Skip to content

Paperlike Screen Protector – how to make your iPad feel like paper

An essential iPad upgrade for creatives

Screen protectors for iPad are ten-a-penny, but if you have an Apple Pencil you may want more than just basic protection. Paperlike is a premium screen protector that completely changes the feel of writing and drawing, making the experience more, well, paper-like!

That means a slightly textured surface that adds a small amount of friction when drawing, improving the accuracy and making it feel more like you’re sketching in a notepad rather than onto a sheet of glass. Paperlike says this improves precision, and in our testing it did feel marginally more accurate – but the bigger advantage is the perception of drawing on paper, with just the right resistance for smoother writing and drawing.

Paperlike says this has the side benefit of causing less fatigue after extended use.

You can poorly draw panda bears like never before

Beyond that, you also get decent protection for your iPad coupled with a significant reduction to the amount of glare you’ll see on screen. We found that with the brightness turned up, Paperlike made it feasible to work outside on a sunny day.

Applying screen protectors to any device can be a frustrating process, as you attempt to get things perfectly aligned while avoiding those inevitable air bubbles. In contrast, Paperlike has a really clever application system: a combination of cleaning wipes, accuracy guides, and helper stickers makes it much easier to get things set up perfectly.

Halfway through the install process

It’s not quite as painless as the slick (and funny) instructional video makes out, but certainly a cut above any other screen protector we’ve tried.

These protectors aren’t cheap if you’re used to buying bog-standard ones for your devices, but you get two in a pack with all the cleaning and installing accessories included. If you use an Apple Pencil a lot we’d certainly consider investing.

Disclosure: Paperlike sent us a free screen protector kit for testing purposes, but this is not a paid promo and all opinions are genuine. It really is good!