When it comes to choosing a portable projection screen, the fabric is often overlooked. Sure, you look at the gain (which is the reflection value) and you make sure it’s a matt white one.

But apart from that, do you know what makes one different from the other?

I know, it’s hard to tell from a small thumbnail on-line, but the fabric type used can differ completely. And that’s because manufacturers try to optimise their screen for either portability or planarity.

First, let’s look at why they matter.

Portability matters because this is the sort of screen that’s going places. Because of that, you don’t want to haul around with a heavy load. You want a light-weight screen that doesn’t have you sweating before your presentation or movie starts.

Planarity matters because you want your screen to be perfectly flat. A distortion in the fabric thanks to wrinkles or V-shapes in a sagging fabric distract from your presentation or movies at best. At their worst, these distortions make a presentation unreadable.

Some manufacturers aim for a screen that performs well when it comes to portability. They employ a paper-like fabric that’s very thin and weighs next to nothing. The result: you’ll be very happy carrying around this sort of screen, because it’s very light.

However, this screen doesn’t score well when it comes to wrinkles and distortions. Especially the edges tend to curl forward. Plus, when somebody walks by, the screen moves, because the sheet is so thin and there’s almost no tension to it. An air-conditioning unit or a draft might have the same effect.

To avoid this some manufacturers use a different fabric. It’s heavier, but it does perform better than the paper-like fabric. And with the advent of high-definition images in home theatre and professional presentations, this is now more important than ever.

This thicker fabric is between 0.3 and 0.4 mm thick and scores better on planarity. And, because they are heavier, they suffers less from drafts or people walking by.

So which should you go for?

Well, the thicker fabric weighs about 400 gram per square meter. That means you add about 1600 grams (or 3 lbs) for the largest size screen if you go for the “heavy” fabric. For a screen that only weighs about 6 kgs ( about 12 lbs), it might add a lot if you look at the percentage increase. However, it will be next to impossible to feel a significant difference when you carry it.

Now, if you can avoid ruining your presentation by projecting onto this heavier fabric, you know what to go for.

That’s because you have to realise why you are giving a presentation or watching a movie. You want a convincing presentation or the best possible cinema experience.

So when you’re in the market for a portable screen, you know you should stay away from the foil-like fabrics and go for the heavier fabrics that offer the best projection surface.

Because next you’re presenting or watching a movie, you’ll be thankful for it.