Instructions for Crystal Clear and Anti Glare Expert Shield (click here for GLASS)

Inspecting your Expert Shield:

Both Crystal Clear and Anti Glare protectors have a top protective film (labeled Step 2). If you purchased the GLASS version please click here GO TO INSTALL GLASS. This top protective film is used to protect the “top” side of the optical grade plastic underneath from scratches and scuffs during production. Simply peel back the film and hold it up to a light source to inspect it. You can replace this protective film back or take it off altogether once you are happy with your inspection.

Right away, you should be able to see if your protector is “clear” or “matte” and if there are any scratches or scuffs. Don’t worry about your fingerprints if any, these can be wiped off later. Contact us right away if something is wrong at this stage or if you believe you have received the “clear” instead of “matte” or a scratched / damaged protector. 

Damaged Item / Wrong Item - Get in touch:

We have one of the best QC processes in place but mistakes happen and we ask that you give us a chance to make things right. We have a team of customer service heroes that answer all emails within 24 hours, 365 days per year. Just email us at online@expertshield.com. 

What could go wrong?

• There are scuffs and scratches on the actual protector and NOT on the protective film. Your Expert Shield may have been returned to Amazon marked as "unopened" even though it was used / previously applied. Contact us right away for a replacement. 

• Your Expert Shield is mis-labelled and you receive the Crystal Clear instead of the Anti Glare. Contact us right away for a replacement. 

• The "Step 2" tab may tear off without removing the protective mask. This happens sometimes resulting is a gluey mess that is ONLY on the protective mask and NOT on your actual protector. If the tab tore off at this stage, its easy to use your fingers to ripple over one of the edges to try to separate the layers. You can then simply peel it off once you get it to separate. The protective film is not needed during installation. Please see "Blue Tabs Tore Off" section for more information click here BLUE TABS. 

Prepare for Battle - Dust and Oil are the enemies!

Things to have ready: toothpicks, lint-free cloth, transparent tape or painter’s tape, glass cleaner or rubbing alcohol.

Trapped dust can really ruin a nice day. Here's how to get around it. To begin, you want to look for a dust free area and while it may not be the cleanest room in the house, it certainly can be the most dust free - your bathroom. The key is humidity, the denser / heavier the air, the harder it is for dust or other particles to float around. So either run hot water, use a humidifier or just ask someone to take a hot shower......and get out of the bathroom!

Step 1: Clean and Cover

Clean your screen thoroughly. Use the lint-free cloth along with glass cleaner or alcohol to ensure any finger oils are removed from your screen. Oils or organic materials from you finger nails will damage the ESgel. Be careful not to push debris into the corners with your cloth. Use a toothpick to get debris out of the corners if needed. 

Finally, use large piece of painter's tape to cover the entire screen, rub it on and let it pick up any contaminants left by the cloth or by accident, you may have missed a spot. 

Just rub on and peel the tape away when you are ready to apply the protector. This way there is no pressure, go ahead, go to the loo - it's right there. Stop holding it in. Those dust particles will not get through the tape. 

TIP: Never touch the underside of the screen protector once you remove the protective film and expose the ESgel. Have a few strips of painter's tape ready, use the tape to act as handles to help you manipulate the protector or use the toothpick instead of your fingers if you need leverage. We have tested all the major brands of painter's tape in UK and USA - the sticky part will not damage the ESgel. In fact you can use it against the ESgel to pull dust off of it if any gets embedded. 

Step 2: Align and Practice

Practice aligning the protector onto the screen, some protectors are not symmetrical so look carefully at the corners or the sides to see if there are curves or contours that would fit better if you rotated the protector 180 degrees. Go ahead and rotate it at least once to see if it is a better fit. You don’t want any corners or sides to overhang off the edge of the LCD or to touch any of the sides of the LCD bezel if the LCD sits below the frame.

Once you are happy with how it is aligned, use tape to hold it aligned to one edge so that you can drop it back down a few times and make sure that it will fall correctly in place. The tape acts as a “hinge” to allow the protector to lift and fall in place. Now you are ready to expose the ESgel by removing the protective film (Step #1) and let the protector drop into place and "cling" to the LCD.

Step 3: Peel and Apply like a Band-Aid

Peel back the protective layer and as you pull it away, use your fingers to push down and secure the protector onto the LCD from one edge to the other (like applying a band-aid where you place one edge on first and then slowly pull away the underside and seal it as you work towards the other edge).

The protector will "cling" immediately to the LCD, but also to any dust or debris once exposed, so you want to do this quickly without hesitation. This is why aligning it and practicing letting it drop in place a few times is important. This needs to be done quickly to avoid getting dust trapped or touching the screen by accident. Don’t hesitate now…..

Avoid touching the clean LCD with your fingers while you install (remember all the trouble you went through to clean the screen) and NEVER touch the underside of the protector. Peel away just like a band-aid and watch the protector seal. Don't worry if you see bubbles forming, we will address that later. 

Once the protector seals in place, use a credit card or your finger wrapped with our cloth and start pushing the bubbles out to its nearest edge and if you see that looks like a pimple with a dot in the middle.....that's a dust particle! It got through all our defences! Don't weep now.....see bubble trouble. 

Take a look at our video here to see these steps in action.

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