Document Camera Tips and Guidelines
Document Formatting
- Use landscape format. Remember that document cameras feed as video, which has a 4:3 (or landscape) layout. This is the opposite of most printed documents.
- Use san-serif fonts, 30 pt minimum size, bold text.
- Light blue and light green (not pastel) papers are often more readable than plain white because they minimize glare
- If writing by hand, use a thick felt-tip pen or marker-- ball point, rollerball, and pencil will be difficult to view
- If possible, frame the entire document rather than panning around while magnified
Lights
- If room light is interfering with the image, try tilting the document camera few degrees in any direction to change the light angle (use a book!)
Objects
- Determining the best zoom and lighting angles for showing objects (which can range in size from a small button to the entire tray of the camera) can take time-- if possible, test in advance!
- Be sure to cover the document camera tray if using objects which can leak on, dirty, or damage it.
Computer Display and Powerpoint
Many document cameras can double as an input source for computer display... but remember that when doing so, the image is being "dithered" to video resolution, which is quite low
- Orient documents in landscape mode (the default in Powerpoint)
- Use 30pt or larger fonts
- Don't use a slide or screen design that is cluttered with decoration-- there is very little usable space already
- Break text up onto multiple slides... and ideally make the slides available to the participants for download and/or on paper