How to get a Screen/Glare Protector on without dust/bubbles underneath

Hi,

I know some of us will be putting on the Anti-Glare Screen Protector to be able to work outside, and protect the screen that could be nicked by the m11x own keyboard due to the hinge issue or other accidents. I, personally never considered it till I found out that the screen was made of plastic and how glossy the screen could be.

I read a whole bunch of stuff on the threads, watched a bunch of videos, and read some threads even on this forum to see what was the best method to get one on.

I did purchase the Green Onion AG2 Anti-Glare/Anti Scratch screen protector before my laptop arrived yesterday, and went ahead to mount it to the display screen just this morning. I was really impressed with my results from researching the great advises given, and want to share it with you guys.

These were the Steps I took to ensure I had 100% zero bubbles due to a dust free environment, and perfect edge-to- edge alignment. Warning: Methods used below are only to be taken at your own risk!

1) Go to your bathroom and start the shower head at 100% hot water for about 3-5mins. Let the water run while you leave the bathroom during this time. Remember to close the door behind you.

2) While step 1 is taking place inside the bathroom, do a first run cleaning/dusting of your m11x screen with a lint-free microfibre cloth. Try to remove all oils/dirt/dust as much as possible.

3) After the 3-5 mins is up, LEAVE the m11x outside while you enter the bathroom to turn off the water (when you open the door into the bathroom, open the door as slow as possible so that you reduce the potential for sucking in dust from the outside air and close the door immediately behind you). The bathroom should be exactly like a sauna right now..really foggy and humid. Leave the bathroom immediately once you have turned off the water unless you want to sweat like a pig and feint. Hint: You may want to clean the bowl and the immediate area around it before turning on the hot water......

4) Wait about 5-10mins before entering the bathroom again with all your 'equipment' and m11x. This will allow all the excessive moisure in the air to settle. You do not want too much moisture in the air as you do not want condensation to take place on your laptop and screen. Just enough to ensure that all freely floaring dust are brought down by the water particles. You want to again open the bathroom door slowly, and close it quickly behind you to prevent/reduce dusty air from following you inside. You may also want to remove as much clothing as possible as clothing can capture dust and help bring into the 'dust-free' bathroom environment. Also, you WILL be sweating like a pig while 'working' inside.

5) For equipment, I used a sturdy lapdesk to place on the toilet seat cover and worked with the m11x placed on the lapdesk. IMPORTANT: Make sure this surface is steady and have no potential for rocking.

6) I proceeded to do one last checking and cleaning of the screen to ensure ALL dust and dirt are removed from the surface. Wash you fingers at this juncture too to remove all oils. Wipe your hands using a lint-free cloth.

7) IMPORTANT: Start from top to bottom and not side-to-side. Slowly just start to peel the edge of the sticky back of the protector that will line the top of your screen. just peel off around 1.5 inches from the leading edge, roll it back and align and stick the protector with the top edge. IMPORTANT: Leave about a little more than a 'micro-millimeter' betwen the edge of screen and the edge of the protector. You will leave such a small a gap between the two edges that you will be able to hardly tell it is there. This is to ensure that no bubbles can form right at the edges. Rememeber, if the edge of the protector falls beyond the edge of the screen, you will alow air to seep in and cause bubbles. I had to do this several times...stick, lift off, stick ..lift off..until I felt that it was perfectly aligned. Once you have it correct, you than start rolling the backing away from the rest of the sticky back while at the same time letting the screen protector gently 'fall' into place. Any big bubbles you can remove by using an object like the edge of a card to nudge to the closest edges(Remember to wrap this card edge with some lint free thin cloth to prevent it from accidentally scratching the protector in case you press down too hard. I used the rubber squeegy card that came with the Zagg invishield). If somehow you see a dust speck causing the bubble, use a sticky tape and touch the back of the protective shield where you see it. I did not have to do this.

8) Once it is in place, and you confirm that you love your work, than proceed to lift off the top protective layer of the anti-glare/scratch shield. The shield protector should be on almost picture perfect, with almost edge-to-edge alignment and all bubbles should be non existent. Normally, bubbles that you cannot seem to get rid off is because there is a speck of dust between the shield and the screen.

9) Stand back, in all your sweat and glory and admire your clean job.

