Any way to darken black colour

[Jasnick]

A client wants darker text - I'm using black #000. Is there a way to darken it a little without going to Bold?

Thanks

[webdev1958]

I don't think you can get darker than black. #000 or rgb(0,0,0)

[xhtmlcoder]

No, no colour is black so you cannot get any darker; if anything it might be their monitor settings that are set too bright or the text too small. Giving the impression of a lighter colour.

[Jasnick]

Yes, they can have a choice between normal or bold. As it is a site for the over-50's I have already made the text 105% so it is larger than normal.

Thanks for replies.

[ralph.m]

Some fonts are 'thicker' than others (expert terminology ), so perhaps you just need a different font.

[Jasnick]

That's a thought, Ralph - will have a look to see if anything appeals - thanks!

[Mittineague]

My first thought was "lighten the background".

But I'm wondering if the monitor is making it look "glossy" and they want "flat".

I know there's a difference between subtractive and additive colors (paint vs. screen) but I'm wondering if there might be some trick that could result in a somewhat flat look.

[Jasnick]

I'm talking about black text on white background. Current font is verdana. As it is mostly the elderly using the site they want to make sure the text is really legible.

[Mittineague]

If you're using 000 text on FFF background that's all the contrast you'll get.

So that does leave finding a "crisp-edged" larger and thicker font and maybe adding letter spacing.

[alphabyte]

I'm talking about black text on white background. Current font is verdana. As it is mostly the elderly using the site they want to make sure the text is really legible.

Best bet is probably to try another font; but imho you could also use a light grey background rather than white - the glare of a completely white background can make the text harder to read, whereas light grey is a bit softer on the eyes.

[Stomme poes]

A client wants darker text - I'm using black #000.

Besides having them check their monitor settings (a monitor can wash out colours without difficulty), be aware of the potential problems with too high a contrast.

Namely, the negative impact it has on dyslexic readers.
More On Dyslexia » Spider Trax some thoughts

[Jasnick]

Yes, I'll definitely check out fonts and give them a choice of some that will still look nice.

Thanks for replies.

[Paul O'B]

Is there a colour darker than black?

If so I'm going to paint my house with that colour and then on some walls I'll just use black to brighten the place up a little.

A client wants darker text - I'm using black #000.

All joking aside as already mentioned above the text will vary depending on your monitor settings, the browser (and browser version) you are using, the system you are using (mac pc and whether cleartype is enabled) and the font and font weight that you have chosen. If its a relatively small font then it won't appear as dark as a bold font due to the anti aliased edges and the fact that there is not so much black to see.

So play around with different fonts and sizes but the first thing to check though would be your clients monitor settings. A lot of people turn the brightness and contrast up too much and nothing seems black.

I'm off to paint my house now

[Jasnick]

All good replies - thanks - will take it all on board

[C. Ankerstjerne]

The optimum legibility settings is something along the lines of:
Font family: Clear, large sans-serif fonts like Verdana, or screen-designed serif fonts like Georgia
Font size: 100% to 150% (depending on your font)
Line height: 130% to 150% (depending on your font)
Line width: About 40em (too much shorter will make it difficult to read quickly, too much longer will make it difficult to jump to the next line)
Font color: #000 (don't lighten the font to get a slightly lower contrast, see below)
Background color: #eee (or use a light cream colour, like #fefef0)

And as always: Use % or em rather than px, but I think you got that already

[Jasnick]

Thanks Christian - am letting them see the pale grey background to see how they like it. I think it is an improvement.

[C. Ankerstjerne]

Just for laughs, I set up a comparison page: Legibility Test Page

[gary.turner]

Just for laughs, I set up a comparison page: Legibility Test Page

On the "bad" example, take it one step further, and justify the text.

cheers,

gary

[Jasnick]

Thanks Christian - I heard back from my client re the grey background and she was surprised that I told her I had changed it from white. Her computer showed the background as pale yellow, not white. Isn't that strange - it just goes to show how different monitor settings render things.

[webdev1958]

- it just goes to show how different monitor settings render things.

I find that some colours render as a different shade of that colour on a Mac when compared to my Windows pc. I think the rendered colour also depends on the colour space profile the user is using for their monitor, which you can't control.

fwiw I'm using sRGB IEC61966-2.1 which seems to be the same or very close to what many local commercial printers are using for printing images, but that's another issue and I digress

[Stomme poes]

Her computer showed the background as pale yellow, not white. Isn't that strange - it just goes to show how different monitor settings render things.

This may actually be a setting, not a monitor foo.

Is your (website’s) underwear showing? – Jeffrey Zeldman Presents The Daily Report

Could be some default the client never changed or turned off.

[dresden_phoenix]

oh man.. this fall under clients are INDEED stupid. it also reminds of a shirt a coworker got me (" I am only wearing black until they invent something darker").

Returning to client stupidity tho, remeber many clients don't know how to communicate what they are envisioning. It is possible ( since you considered "bolding" to be a possibility) that the client doesnt mean make it darker... but make it heavier or that the client just want higher contrast ( background lighter)

be aware of the potential problems with too high a contrast.

Namely, the negative impact it has on dyslexic readers.

which is a good point. but that goes back to client education..

[Jasnick]

Some interesting responses in that link - thanks!

[Stomme poes]

Yeah especially as you get further down... there are people deliberately using it to reduce contrast at times.

[rmorrow]

Take it from someone that has had serious vision loss - the best contrast to use for low-vision people is a larger font size in white against a black background.

For someone with low-vision, black text will appear light gray until their vision degrades to where they can't see the text at all.

If you're using a Windows computer and want to see what the computer uses for high contrast, hold down the left-alt, left-shift and hit the prnt-scrn key on the keyboard. Tell it OK and it will switch to high contrast mode. Just repeat the keystrokes or restart the computer to return to your normal settings.