Abstract: A system for applying a protective layer to a substrate, such as an electronic device, includes the protective layer, a dust removal layer on a contact surface of the protective layer, and a release film, or release liner, on a dust removal surface of the dust removal layer. The system may also include an application liner on an outer surface of the protective layer, opposite from the dust removal layer. A dust removal adhesive on the dust removal surface may clean a surface of the substrate to which the protective layer is to be secured. The dust removal layer may include two or more separate or separable sections, as well as pair of adjacent tabs on opposite sides of a boundary between adjacent sections of the dust removal layer. The adjacent tabs may facilitate removal of the adjacent sections of the dust removal layer from the contact surface of the protective layer to facilitate adhesion of the protective layer to the surface of the substrate.