3D Printed Teleprompter Takes the Fear Out of Video Presentations

A lot of business is done via video these days, and if you’ve ever had to make a video presentation or speech, you’ll know that it’s not much less intimidating than making one in person. There’s still a lot to remember, which almost makes you envy politicians who have all of their lines delivered to them by a teleprompter. If you work in media, where video presentations are a regular requirement, a teleprompter would be great to have – which is exactly what engineer Richard Smith thought when he decided to design the PTP2 Teleprompter.

PTP stands for Printed Teleprompter, because most of it is 3D printed. According to Smith, it is a studio quality teleprompter designed around larger iPads, tablets, PCs and displays. The lightweight device is adaptable to a variety of cameras, including professional video cameras and DSLRs. Smith has just launched the teleprompter on Kickstarter in an attempt to raise £2,000.

“I designed the teleprompter when I needed a teleprompter for a possible video project I was asked to film. I have been interested in videography as a hobby for some time. I am a design engineer and have used 3D printing for the past 15 years from its early days of self-build kits. For years I have designed for 3D printing and have built robotic vehicles using 3D printing,” Smith told 3DPrint.com.

“I have a 3D printer at home (an UP2) and use it to develop my own hobby projects outside of my work. The teleprompter is the latest. I have also developed other camera equipment and as a challenge I designed and built a 3D printed ROV (underwater vehicle) which was successful.”

The teleprompter is available either assembled and ready to use, or as a kit you can assemble yourself with 3D printed parts. The option to download the files and 3D print them yourself makes the PTP2 far less expensive than any commercial teleprompter you could buy; in the Kickstarter campaign, you have the option to download all the 3D printable files for only £15. For £60, you can download the files and you’ll also be sent the two major non-3D printed components, which are a blackout hood and a 3mm half mirror.

Even the fully assembled teleprompter will all of its components is less expensive than most teleprompters on the market, at a pledge rate of £200. A few specifications include:

• Teleprompter weight: 730g
• Maximum tablet size: 327mm x 260mm (12.8″ x 10.2″)
• Maximum tablet weight: 1kg
• Maximum camera weight: 3kg

Smith has also designed a smaller version of the teleprompter – the PTP1, which is designed to be used with mobile phones. That version may be released in the future, depending on the success of the PTP2.

So if you’re someone who stumbles over their words or just isn’t good at memorizing, you can still succeed at making video presentations with your own teleprompter. If you’re a skilled maker with a 3D printer, there’s barely any investment at all, and it could be a fun project, as well. The next time you make a video presentation, you can pretend you’re a politician as you read the words scrolling down the screen of your PTP2 – that’s sure to give you a confidence boost. The Kickstarter campaign for the PTP2 is running through October 21.

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