Best Teleprompter Font Size & Line Spacing for Easy Reading
Font size and line spacing affect delivery quality, not just comfort. Recommended settings for phone, tablet, and monitor setups.
Font size and line spacing don't just affect comfort — they affect delivery quality. Text that is too small forces you to squint or lean forward, and text that is too tight causes your eyes to jump to the wrong line. Here are specific recommendations by device and setup.
Recommended Font Sizes
| Device | Distance | Font Size |
|---|---|---|
| Phone (iPhone) | Arm's length (~60 cm) | 24–32 pt |
| Tablet (iPad) | Desk distance (~80 cm) | 32–44 pt |
| Laptop screen | Standard desk (~65 cm) | 28–36 pt |
| External monitor | Across a desk (~100 cm) | 40–56 pt |
| Stage monitor | 3–5 meters away | 60–100 pt |
The test is simple: can you read the text without squinting or leaning forward? If not, bump the size up. Not sure where to start? Use the font size calculator — enter your screen size and viewing distance for a personalized recommendation. You can also experiment right now in the web teleprompter — the font size slider goes from 18 to 44 pt.
Line Spacing (Line Height)
Line spacing controls how much vertical room sits between each line of text. Tighter spacing fits more words on screen but increases the chance of losing your place. Looser spacing makes reading effortless at speed.
| Line Spacing | Best For |
|---|---|
| 1.2x (tight) | Large monitors where you want maximum text visible |
| 1.5x (comfortable) | Most setups — good balance of readability and density |
| 1.8–2.0x (loose) | Fast scroll speeds, small screens, beginners |
| 2.0x+ (very loose) | Stage presentations where the reader is far from the screen |
Characters Per Line
The width of each line matters just as much as font size. Research on reading speed shows that 35–50 characters per line is the sweet spot for scrolling text. Wider lines force your eyes to sweep horizontally, which is slow and tiring. Narrower lines cause too many line breaks in the middle of phrases.
Use the line wrapper tool to reformat existing scripts to your target character width. The tool lets you choose from Narrow (36 chars), Standard (42), Wide (48), or Cinema (56).
How Font Size Affects Eye Contact
Bigger text = less eye movement = more natural eye contact on camera. When letters are large, you can absorb a full phrase with a quick glance, then look back at the lens to deliver it. With small text, your eyes track across the screen continuously, and viewers see you reading.
If you struggle with the "reading look," try increasing your font size by 4–6 pt before changing anything else. It's the single easiest fix. For more delivery tips, see our natural reading guide.
Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet
| Setting | Beginner | Intermediate | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Font size (phone) | 30–32 pt | 26–28 pt | 22–24 pt |
| Line spacing | 2.0x | 1.6x | 1.3x |
| Characters/line | 36 | 42 | 50 |
| WPM | 130 | 150 | 170 |
Start with the Beginner column and work your way right as you get comfortable. There is no rush — even seasoned news anchors use larger text than you might expect.
Ready to record? GoTeleprompter is free on iPhone and iPad.
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