The combination of iPad and Apple Pencil makes it a great solution for taking notes or drawing digitally. But even though writing notes or creating art on iPad has many advantages over using analog pen and paper, the feel Writing with a plastic-tipped stylus on the smooth glass of the iPad isn’t great. The hard plastic of the stylus hitting the hard glass of the iPad can be noisy, slippery, and unpleasant to use if you’re used to writing on paper.
However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. There is a small cottage industry of paper-feel (or paper-like) screen protectors for the iPad that address this problem directly. And as someone who takes handwritten notes on the iPad every day, I now swear by them.
These types of screen protectors serve a different purpose than the typical clear plastic screen protector designed to prevent screen scratches. They have matte finishes that diffuse light from the screen and provide a rougher texture for writing. This has the effect of providing resistance to the tip of the Apple Pencil, making writing on glass feel more like writing on paper and giving you more control over your strokes. They also reduce glass tapping noise you get with the Pencil on iPad. Typing through the screen saver is no less responsive than without it, and you can still easily navigate the iPad with standard finger taps and swipes.
Yes, unsurprisingly, it makes the iPad feel more like paper, although I’m not going to tell you that it’s exactly the same.
Common brands of paper-type screen protectors include paper, Moshi (this is what I use on an iPad Mini and an iPad Pro), and Tips for pensalthough there are many off-brand options on Amazon for lower costs. You can find options for every iPad on the market, from the basic 9.7-inch model released a couple of years ago to the latest and greatest iPad Pro models. A matte screen protector will generally cost more than a basic clear one, and the name-brand versions are between $30 and $45 each.
There are a few downsides to be aware of when using a matte screen protector. Because these screen protectors diffuse the light coming from the screen, there is an impact on the screen’s brightness and color saturation. If you use your iPad outdoors or use it mainly for watching movies, this could be a problem for you. PenTips PenMat offers a clever solution to this: it attaches magnetically to iPad, so you can easily put it on when you want to write or draw, and take it off when you want to watch a movie or get the full brightness of the iPad screen. I haven’t used this myself, but YouTuber Brad Colbow, who creates videos on making art on digital devices, I tried it recently and left impressed.
Those who write heavy-handed or draw a lot on their iPads may wear down the tip of the Apple Pencil faster with a matte screen protector due to its rougher texture. (This seems to be worse when tilting the pen for shading effects.) Replacing the pen tip is easy and you can get four replacements for less than $20but it is something to keep in mind.
Matte screen protector almost makes my handwriting legible
Personally, I’ve never had a problem with reduced brightness and contrast caused by the matte screen protector, so it’s something I leave on my iPad 100 percent of the time. And when I write notes, it’s more comfortable to use, I have more control, and you can almost read my cursive handwriting. It also eliminates glare when I’m reading or watching videos. One last benefit is that the matte screen protector seems to repel fingerprints and other rough edges better than the bare glass screen.
If you only use your iPad to watch videos and entertain young children, then you probably don’t need to spend the money on a good matte screen protector. But if you’ve had ideas for using it for note taking or digital art, then it’s one of the best accessories you can buy, once you already have a Pen of course. And an iPad with a matte screen protector goes a long way toward providing a typing experience similar to something like a Remarkable while also being capable of all the other things an iPad is great for.
