: Using gray font, is it OK? I am writing a math draft in PDF format. Is it OK to use gray font for the parts of math proofs I remove but retain? If somebody print my PDF, will gray fonts

@Miguel516

How best to emphasize a portion of your paper?

All printers can easily reproduce grey text. The issue with grey text is that of sufficient contrast to be legible and easily readable.

Legibility will be an issue where symbols are used. Mathematic is heavy with problematic situations.Here's where you should look for them


Superscripts
Subscripts
Limits (the little arrows and lemniscate)
Integrals
Italics for unknowns
Small sizes of roman styles tend to lose their serifs
Heavy contrast fonts—the thick/thin parts proportions


Readability will be an issue in the typeface you choose. Try the worst part of your manuscript to use a few different faces so that you can find one that reads well. Lucida is a large family to accommodate anything you need for styles, formats, and foreign language glyph and symbol support. Stone is another great face for you. OCR works well on either of them.

Make a sample. Do a little of what you propose to use on a single page as a PDF. Photocopy it without any adjustments on a public photocopier. The resulting copy will represent what you can expect your work will look like after you release it into the wild.

Critically evaluate the result. Make any adjustments you think necessary and re-test your sample, etc. When you get a satisfactory result, you have achieved a reasonable expectation of your work.

This is an opportunity to be creative and informative. Good stuff.

Vote Up Vote Down

@Lee3735518

Is it OK to use gray font for the parts of math proofs I remove but
retain?


Not sure how a graphic designer could answer this.


If somebody print my PDF, will gray fonts work well with all modern
printers?


Yes, generally speaking if you have enough contrast a printer will be fine printing gray colors.


Also which RGB value do you suggest for "grayed out" font?


I don't believe there is any strict rule for this and the use of color for "grayed out" font depends on context. On the internet, a website can use a cursor mouse hover "not-allowed" or have text with a strike through it.

But colors that have enough distinction from being black and still readable could be:

50% Gray: RGB(125,125,125)

60% Gray: RGB(153,153,153), <- lighter

Using a gray brighter than 75%+ may be hard for some users to read on a white background.



If the font is a different color than B&W and you want a "grayed out" text look then you can use the HSB color model to change the base color.

Lower the saturation and increase the brightness value.

Vote Up Vote Down