Portable Projector Screens: Tripod vs Floor Pull-Up
Every other screen type in our range is installed once and stays put. A portable screen has the opposite job: it travels, sets up in minutes, and packs away when the room has to be a room again. That makes it the default choice for classrooms, meeting rooms, community halls, trade-show booths and backyard movie nights — anywhere the audience gathers but the wall is not yours to keep.
Our portable range has nine models in two formats, and the real decision is not size first — it is format. Here is how the two work, and how to pick.
The two formats
Tripod screens are the classic portable: a screen that hangs from a crossbar on a folding three-leg stand. You open the legs, raise the pole, unroll the screen, and you are presenting. We carry four tripod models from 70″ to 120″, including a 70″ × 70″ square model and a 100″ 16:9.
Floor pull-up screens keep the screen rolled inside a slim case that sits on the floor. Pull the fabric up, lock it at height, and present; afterwards it retracts into the case for storage and transport. We carry five floor models from 60″ to 100″.
Side by side
| Tripod | Floor pull-up | |
|---|---|---|
| Our range | 4 models, 70″–120″ | 5 models, 60″–100″ |
| Setup | Open legs, raise pole, unroll | Set case down, pull up, lock |
| Footprint | Needs floor space for the legs | Only the width of the case |
| Aspect ratios on our shelf | 1:1 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
| Watch out for | Legs can be bumped in a crowded room | The case is as long as the screen is wide — a 100″ case needs a vehicle that fits it |
Pick your size and format
Match the format to what you show most. For presentations, slides and data, the squarer formats still rule: our 4:3 floor models (60″ and 100″) and the 70″ × 70″ tripod suit boardrooms and classrooms running business projectors. For video and movie nights, go 16:9 — the 100″ tripod is our largest widescreen portable, and the floor range tops out at 100″ as well. If you present in a different room every week, the floor pull-up’s all-in-one case is the easier travel companion; if the screen mostly lives in one room and comes out for sessions, a tripod’s simplicity is hard to beat.
One expectation to set honestly: a portable screen trades some flatness for mobility. If the screen will actually never move, a fixed frame — the “best” flatness class in our range — is the better buy, and our comparison of motorized, fixed frame and manual screens explains why.
Don’t skip the throw distance
A portable screen usually means a projector that moves too, and every new room changes the geometry. Before the first session in a new space, check that your projector can fill the screen from the distance available: our throw distance guide explains the math in plain terms, and the free calculator on our Support page runs the numbers for dozens of current projector models.
Factory Direct Sale is one of Canada’s largest projector screen suppliers, and portable screens are the working end of our range — the screens that earn their keep in classrooms, halls and meeting rooms across the country. Browse the full portable range — tripod and floor pull-up models from 60″ to 120″ — or talk to us about which format fits your rooms.
