Troubleshooting & Help

Give it a quick hard refresh — Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac or Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows. If it still won’t load, it’s usually a brief connection hiccup — wait a moment and give it another go.

Make sure you’ve chosen any required options first — things like size, wattage and lens — then add to cart. If it still won’t add, refresh the page and give it one more go.

Let the page finish loading fully before you interact with it — give it a few seconds. If it still feels stuck, refresh, or switch to a different browser (Chrome works best). Want a hand picking the right projector? Use our Find My Projector tool.

This is almost always your internet connection. Refresh the page and the images should fill back in.

Use the search bar at the top of the page, or let our Find My Projector tool narrow things down by your space, distance and goals.

Double-check the code for typos (spaces and zeros vs. the letter O catch a lot of people). Some codes have conditions or an end date. If it should be working, reach out and we’ll sort it out for you.

The site adapts to your screen size. Rotate your phone, or give the page a refresh if something looks off — it should snap back into place.

Slow loads are usually the network. Refresh the page; if it keeps dragging, it may be something temporary on our end and should clear up shortly.

Double-check your card number, expiration and billing zip code. If it still won’t go through, use a different browser or a different card. Still stuck? Contact us and we’ll help you get it placed.

First, check your spam or junk folder — confirmations sometimes land there. If there’s still no confirmation, contact us right away with the date and the amount and we’ll confirm your order on our end.

Check your spam and promotions folders first. Still nothing? Contact us with your name and order details and we’ll track it down.

Contact us as soon as you can — we can usually make changes or cancel before your order ships.

Your tracking number is emailed to you the moment your order ships. If it’s been longer than you’d expect, contact us and we’ll check on it for you.

Three things control brightness: the projector’s wattage (light output), how much light is already in the room, and how big you’re making the image. A gobo projection only pops when its light clearly beats the surrounding light — bright daylight or a well-lit store needs far more wattage than a dark wall at night. Two quick wins: make the image smaller (doubling the image width spreads the same light over four times the area, so it looks a quarter as bright) and aim at a darker, less-lit surface. Also note a full-color (multi-color) gobo is naturally dimmer than a one-color gobo, because the colored layers block more light. To match the right wattage to your exact space, use our Wattage Finder or let Find My Projector size it for you. In direct sunlight, a gobo projection isn’t viable — that’s a job for daytime signage.

A few causes: a full-color gobo passes less light than a one-color design, so colors read softer in a bright room — give it a darker surface or more wattage. The surface itself matters too: a white or light matte wall reflects color beautifully, while dark, colored, textured or shiny surfaces mute or distort it. And if the room is too bright for the unit, everything looks faded — see “dim or washed out” above. Not sure which glass or wattage you need? Ask a specialist and we’ll match it to your install.

Turn the focus ring on the lens slowly until the edges snap sharp — most blur is just focus. If it won’t sharpen across the whole image, check that the projector is roughly square to the surface (a steep angle blurs one side) and that the glass gobo and lens are clean — a fingerprint or dust haze softens everything. Wipe gently with a microfiber cloth, lens off. Each lens also has a focus range; if you’re far outside the distance that lens is built for, it may never fully sharpen — our team can confirm the right lens for your distance.

That banding is almost always the camera, not the projector — your phone or camera’s shutter speed is out of sync with the LED. To the eye the projection looks perfectly steady. Fix it by setting the camera’s shutter/frame rate to match your region (1/50 or 1/60 works well), lowering the shutter speed, or using your camera’s “anti-flicker” / 50Hz–60Hz setting. If you genuinely see flicker by eye, let us know.

Image size comes from your lens and your distance, and the math is simple: image width ≈ lens number × distance. Our standard 0.33 lens throws about a 3.3 ft image from 10 ft away. Want it bigger from the same spot? Move the projector back, or step up to the wider 0.50 lens. Need it smaller or sharper from farther away? Use the 0.25 lens. We offer the 0.25, 0.33 and 0.50 lenses — pick the one whose number lands your target size at your install distance. Not sure? Find My Projector works it out for you.

