“Black print on white or cream paper produces the best legibility. Negative type, that is, white type on a black background is 11% slower to read. Glossy, matt and coloured papers (red, green, pink and blue) reduce the legibility. Also lettering printed in different colours—red, green, white and blue print on white or coloured paper is a disadvantage.”

—Albert Kapr, summarizing previous research, The Art of Lettering; The History, Anatomy, and Aesthetics of the Roman Letter Forms, 1983.