For academic textbooks, is there a "rule of thumb" in regards to the color of the text typography? We have a client that is requesting gray (70% black) text. We see that as being counter-productive and want to go 100% black. Thoughts?
Graphic designers sometimes use gray for short lengths of text, but I'd hesitate to use it for text that's lengthy (like a textbook) or text that's in a small point size.
If you're using gray for text you'll get best results using gray ink, rather than a screen tint of black. Also make sure that it's light enough that it looks like it's deliberately gray, rather than looking like a black that didn't print well.
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What James said. Also, 100% black will most likely print as dark grey anyway.
Not sure about rules of thumbs, but what's wrong from deviating from the norm once in a while, even if it is for an academic textbook. Students might even more inclined to read more that way.
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