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KenDallas · Sep 2, 2005, 09:12 AM

Greetings everyone...

My PowerBook screen constantly gets marks from my keyboard. I have read of people having similar issues and recommendations of ScreenSavrz from Radtech. Well, I went ahead and purchased on of these and have been using it for a little over a month. The problem persists. The keyboard marks keep showing up even during period that I am not traveling, meaning I dont put the laptop into my computer bag where the lid might be exposed to a bit of pressure against the keyboard.

During this period the laptop simply sits on my desk with its screen opened and shut perhaps a couple of times a day. After a few days of opening and shutting the lid with the ScreenSavrz still on the keybaord the marks reappear.

The only thig that I can think of is that perhaps the screen is screwed on a little too tight by apple and wonder if this can result in damage to the screen. Aside from the possibility of causing damage to the screen it is bothering the heck out of me to have to clean these marks, which is a pain to begin with, every 3-4 days.

Hopefully someone on here has a solution to this problem.

Thanks guys,
Ken.

kmarketing · Sep 2, 2005, 09:52 AM

Hi,

Are those marks removable? Powerbooks have an issue where the keyboard actually scratches the screen. Is that the case with yours? If yes, then you cannot take them off.

I just slide a couple of sheets of regular printer paper between the keyboard and screen. It works great.

Good Luck!

sxates · Sep 2, 2005, 10:14 AM

I think the marks keyboards usually make on screens is actually due to the skin oils on the keys, not the keys themselves. So even though there's not much pressure there when you casually close it, so you wouldn't expect it to scratch, the slightest contact will transfer the oils over, and that's what messes with the LCD coating. So to fully avoid that, you'll have to put something between the keyboard and screen everytime you close it.

I haven't had much problem with mine, but I use an external keyboard a lot and don't have particularly oily hands. If you have a bit more oil (or use lotions or anything else that might rub off to the keyboard) you might want to wipe down the keyboard with some frequency too to try to cut down on any build up.

teknopimp · Sep 2, 2005, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by sxates

I think the marks keyboards usually make on screens is actually due to the skin oils on the keys, not the keys themselves.

on my tibooks both oils and keys left marks on the screen. never had either occur on my pb12 or ibook.

siflippant · Sep 2, 2005, 11:03 AM

Apologies if this has been asked before...

But does iKlear help get rid of these marks?

Randman · Sep 2, 2005, 11:21 AM

Get some wildpeepz from Radtech.

KenDallas · Sep 2, 2005, 05:42 PM

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Here is my issue though, if there is no pressure on the screen (ie: I am not shutting the lid and piling a stack of books on top of it) AND I am using something like the ScreenSavrz, why is the screen still touching the keyboard?

One would think that when the lid is shut the screen would not be making contact with the keyboard. I will be looking into getting some Wildeepz though and see if that makes a difference.

phuture · Sep 2, 2005, 09:48 PM

Just like kmarketing, I just put a sheet of folder paper over the keyboard before closing the lid, plus I clean the keyboard every week or so, and I haven't had any marks since.

I think it's oily fingers that are doing it, since your laptop lives on your desk and you aren't throwing it into a backpack every day or anything like that, hence, no pressure on the top of the lid.

Give the keyboard a good wiping down, then wash your hands and cover the keyboard with a sheet of paper every time u put it to sleep for the next few days, then see what happens.

Macpilot · Sep 2, 2005, 10:16 PM

Have you tried to clean the marks with the ScreenSavrz thing from Radtech?

I just got an old TiBook and was able to get 90% of the marks off the screen using the cloth and some screen cleaner.

If you use the ScreenSavrz thing religiously, you will never get permanent marks.

NateEssex · Sep 3, 2005, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by kmarketing

I just slide a couple of sheets of regular printer paper between the keyboard and screen. It works great.

Good Luck!

I never even thought of that. I bought one of those foam pads they sell in the Apple store and I feel like it's too thich and putting stress on the hinge. I'm going to try regular white paper and see how I do.

Thanks!

kmarketing · Sep 3, 2005, 02:36 PM

that's exactly why i used regular paper rather than the pads, or even some of the microfiber/felt sheets. i use the paper on any and all laptops that i have owned.

KenDallas · Sep 3, 2005, 03:56 PM

Help me understand something...

Why are the marks showing up even when I am using the ScreenSavrs sheet religiously? I will definitely try using paper instead to see if that makes any difference.

crooner · Sep 3, 2005, 04:39 PM

I’ve tried many of the keyboard covers to protect the screen but settled on this as my favorite. It not only protects the screen but the top lid. (It doubles as a cleaning cloth, too!)

http://www.acmemade.com/powerbook.html

JKT · Sep 5, 2005, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by KenDallas

Help me understand something...

Why are the marks showing up even when I am using the ScreenSavrs sheet religiously? I will definitely try using paper instead to see if that makes any difference.

Could it be slipping out the sides and thus leaving the screen exposed? Other than that, I can't see how it would be possible myself... although, I have no idea what these ScreenSavrs are made from, so maybe your oily deposits are leaching through the material that they consist of?

Personally, I use a sheet of A4 OHP acetate, with an asymmetric slot for the trackpad button cut out of it (so I always put it on the keyboard with the same sides always up/down) to protect mine and I have never experienced any markings since I started doing so over a year ago.

Actually, that may be another possibility - are you always 100% certain that you put your saver the same way up/down on the keyboard? If you don't, you could conceivably get transfer from what was the keyboard facing side of the saver to the screen when it was inverted.

KenDallas · Sep 5, 2005, 11:42 AM

Thanks for your response.

I am possitive that the sheet is not slipping at all, it has a nice fit to it, and I put the same side outwards every time. The sheet has "PowerBook" written on top and very large letters and I keep these letters pointed upwards at all time.

Your explanation about the oils from the keyboard leaching through is a plausible explaination. The close is made from something that RadTech calls OpTex, it feels very much like microfiber to the touch. You can take a look at it here : http://www.radtech.us/Products/NotebookScreensavRz.aspx

Here is another consideration, the marks always appear on the bottom half of the screen leading me to believe that the upper half of the keys on the keyboard are the ones pressing hard against the screen. Noting this, I shut the lid and noticed that the lower side of the screen is VERY tightly screewed to the computer as compared to the top of the screen that clicks shut. There is hardle any room betweent he lower side of the screen and the computer when the screen is shut.

There is a possibility of solving this problem by somehow increasing the gap between the lid and the computer toward the bottom side of the screen when the lid is shut. I wonder if there is way to accomplish this.

Originally Posted by JKT

Could it be slipping out the sides and thus leaving the screen exposed? Other than that, I can't see how it would be possible myself... although, I have no idea what these ScreenSavrs are made from, so maybe your oily deposits are leaching through the material that they consist of?

Personally, I use a sheet of A4 OHP acetate, with an asymmetric slot for the trackpad button cut out of it (so I always put it on the keyboard with the same sides always up/down) to protect mine and I have never experienced any markings since I started doing so over a year ago.

Actually, that may be another possibility - are you always 100% certain that you put your saver the same way up/down on the keyboard? If you don't, you could conceivably get transfer from what was the keyboard facing side of the saver to the screen when it was inverted.

mhuie · Sep 5, 2005, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by KenDallas

Help me understand something...

Why are the marks showing up even when I am using the ScreenSavrs sheet religiously? I will definitely try using paper instead to see if that makes any difference.

It's probably dust from the ScreenSavrs that is sticking to the residual oil that was there on the screen before. Try cleaning your screen thoroughly and see it the marks come back. That and wash your ScreenSavrs, it seems to attact dust easily