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Resources for Teaching via ATM:
Guidelines for on-screen presentations
Computer monitors have a much higher resolution than most television monitors. Therefore, the presentations you create for display in an ATM room need special consideration and must be designed differently than you might for a regular computer or print presentation.
Useable Screen Area
The useable area of a TV screen is only 80 - 85%.
To ensure that all of your content displays appropriately ...
Do not go right to the edges of the screen.
Leave a 1 - 1 1/2 inch border around the edges of your presentation.
Do not exceed a maximum of 5 - 7 words or 30 characters and spaces per line.
Do not exceed 9 lines of text per screen.
Center the information on the screen.
Television is a horizontal medium. As such, vertical visuals do not work as well. The aspect ratio for television is 4 units by 3 units of measurement.
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Font Face
For best results, choose a sans-serif font such as Arial or Verdana.
Serif fonts such as Times New Roman are difficult to read on screen and are much better suited for printed materials.
As a general guideline, use no more than two different fonts in your presentation. Using more than two fonts will create visual clutter on the screen.
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Font Size
Projecting text on a screen requires that font sizes larger than normal be used to ensure that text is more readable. You may be used to 10 point or 12 point fonts, but when projecting onto a TV or overhead screen, you will need a much larger size.
The equipment used for viewing affects readability, as can how far readers with different eyesight levels are from the screen.
When in doubt, make your fonts larger!
| Font Recommendations |
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| Headings / Titles |
Body Text |
| Viewing on a TV Screen |
40 - 48 pt |
30 - 36 pt |
Viewing on a LCD Quad
(overhead screen) |
64 - 72 pt |
42 - 56 pt |
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Font Style
Creating Emphasis
Use different font styles to emphasize differences between page elements.
Suggested techniques:bold, color, size, indentations, white space, bullets
Underlining
Underlining should be avoided, but if absolutely necessary use a line at least 3 pt thick so that it does not create vibration on the television screen.
All Caps
It is difficult to read all UPPERCASE letters. A combination of lower case and Upper Case letters should be used.
Font Color
The color you choose for your fonts is very important, particularly if you are using a color background.
Bright, saturated colors are difficult to read on a television screen.
Avoid colors that are very light (e.g. white) or very dark (e.g. black).
A dark background and lighter colored font work best on a television screen.
Example: light blue or pale yellow on dark blue or dark gray
| Good Font Color Examples |
|
| On Dark Blue |
On Dark Gray |
| Light Blue
| Light Blue |
Light Blue |
| Pale Yellow
| Pale Yellow |
Pale Yellow |
Avoid red as a text color. Red letters tend to "bleed" into each other, making reading difficult.
Limit your presentation to 3 - 4 colors to avoid a rainbow effect.
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Background Color
Just as the color of your fonts is important, so is the color of your background.
The camera makes dark darker and light lighter.
Do not use a white background for television output.
Avoid pattern backgrounds.
Avoid large solid blocks of white, black, and red.
| Bad Background Color Examples |
| White
| Black |
Red |
If using a laptop with the scan converter:
use a dark background color for slides
If using the document scanner:
print in landscape mode on light pastel paper
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