than in a whiteboard or lighter paper, it contrasts with brightness in a dark screen.
But since it’s the latest among the four, it has a limited supply in the market and is quite expensive.
The market offers a variety of projector screens, 4 different screen colors to choose from. When you have the money and want to experience classical films back in its color, go for the Silver screen.
If you can control the lighting ambiance of your room, then choose white. A high-contrast film calls for a silver screen, while black screens are the best way to go when you go to rooms with a lighter ambiance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the best color to paint a wall for a projector?
Just like how you choose a color for a projector screen, some factors would largely depend on choosing a wall paint color.
You should consider the projector’s specifications, such as the number of lumens produced and the brightness of the projector, the lighting of the room, and your personal preferences. But just a tip, you may want to choose a color closer to gray or white.
2. Is black or white better for the projector screen?
It would still depend on your preferences. The black projector screens produced high-contrast images without having to turn off the lights. On the other hand, white projector screens offer bright lights and accurate colors while lights are turned off.
3. Can I use a white wall as a projector screen?
You can, but a projector screen is definitely recommendable since a plain white wall affects the projected images’ color and texture. In the end, you might not be as satisfied in a presentation or in film viewing.
Vance is a dad, former software engineer, and tech lover. Knowing how a computer works becomes handy when he builds Pointer Clicker. His quest is to make tech more accessible for non-techie users. When not working with his team, you can find him caring for his son and gaming.