I know it was a lot of extra steps I took, but I wanted it to be as clean as possible. I have seen other brands of protectors out there available, but I chose the Green Onion one. I did post a few pics below to show how nicely sized the Green Onion protector is. It indeed was cut to fit the m11x like a glove. Feel free to use any as I think they all do provide a certain level of Anti-Glare and Protection that will give you peace of mind. For the purerists who prefer your screens in its birthday suit, I also do not blame you for leaving it ala natural. After all, each has its Pros and Cons.

The screen protector as mounted:



Shot below show how nicely sized and cut the protector was:

This shot shows the hole cut outs for the mic and cam:



This shot shows how nicely the top edge of the protector aligns with the top edge of the screen:



This shot shows how nicely the bottom edge of the protector aligns with the bottom of the screen:



Pardon the dust that settled on the screen protector surface when I was taking the pictures.

I did have experience with mounting a couple of Zagg Invisihields for phones and such, and I can tell you, this was less difficult to get perfect!

I must admit that there is a slight difference in image quality before and after the protector was mounted. Saturation was a little less and as a easy 'fix', I bumped up the saturation levels in the intel GPU up one notch. Fine text was not as super sharp, but bearable for me. For me, the peace of mind and ability to work outdoors when I was out and about is paramount. Also, where I do most of my work, I use two large external screens indoors.

 

+1 Rep.
While I don't intend on using a screen protector, this will definitely help out a whole lot of other people.

 

nice job, I had the same screen protector and it was a perfect fit
but as I continued to use my laptop over the the past few weeks, i couldnt stand the grainy-ness from the screen protector...when the background was black/dark...the fonts were easy to read...but when the background was white/light, i could not read text at times.
the grainy-ness got me a bit dizzy at times so i decided to take it off.

 

Thanks for all your comments!

I did notice the slight graininess too. When I purchased this, I did it very aware of what it could do to the overall quality of the display image. Even so, I, like many(you), am very perfectionist, and was not 100% happy with it. However, the bump in adjusting image saturation colors, brightness and contrast levels does do quite abit to help improve text readability and overall graphics assessment. But, I did it for the sake of protecting the easily scratchable plastic screen, and because it does make quite a big difference in having the ability to work in bright outdoor situations.

I guess, I will continue to use it for peace of mind, and mobile practicallity. However, I must add that in my situation, I will be using my m11x attached to 2 external monitors very often, and as such, the reduction of image quality does not impact me very much.

 

glad youre enjoying the protector
protecting the screen wise...it is excellent and I loved it...never had to worry about any scratches
Just wish the protector didnt change the viewing of the screen

 

so how is the glare with it on vs no glare protection

 

It's actually quite noticable for me. Before, the screen would be like a shiny reflective mirror whenever working under brightly lit conditions where the light source is behind you. With the Anti-Glare, the reflections are not so distracting anymore, and I am able to see the screen content 'underneath' the muted reflections.

BUT, I must remind you that you will notice a difference in the overall image quality.

Given a choice, I would not put it on unless I want to be able to work outside, and also have the peace of mind that whenever I close the Lid, my screen won't be scratched. Putting a thin piece of mouse pad between the keyboard and lid still leaves the possibility of the pad picking up small dirt particles that can end up also nicking the screen. Plus, it does not solve the mirror like reflections for me.

Thus, I have no choice. However, I have made the mental/visual compromise and will get used to the slight image degration. But, than again, I am very very picky about my image quality when I make this statements and I do use 2 externals monitors while working at my work station most of the time. My girl friend who saw the before and after 'effects' said that she also noticed the slight change, but said that it was pretty slight to her and given a choice she would put it on for the reasons I mentioned above.

 

I put a protector on mine but took it off due to grainyness, especially on white background as already mentioned.

Any chance of a coupleof shots with screen on to show loss of detail with this protector?

 

@mobilezila, I like you post. I explains very much in detail. I agree 100% on every step as these are the same step I use to apply screen protectors on phones as well.

On this picture ( http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums/y364/superbubu/bottomline.jpg), I noticed near the word "ALIENWARE" that the SP may appear to be grainy. Do you mind taking some pictures with the screen on. BTW, what is your judgement on the clarity after applying the SP. Thank you much in advanced!

OFF TOPIC: This was a review on an SP I applied on my htc HD2. I am just as anal as you are with bubbles, dust shower, etc.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=638877

Enjoy the pictures!

+repp.

 

Aye, I just put mine on today after getting the laptop.

Start by rolling back the top part and applying it from the top of the screen down. Works like a charm.

Then use a credit card and gently massage from the middle of the screen radiating out while pressing the bubbles out.