Guide

How far should a teleprompter be from the camera?

Short answer: as close to the lens as you can get it. The distance between your text and the camera is what decides whether you look like you're reading — here's the why, and how to set it up.

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The rule: close to the lens

The single most important teleprompter setting isn't font or speed — it's where the text sits relative to the lens. Your goal is the smallest possible angle between your eyes and the camera, because that angle is exactly what viewers read as eye contact.

Text right at the camera line = a tiny angle = it looks like you're talking to the viewer. Text low on a big monitor, or on a phone off to the side = a large angle = it looks like you're reading. Everything else about positioning follows from this one idea.

Software vs hardware: how close each gets

  • Beam-splitter rig (hardware): text is reflected directly over the lens — effectively zero angle. The gold standard, best in a fixed studio.
  • Teleprompter app under the webcam (software): text at the top-center of the screen, just below the lens — a small angle that's hard to detect on a laptop.
  • Phone or tablet beside the camera: a larger offset — usable, but the eye drift is more visible.
  • Notes on a second monitor: the worst case — a big angle that clearly reads as looking away.

How to get it right at a computer

Put the prompter window at the top-center of your screen, directly under the webcam. Keep the column narrow and the font large so you read in short phrases and your eyes barely move. Then let the text scroll with your voice so you're not chasing a fixed speed — pace is the other half of looking natural.

That's exactly how Lumi is built: the prompter sits at the camera line and follows your voice, on Mac, Windows, or the web. For the eye-contact technique, see how to read a script while looking at the camera.

Frequently asked questions

How far should a teleprompter be from the camera?+
The text should be as close to the lens as possible — ideally right at the camera line. The farther the text sits from the lens, the larger the angle your eyes travel, and the more obvious it is that you're reading. On a beam-splitter rig the text is effectively at zero angle (over the lens); with software, put the prompter window directly under the webcam.
Why does the distance matter so much?+
It's about the angle between your pupils and the lens. Viewers read eye contact from that angle. A few degrees off still looks like you're looking at them; a large offset — text low on a big screen, or a phone off to the side — reads as 'looking away.' Closer text means a smaller angle and better apparent eye contact.
How far should I sit from the camera?+
For a talking-head shot, an arm's length to a couple of feet is typical — close enough that a large teleprompter font is easy to read at a glance. The farther you sit, the bigger the font needs to be, but the eye-angle to a text window just under the lens stays small, which is what matters.
Where do I put the text on a laptop?+
At the top-center of the screen, directly under your webcam. That's the closest a software prompter can get to the lens. Keep the text window narrow and the font large so you read in short phrases without your eyes drifting down the screen.
Do I need a beam-splitter to get the text at the lens?+
No. A beam-splitter rig reflects text directly over the lens and is ideal in a fixed studio, but for recording at a computer, a teleprompter app placed at the camera line gets you most of the way with no hardware. That's how Lumi works on Mac, Windows, and the web.

Get your script right at the camera line

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