We just set up a spiffy new 24″ Aluminum iMac in the graphics department at work; what a gorgeous display on that thing! Unfortunately, Apple has decided for us that you can have any finish you want on your monitor, as long as it’s glossy. And that was one of the things the new user on that machine just couldn’t abide.
I checked around a bit, and found a lot of people are grousing about the glossy screens, most of them in the graphics industry. With the glossy screen you get a lot of reflection from anything around you, especially in a well-lit room. That not only makes adjusting color difficult, it’s really, really distracting. Personally, I don’t think I’d mind it so much, but the user on this particular machine isn’t quite as accommodating as yours-truly.
One solution would be to dim the lights in the room, but that isn’t a realistic possibility at work, in a large room with cubicles. In digging around for a solution to the glossy screen problem, I did find a few solutions. One that does show some promise is sold by NuShield:
NuShield AG™ Antiglare Screen Protector Film
The harsh lighting in most office and industrial environments can make it almost impossible to do your job well when you have to rely on hard-to-read LCD screens. After a year in development, NuShield AG Antiglare Screen Protector Film will minimize annoying surface glare under bright lights indoors or in an office/industrial setting. The antiglare film also hides fingerprints and filters out 99% of UV light from reaching the screen or reflecting back to your eyes.
NuShield films are non-adhesive, held in place by tabs that wedge between the edge of the screen and the case. I would imagine static and suction also help to keep it in place, but I do like the no-adhesive thing. NuShield makes films for all kinds of applications, mostly to improve the durability of flat panel screens on monitors, laptops and handhelds.
There’s not much on their website that isn’t marketing material; I suppose it’s a little difficult to demonstrate the effectiveness of a product like this with just photos. But the film isn’t terribly expensive, so I just ordered one for the iMac ($35) and one for my PowerBook ($15) as well. They have a handy-dandy product selector that shows custom-cut film to fit most all of the Apple products with built-in screens, and lots of other manufacturers also. So I figured it’d be ok to spend the money to give it a whirl (especially when it’s not my money!) I’ll post an update once my order arrives and I have it installed.
Another possibility is to use a hood over the monitor. There was a day when hoods were pretty much standard equipment on high-end CRT monitors, but it’s been years since I threw the last one out. They usually ended up stashed under a desk, collecting dust. Well, they’re still out there; Compushade makes a universal fit model, priced in the mid-$40 range, and Photodon makes a much nicer hood, custom-fit for the iMacs for about the same money. Another option is to go with some cardboard cut to fit and spray-painted flat black. We’ll see how the film works out, and decide whether to give the hood a try.
Edit: Click here to go to the review I wrote for the NuShield film.
Hi there, congrats for your great site!~ I arrived here after investing an unreasonable amount of time online searching for someone who had tried some of the anti-glare solutions for their iMacs. Mine (24″) has been killing my eyes since day one –and yes, I have tried all kinds of tilt angles, etc. to no avail. I am now thinking of applying a film on the screen, and just like you, I came down with two main brands: Photodon and NuShield. I liked what I read on their site, but of course, the info means nothing until you actually see it applied on the screen. I read that you had ordered a NuShield and would post your impressions back. What did you think? I mainly work with written documents (I am writing my thesis), as opposed to color-intensive graphics or graphic applications. What’s your opinion on the NuShield? Looking forward to hearing back. There are plenty of people with fried eyes out there who will be as grateful as I am, rest assured! Cheers from California.