Carl's Blackout Cloth, DIY Projector Screen Material/Projection Screen Fabric, 66x110-inch, Matte White, 16:9/1.0

Carl's Place blackout cloth screen material.This is the budget stuff, so if you want a million dollar picture, there are other options available. They even sell a sample pack so you can decide which material is the best for your projector. Obviously there is some work involved since this is a DIY solution, but even the fixed frame screens have some assembly required. I recommend you check out not only this website's how-to instructions, but even the fixed frame assembly videos as well to familiarize yourself with the proper technique for stretching the screen and the best way to get good results.My local fabric store does not carry 66" wide blackout cloth, that is why I ordered this from Carl's. If you build a sturdy frame, and stretch the material properly, you will get little to no wrinkles. My wife and I did iron it lightly, but I'm not sure how much that helped. I'd recommend an electric stapler or air driven one that will make the hundreds of staples you need to apply that much easier. Even if you (cough, cough) buy one and return it when you're done (cough, cough), but you didn't hear that from me.Stapling Tip: DON'T SKIMP ON THE STAPLES!!!Stretch as you go and put staples every inch apart, yes, every inch! You cannot put them six or eight inches apart then go back around putting more in between, it won't work that way. Just work in five or six inch sections, alternating as you go around and keep pulling at the corners that you are working towards as you stretch across. Take your time. Some will claim they made their screens in an hour or two, if done correctly, it should take a little more time than that. I'm just trying to give you realistic expectations. Not including building the frame, I spent over an hour just to flatten out the material and attach it to the frame. I started at the top center, shot a few staples, moved to the bottom, then left center then right, then back to the top, five more left of center then shot five more to the right side of center, etc... working my way out to the corners. In any upholstery application, corners are always my arch nemesis. I have found that if you treat them like hospital corners on a bed, you get very good results.We prefer the edgeless design, it looks clean, modern and high end. The professional ones are at least two hundred dollars more than the black bordered options and I saw some that are over a grand. The frames of this type seem overly complicated. Some even appear to bow inwards on the long edge. Really?! So I'm not using any felt or trim around the edges. Essentially, I built mine like a gallery-edge style paint canvas, 2" thick with the material wrapped around the back. I included some photos I took as I assembled my screen just to give you an idea. I am a woodworker and have also done some upholstery so this was a walk in the park for me except maybe for the sheer size of the project. I have all the tools and skills needed for this at my disposal. I did this DIY project because I'm on a tight budget, knew that it was within my skill set and I enjoy the sense of pride from a job well done. And I planned... planned... and planned some more. I designed the screen long before I even got my projector. Then, while I waited for the material to arrive, I built the frame.My previous screen was quarter inch medium density fiberboard (MDF) with a white vinyl coating. The image is really good but in order to get the size I needed (100x56), I had to cut three pieces 33x56 hung on a french cleat. There were two visible seems and the panels started to bow (still a nice image, though). I thought about a fixed frame screen but even those are hundreds of dollars and I knew I could make one myself to the exact size I wanted. Plus, I wanted to use the new stapler I got for Christmas.The results are fantastic! There are still a few creases but, they are not too obvious. This stuff will crease even if you have it bunched up on a chair for fifteen or twenty minutes. If you can, order it on a roll and treat it with kid gloves. I opened it and unfolded it as soon as I got it. I wasn't expecting a better image over my previous screen, necessarily, just a nicer looking screen. Now, movies and video games look just like they should, a giant, moving painting!

I ventured out to build myself a home theater, looking for the best quality products without spending an arm or a leg on anything. I came by Carl's DIY section and after seeing all the good reviews decided to give the screen a shot. Here's the deal on the 'projector screen'. When you think of a projector screen you probably have an idea in mind of the type of material it's going to be. I paid the extra $20 to have the fabric rolled instead of folded, as I did not want to mess with having to get out any creases in the screen. As it turns out the material is very soft and pliable like fabric, opposed to a sturdier canvas like projector screen that I thought it would be, so I probably didn't need to spend the extra $20 after all.The quality of the fabric is good and seems to work well with a projected image. However, if you do not have a plan on exactly what you are going to do with the material, you may find yourself at a crossroads. Carl recommends buying lumber and constructing your own frame for the screen, then stretching the material over the frame, and stapling it to the edges, finally adding Carl's 'contrast boosting border' (very nice marketing phrase) to the edges of the frame. If that seems like an inordinate amount of work to you, there are other options.Since my projector didn't quite fill up the 66x110-inch space at the recommended viewing distance (most people's won't), I had to do something about the excess screen that was effectively washing out the picture. You will definitely need something to line the edges of your screen and ideally it should be black. What I did was first paint the wall I was projecting on black (highly recommended). After putting the fabric on the wall (which you have to be careful when doing so you do not create any ripples in the screen) I then hung a black piece of fabric on the ceiling so the projection would be absorbed rather than bounced off of the white ceiling. Finally I used the same black fabric to outline my screen so the only thing showing was the projected image. Overall, I would suggest this method or a similar one to save yourself excess time and money in the end.