A trapezoid (wider at the top or one side) means the projector isn’t aimed straight at the surface. The cleanest fix is to mount it as square to the wall or floor as you can — ideally within about 30° of straight-on. When you can’t mount dead-center, use keystone correction to square the image back up, or order a pre-corrected gobo whose artwork is warped to land straight. See our keystone correction guide for the full walkthrough.

Gobos are installed in a specific orientation — if the image is flipped or reversed, the glass is simply in backwards or rotated. Power down, open the gobo holder, and reseat the gobo the correct way around (most have a coated side that faces a set direction). For text and logos especially, check it against a test projection before final mounting. To re-center, nudge the projector’s aim or the gobo in its holder. Step-by-step here: how to change your gobo.

Start with power: confirm it’s plugged into a working outlet, the switch is on, and any inline power supply is fully seated. If the unit powers up but you see no projection, check that a gobo is installed and the lens cap is off, and that the lens shutter (if any) is open. Use a different outlet to rule out the socket. Still nothing? Contact us with your model and what you’re seeing and we’ll help.

Most remote issues are a tired battery — swap in a fresh one first and pull any plastic pull-tab on a new remote. Point it at the projector with a clear line of sight (no blockage) and stay within range. If your unit pairs to its remote, re-pair it per the manual. Need a backup? A second remote is available as an add-on. Still no response after a fresh battery? Let us know.

These run warm, and they protect themselves with thermal shutoff. Make sure the vents are clear and unobstructed — never box the unit in or cover the airflow — and keep it out of direct sun and away from other heat sources. Give it room to breathe. For longevity, run it within a sensible duty cycle of about 8–10 hours a day rather than truly nonstop; if you need 24/7, ask us about a unit rated for continuous use. If it’s shutting off with good ventilation, contact us.

Always power down and let the unit cool first. Open the gobo holder, lift out the glass by the edges (skin oils smudge the image), and seat the new gobo in the correct orientation. To clean, wipe gently with a dry microfiber cloth; for stubborn marks use a touch of lens cleaner on the cloth, never poured on the glass. Our full guide walks you through it: how to change your gobo.

Only an outdoor-rated (weatherproof) unit belongs outside — check the model’s IP rating before exposing it to weather, and use a weatherproof enclosure for indoor-rated units. Mount it solidly so wind can’t shift the aim, point the lens slightly downward so rain runs off rather than pooling, and use a GFCI-protected outdoor outlet. In cold or humid conditions, give the unit time to acclimate so condensation doesn’t fog the lens. Tell us your setup and we’ll recommend the right outdoor configuration: contact us.

Each behaves differently. Clear glass won’t catch an image — light passes through it; you need rear-projection film or a frosted/etched surface for the image to land. Moving water (a pool or fountain) makes the image shimmer and break up — aim at the still deck or a wall instead. Dark, colored or shiny surfaces reflect far less of your light, so the projection looks dim and the colors shift — a light, matte surface always reads best. When in doubt, brighter wattage and a smaller image help; our Wattage Finder and a specialist can confirm what will work on your exact surface.

Interactive units use a sensor that has to “see” the play area cleanly. Make sure the sensor lens isn’t blocked or dirty, the projector is mounted at the height the system expects, and nothing (a low ceiling fixture, a person standing under it) is interrupting its view. Most units need a quick calibration so the touch zones line up with the projected image — re-run the calibration step from the menu. Strong sunlight or competing infrared can also confuse the sensor, so dim, even lighting works best. Still unresponsive after recalibrating? Contact us.

For interactive units, mounting height sets the play-area size — mount higher for a larger floor or wall area, lower for a smaller, brighter one. After you change the height, re-run the calibration so the touch zones match the new projected image (otherwise taps land in the wrong spot). If you need a specific area size for your room, tell us the dimensions and ceiling height and we’ll give you the exact mounting height: contact us.