On a teleprompter it's not about beauty, it's about readability — from a distance, in low light, and under pressure. Text that's hard to read slows the actor down at exactly the moment they need help most. Yet a few typography principles make a huge difference. Here are the ones that really matter.
Match size to distance
The most important decision is font size relative to where the text is read from. What reads comfortably at half a metre on a monitor is illegible from the actor's position across the stage. Set the size to the real distance and check it on location, not at your desk.
Go for high contrast
On stage, light text on a dark background wins. A dark background doesn't spill light into the space, doesn't distract, and the eye finds light letters on it easily. Avoid low-contrast colour combinations — yellow on white or grey on black read badly under pressure.
Choose the font for readability, not taste
For fast reading at a distance, sans-serif fonts are usually a safe choice — simple and legible even at smaller sizes. Some people, though, do better with a serif typeface that guides the eye along the line. The point is to try both on your actual device and distance and pick whichever reads faster.
Mind line spacing and line length
Lines crammed too tight blur together; lines too long make it hard to return to the start of the next one. Generous line spacing and a sensible line length help the eye move smoothly from one line to the next — which is exactly what an actor on a teleprompter needs.
Highlight the current spot
When it's clear where you currently are, the actor orients themselves at a glance. Highlighting the active line — with colour, brightness, or position — speeds up orientation considerably, especially after a pause or a jump in the action.
How to do it in Theatre Prompter
Theatre Prompter gives you control over typography: you set the size, contrast, and display so they fit the specific stage and actors. The recommendation is always the same — don't fine-tune the settings at your desk, but on location, from the real actor's position.
Conclusion
Good teleprompter typography is invisible: the actor simply reads the text and carries on. Size matched to distance, high contrast, a readable font, airy line spacing, and a highlighted current spot — five settings that decide whether the teleprompter helps you or gets in the way.