The Right Way to Use Text Colors

Flyers, newsletters, brochures, ads, business cards, etc. are all made to be “pleasing to the eye”; and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to add color to your document. Using colors is a great way to make documents stand out and be noticed, particularly when it comes to text. At the same time, these documents still need to look as professional as a black & white document. Follow these simple guidelines to make sure that the text in your document isn’t overdone with color.

More Is Not Always Better
If you use too many different colors in your document, it usually becomes something that is not easy to read or to even look at – which means that your audience will be lost. How many text colors is too many? Typically, you shouldn’t use anymore than 3 text colors for your whole document.

Color Schemes
The important part of using text colors is choosing the right combination of colors, called the color scheme. The key is to select a solid main color and other colors that compliment it and don’t clash with it. When you use Microsoft Publisher, publication wizards give you a nice selection of color schemes to choose from and will apply them in the right places in your publication. You can also go to The Color Schemer, select a main color from the left, and it will give you a palette of colors to go with it on the right.

Better Safe Than Sorry
Publications are meant to be printed; so it only makes sense to make sure that your document is “printer friendly”. This means that the colors that you choose need to print well. So before you call it a “final draft”, always print it first and make sure that the colors show up well and that they’re easy on your eyes. The best way to ensure this is to always use safe colors, meaning colors already pre-set. Never try to make your own custom colors unless it is a requirement in your specifications.

Keep Black In The Mix
Though you’ll be tempted to abandon black all together in your publications, it is not a wise thing to do. Use your carefully selected text colors for your headings, subheadings, taglines, and other important phrases; but the majority of your body text should remain black. After all, it’s still the easiest color to read.