# Screen protectors ## Overview Screen protectors are protective sheets of some material (usually plastic) that cover the glass of your pen display. Screen protectors in general offer these benefits * Prevent the glass underneath from being scratched. The the screen protector itself can be scratched. * Can offer anti-glare properties. This is common for pre-appplied screen protectors that come with pen displays. Though it is possible to buy screen protectors that have less or no anti-glare treatment. * Provide some texture so that the pen grips the surface. Smooth glass will make a pen feel "slippery". A screen protector adds enough texture to avoid that slippery feeling. If you are looking for protection for a pen tablet (screenless) : [Surface protectors](/drawtab/catalog/accessories/surface-protectors.md) ## **Amount of texture** Screen protectors add a little bit of texture. But we should be clear: * They will NEVER feel like paper * They will NEVER offer as much texture as paper The reason this cannot happen is that screen protectors have to let you see the screen. If they had a lot of texture, it would make the screen look blurry or distorted. For this reason screen protectors are simply not capable of providing either a paper-like feel or a highly-textured experience. If you want to have a more textured experience and want to explore the options that are avaiilable see: [Surface texture](/drawtab/catalog/accessories/surface-protectors.md). Do NOT pay attention to any product materials or marketing that claim "paper-like" - they are absolutely exaggerating the effect. ## **Laminated does NOT mean "screen protector"** This is a persistent point of confusion. People sometimes think a screen with "lamination" means there is a screen protector. Or vice-versa. **Lamination** in the context of drawing tablets means that the glass is bonded to the display panel with some optically-clear adhesive. It has NOTHING TO DO with something sitting on top of the glass. More here: [Lamination](/drawtab/guides/pen-displays/lamination.md). ## Characteristics * **Transparency** - Screen protectors must, of course, be transparent. Make sure you verify any protector you buy is intended for use with a tablet with a screen. * **Anti-glare** - Screen protectors usually offer some amount of ant-glare treatment. Screen protectors vary in how much of this treatment they have. And some deliberately offer low or no AG treatment at all. * A side affect of anti-glare treatment is: AG sparkle. Some people are very sensitive to the amount of sparkle. So factor that into your choice. More here: [Anti-glare sparkle](/drawtab/guides/pen-displays/ag-sparkle.md). * **Parallax** - Parallax increases when the distance increases from the tip of the pen from the display panel. In practice these protectors are incredibly thin and the actual parallax increase is very very small and I've never heard anyone complain about the small bit of additional parallax they add. See: [Parallax](/drawtab/guides/pen-displays/parallax.md). ## Pre-installed screen protectors Some pen displays arrive with a screen protector already on top of the glass. You'll often see these pre-installed protectors listen in table specs like this: * anti-glare film * matte film Here's an example for the Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1333).
However, be aware that sometimes the screen protector is not listed even if the tablet has one. In this case you'll need to contact support or other users of the tablet. ## Replacing pre-installed screen protectors It MAY be possible to replace pre-installed screen protector. This is useful if the screen protector itself gets scratched. Note that: * Some tablets are designed to have the screen protector removed relatively easily * Some tables are designed to have the screen protector be permanent and they are difficult to remove. And removing might even cause you to accidentally damage the glass. Contact your manufacturer to see if they sell replacement films. Examples: * The **Huion Kamvas 13** has a protective film on top of it that can be replaced: [Huion - How to Replace Huion Pen Display Screen Protector](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8CyIZfX8co) * [XP-Pen surface protectors](broken://pages/GaphWD3vZOMbgUfbVp9V) ## 3rd-party screen protectors If your tablet manufacturer does not make a screen protector, then you do have 3rd-party options. This list comes from ones I have tested to some degree (Photodon) and those suggested by users on reddit posts. I don't use any of these screen protectors personally. So, please research thoroughly before you buy. * **Photodon** - [Photodon screen protectors](/drawtab/catalog/accessories/screen-protectors/photodon-screen-protectors.md) * **ViaScreens** - * **atFoliX** * **HealingShield** - Here's one review - [Review of the HealingShield Screen Protector for Wacom One DTC133](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/11vr3sv/review_of_the_healingshield_screen_protector_for/) 2023-03-19 ## Custom sizes and film material for 3rd-party protectors These third-party manufacturers offer pre-cut sizes. But may also offer custom sizes for your tablet and even choices for the film. Photodon is a good example of such a manufacturer. See: [Custom screen protectors](/drawtab/catalog/accessories/custom-screen-protectors.md) ## Applying