Blackness (typography)

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Blackness in typography is the apparent darkness of type as set on the page.

The blackness of an entire page of text, as determined by its average density, is called its colour. This is controlled by the typesetter or graphic designer, who can usually choose not only between different typefaces, but also between varying weights of the same basic typeface. Other ways to affect colour include the use of letterspacing to lighten a piece of copy.

Blackness is also a major consideration in typeface design, where it can be affected by factors such as the width of strokes relative to the width of entire letters, the orientation of strokes (if any), the x-height and set, kerning adjustments (if any), and others more. Many details can affect the impression of a typeface in subtle but important ways. Depending on the designer’s decisions, a typeface will be characteristically blacker or lighter, and its blackness will be more or less even across different letter shapes. Uneven blackness can imbue a typeface with a dynamic quality, but may also lead to a turbulent appearance that degrades readability, and is therefore an important measure of the quality of a typeface and a central criterion for its suitability for various purposes.

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