Projection Screen Material — Rosco Front, Rear & Translucent Screens
Rosco projection screen material
Front, rear & translucent screen material
Genuine Rosco screen surfaces — specified by major opera houses and theatres around the world. Excellent colour rendering, good contrast and wide viewing cones. Durable, washable and inherently flame-retardant, sold by the linear metre and cut to your drop.
Step 2 · Match the surface to your setup
Which screen material?
Start from how you're projecting. Not sure between front and rear? Read the front-vs-rear primer →
Projecting from the front
You want brightness and a wide viewing cone, in a reasonably controlled room.
- Front White — brightest, high gain
- Twin White — if you may also rear-project
Projecting from behind
Projector hidden backstage, talent in front, better with ambient light.
- Grey — balanced, wide 120° cone
- Black — highest contrast in bright rooms
- Twin White — brightest rear white
Front and rear on one screen
Theatre cyc or studio back wall where you fade between front and rear.
- Twin White — the versatile choice, ~180° cone
Bright rooms, outdoor & LED
Competing with lots of light, or blending an LED wall into one image.
- Light Transparent — highest transmission
- Black — high contrast in bright light
The full range
Rosco screen materials in detail
Every surface below is genuine Rosco, sold by the linear metre and cut to your drop. View the product page to order, or send us your finished size for a quote.
Twin White
Our most versatile screen and the classic “white white”, front and back. Milky white for equally bright, crisp images whether front- or rear-projected — so you can cross-fade between the two unnoticed. The default for theatre cycloramas and TV studio back walls.
Front White
Highly reflective, matte white material for the brightest front-projected image with a wide viewing cone. The straightforward choice when you're projecting from the front and want maximum brightness. Take care to control bounce light around it.
Grey
A rear-projection grey with double the viewing cone of Black, so it serves a wider audience. The grey blends the screen into the scenery and delivers true-to-life colour with higher transmission and a brighter image than black.
Black
A backlit rear-projection material for high-ambient-light rooms. Only ~6% light transmission, but the high contrast between light and dark makes the image appear far brighter, and the dark surface disappears into a set. A favourite for ballet and opera, where it absorbs follow-spot reflections off the floor.
Light Transparent
A slightly opaque, light-grey translucent screen — an excellent design tool for LED walls, blending sources into one seamless image. Its high light transmission lets a projected image compete with bright ambient light, ideal for outdoor installs. Mind the projector-to-viewer line of sight to avoid hot-spotting.
At a glance
Compare the range
| Screen | Projection | Viewing cone | Light transmission | Width | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin White | Front & rear | ~180° (widest) | Milky white, bright both sides | 2.4 m | $169 / m |
| Front White | Front | Wide, high gain | Highly reflective matte white | 1.4 & 2.4 m | $129 / m |
| Grey | Rear | 120° | Medium — brighter than black | 1.35 m | $129 / m |
| Black | Rear | 60° | ~6% — highest contrast | 1.35 m | $129 / m |
| Light Transparent | Rear / translucent | Wide | Very high — LED & outdoor | 1.35 m | $129 / m |
View from the matte side to minimise ambient-light effects. All screens are durable, washable and inherently flame-retardant. Widths and prices per linear metre; ask us about make-up, seaming and rigging.
How to choose
Three things that decide it
Ambient light
How bright is the room?
Bright rooms and outdoor events favour rear projection and higher-contrast surfaces — Black or Light Transparent. Dark theatres can run brighter whites.
Viewing cone
How wide is your audience?
A wide house needs a broad cone so nobody sees a dim image — Twin White (~180°) or Grey (120°). A narrow bank can use Black (60°) for its contrast.
Front or rear
Where's the projector?
No depth behind the screen? Front White or Twin White up front. Room backstage and talent in front of the image? Rear with Grey, Black or Twin White.
Sizing a screen for a show or install?
Send your finished screen size in metres and whether you're front- or rear-projecting, and we'll recommend the surface, work out the make-up and quote it.