5 Best Fabrics for Projector Screens

Projector screens can be made at home. Many fabrics can potentially work. Basically, any white material can work as a projector screen. White is the best color for a screen as black won’t reflect anything at all and any other colors can change the way the image on the screen looks. The essential part of making a project screen is ensuring that fabric is smooth and does not wrinkle or crease. Blackout drapery or blackout fabric actually can work great as a projector screen, as most blackout fabric is resistant to creasing, and is usually durable and fairly easy to hang or stretch onto a frame.
Fabric Name Pros Cons
Hanes Drapery Lining Eclipse – Resistant to creasing
– Durable and easy to hang
– Provides 100% blackout
– Dry clean only
Fabricut Style: Eclipse Blackout – Medium to heavy weight fabric
– Reduces noise and protects against heat and cold loss
– Available in different shades of white
– Dry clean only
Trend 03625 Dim Out Parchment – Budget-friendly
– Crease, stain, and water resistant
– Provides thermal and noise insulation
– Dry clean only
ABBEYSHEA Barnes Blackout White – Blocks sunlight and reduces noise
– Versatile for home and workplace use
– Durable with acrylic backing
– Dry clean only
9.3 oz. Canvas Duck White – Versatile fabric for various household projects
– Medium to heavy weight
– Can be machine washed and tumble dried
– Not specifically designed for projector screens
– Requires ironing to be wrinkle-free

Best Fabrics for Projector Screens

Here are our fabric for projector screen reviews

1. Hanes Drapery Lining Eclipse

Blackout fabrics can work great for making a projector screen. This dim out fabric is soft and drapes well. It is also budget friendly, which is perfect when for projects like project screens that require a larger quantity of fabric to be purchased. The fabric insulates against sun, and has noise and thermal insulation properties. It is resistant to creasing, stains, and water- which is great news for making a projector screen, as the fabric needs to stay smooth and drape well over a frame.

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2. Fabricut Style: Eclipse Blackout

This fabric is an extremely popular choice for blackout window treatments. It is a medium to heavy weight fabric. The face side is made from 70% polyester and 30% cotton while the back is made from 100% acrylic foam backing. This fabric can also make a good projector screen, as fabrics with a  back and face are often more popular choices.

  • The fabric is designed to help reduce noise and to protect against heat and cold loss- it is also designed to achieve 100% blackout
  • This fabric comes in three different shades of white
  • Dry clean only

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3. Trend 03625 Dim Out Parchment

This fabric can be used as a lining for blackout drapes or on its own for window treatments. It is budget friendly, which is always a bonus. The fabric has thermal and noise insulation properties and is designed to help cut down on sunlight. The best features of the fabric if it were to be used to make a projector screen is that it is crease, stain, and water resistant.

  • The fabric has an Acrylic Foam Latex back lining
  • Dry clean only
  • This fabric is very lightweight and is made from a blend of 70% polyester and 30% cotton

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4. ABBEYSHEA Barnes Blackout White


Like other blackout drapery fabric, this fabric is intended to block out sunlight, muffle noise, and prevent against thermal loss throughout the year. The fabric is extremely versatile and was made with many different places in mind. It is great for home use, but can also be used for workplaces. The fabric is durable, and has an acrylic backing, which could make it a good choice for a projector screen.

  • This fabric is medium weight- the front is 100% polyester and the backing is made from 100% acrylic
  • Comes in 55” Widths
  • Dry clean only

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5. 9.3 oz. Canvas Duck White

For those that don’t want to use blackout fabric for a projector screen, many white fabrics will work. This cotton duck fabric is medium to heavy weight and is made from 100% cotton. It is an extremely versatile fabric and can be used for many other household projects as well. The key to most projector screens is to ensure that the fabric is crease and wrinkle free, which can generally be done by ironing before the fabric is hung.

  • Fabric is 9oz and comes in 60” lengths
  • Fabric is also perfect for window treatments, accessories like tote bags, bedding, apparel items, slipcovers, upholstery, and more
  • Machine wash on warm, tumble dry in the dryer (no bleach)

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Fabric for Projector Screen Buying Guide

Some of the most important things to consider when making a projector screen is that the fabric be white and how the fabric drapes. As long as the fabric can be wrinkle free, it should work for a screen. It is also important to consider how the fabric is going to be hung. Generally, for making a screen, the fabric will have to hung on some sort of frame. The kind of frame might also determine which fabric you ultimately choose.

Budgeting

Projector screens can be expensive when purchased from the store. Part of the reason many people want to make a screen at home is to try to save on the cost. It might come as a surprise that many black out fabrics are actually quite budget friendly. While some are cheaper than others, blackout drapery has some great properties that make them good candidates for a homemade projector screen. Even though they have to be purchased in large quantities, many of these fabrics are as budget friendly as some cottons are.

Making Your Own Screen

It might be daunting to think of making your own screen, but there are many videos and tutorials online that can help. Many of these videos also show how to make a stand or a frame for the screen. It’s important to keep your frame in mind, as some fabrics will work better with certain frames. Be sure that you know how to complete your project and how much fabric you need to purchase ahead of time, as this can cut down on having to place multiple orders to complete a screen.

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