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Color Samples The following samples use colors illustrated by David Siegel on his pages. He displays each background color on a different page, but only because the browser he was using doesn't allow cell coloring. As he points out on his page, these colors may not display properly on systems that don't support true colors. My system is running in 256-color mode, and I know I don't see these colors correctly. This is an example of using the "Minty Green Background" for your text. The RGB color value for this is "#EEFFFA". This is an example of using the "Light Blue Background" for your text. The RGB color value for this is "#F8F8FF". This is an example of using the "Yellow Background" for your text. The RGB color value for this is "#FFFFF2". This is an example of using the "The Pink Background" for your text. The RGB color value for this is "#FFF5FF". This is an example of using the "The Gray Background" for your text. The RGB color value for this is "#EEEEEE". This is an example of using the "The White Background" for your text. The RGB color value for this is "#FFFFFF".

Do you have a common newspaper handy? If so, go take a look at it. It is important to remember that newspapers have been in the business of publishing printed information for a long time.

What color is the background? Is it PURE white? No. While it probably would not be profitable for newspapers to get pure white paper to print their copy on, it is doubtful that they would, even if they could. One of the most important presentation features for newspapers and other printed material is to make sure that there is enough contrast between the type and the medium, so the reader doesn't have to work hard to read the information. The second most important aspect is to make sure that the layout and formatting keep the reader's interest, and encourage them to continue reading. And thirdly, the construction of the information should not annoyingly fatigue the reader.

If newspapers used pure black ink on pure white paper, it might result in very high contrast, but it would also cause headaches and eye strain as the newsprint burned itself onto your retinas. (Ouch!) This is also the reason why you might want to use colors other than #FFFFFF for the default background color for your Web pages.

On this page, I am using a background color of "#EEEEFF", which is essentially a very light blue-toned gray. For background colors, you want to use very light colors in most cases, and use black text (at least for the body text). Colors, low contrast, and reversed text (light text on a dark background) should be used only for special effects.

If you look at the sidebar and don't notice much difference between some of the colors I use, I expect that your display is running in 256-color mode. I could launch into a long discussion on color palettes and how the system manages various color palettes between applications... but I won't. Suffice it to say that Internet Explorer is creating a set of colors, and you are only allowed to use colors that are within that set. If you try to use a color that Internet Explorer hasn't prepared, it will give you the closest color it can find within this set. So while it is a good idea to select very light colors for the background of your pages, if you want to make sure that your pages look the same on all systems, it is also a good idea to select colors from the palette being created by Internet Explorer. Fortunately, I've made this easier for you by creating a page that shows you what these colors are.

Robert B. Hess roberth@microsoft.com	One Microsoft Way Redmond WA, 98052-6399

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