I've actually messed around trying to find out what exactly the difference is by removing the enclosure to measure vs measuring while it's on the heat while it's on, and how much difference it makes with bare spot vs the substrate covering it. There is a lot of factors, what temp the house is, what kind of ventilation, where the ventilation is, etc.
You best bet to making sure your hot spot doesn't get too hot is a thermometer with a probe that you can get the reading while the enclosure is on the pad and using the gun to check other spots in the enclosure to make sure you have a good, slow gradient. There is some variance even keeping my house at 74 year round and the reptile room naturally running a bit hotter because of the sheer amount of things being heated.
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