a screen protector This can be challenging task. Lots of people (including myself) are not capable of doing this correctly. We ALWAYS end up with air bubbles. Either get help from a friend or family who is good at doing this. Or - Seek some professional help. Stores where the are used to putting protective films onto phone or ipads may have staff that are really good at this. ## Should you get a screen protector for your tablet? Tablets with screens are expensive. I understand the need to protect your investment. My guidance is this. If you are concerned about scratching your tablet, then it makes sense to get a screen protector - even if the benefit is just your **peace of mind**. ## What to look for in a screen protector * If your tablet did not come with a screen protector, then it presumably has an etched glass surface which provides an anti-glare effect. * If you get a screen protector, you may want a clear one - so that you aren't adding TWO layers of AG effect. * On the other hand, I've seen some people report that putting a clear screen protector on etched glass can reduce the amount of AG effect. * Some 3rd party screen protectors offer a "sample pack". So try a small sample before you commit to a full protector. * It can be super difficult to apply a screen protector and avoid air bubbles and dust. Have someone who is good at this help you or do it for you. ## Screen protectors on top of etched glass Many pen displays come with an etched glass surface that provide anti-glare and a bit of texture. Nothing stops you from applying a screen protector on top of that glass. However there are some things to keep in mind: * Etched glass provides an anti-glare treatment. If you add a screen protector with anti-glare properties on top of the etched glass now you have to layers of ant-glare treatment. this can have the effect of blurring he display because the light from the display gets very spread out. You may want to consider getting a screen protector that is totally clear and has NO AG treatment. * Etched glass provides texture. You will no longer feel that texture through the screen protector. Instead you will feel whatever texture the screen protector will provide. ## Try before you buy Before you commit to a screen protector, see if the manufacturer provides a "sample pack" so that you can try out the a small bit of the screen protector on your glass. Then you can see how it looks and feels before you spend serious money. ## Using screen protectors with pen tablets Screen protectors are intended to work with tablets that have screens. However nothing prevents them from being used with pen tablets (screenless tablets). In fact, many people use them exactly this way to preserve the surface of their pen tablet. ## Links * [Teoh on Tech - Should you get a screen protector for your tablet?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyNa7yLwrD0) 2023-08-13 * r/stylus - [Are you guys afraid of scratching your screen with stylus?](https://www.reddit.com/r/stylus/comments/yyix9r/are_you_guys_afraid_of_scratching_your_screen/) 11-18-2022 * r/wacom - [Best Wacom tablet protective film](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/qlrq7u/best_wacom_tablet_protective_film/) 2021-11-03 * r/wacom - [Screen protection for wacom ctl 4100](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/l3yp8k/screen_protection_for_wacom_ctl_4100/) 2021-01-24 * r/wacom - [2nd screen protector for Cintiq 16?](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/ve2shi/2nd_screen_protector_for_cintiq_16/) 2022-06-17 * r/wacom - [How to remove / avoid pen marks on a cintiq screen?](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/sn534s/how_to_remove_avoid_pen_marks_on_a_cintiq_screen/) 2022-02-07 * r/wacom - [\[CINTIQ 16\] Just one year of use :(](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/vguc1a/cintiq_16_just_one_year_of_use/) 2022-06-20 * r/huion - [I just scratched my 2021 huion KAMVAS 16 screen; have I scratched a protective film or the screen itself?](https://www.reddit.com/r/huion/comments/10d6u79/i_just_scratched_my_2021_huion_kamvas_16_screen/) 2023-01-16 * r/wacom - [Do screen protectors worn out?](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/wr3zi1/do_screen_protectors_worn_out/) 2022-08-17 * r/wacom - [Do Wacom tablets comes with their protective film already attached in their package](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/qp5u1c/do_wacom_tablets_comes_with_their_protective_film/) 2021-11-08 * r/wacom - [Protective film for Wacom One](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/x9jsbl/protective_film_for_wacom_one/) 2022-09-09 * r/wacom - [Does the Wacom One have any kind of screen protection by default?](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/soijb4/does_the_wacom_one_have_any_kind_of_screen/) 2022-09-02 * r/wacom - [\[deleted by user\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/zv593v/does_cintiq_13hd_have_screen_protection_see_coment/) 2022-12-25 * r/wacom - [im very dumb (replace your pen nibs)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/vwy9q8/im_very_dumb_replace_your_pen_nibs/) 2022-07-12 --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/catalog/accessories/screen-protectors.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.