Typography Essentials

THE LETTER18 High contrast in reverse

REVERSING OUT OR “DROPPING OUT” type may be used to great effect, but it must be done with care at small sizes and with regard for the printing process of the final piece. Very fine serifs or hairline flourishes may “disappear” if over-inked on press, and the smaller the point size, the more likely this is to occur. Use high contrast in reverse sparingly with text type, as it can be difficult to read. Monoline typefaces (those with no variation between thicks and thins) and those which have at least a moderate stroke weight, with little or medium contrast between thicks and thins, work best in reversed-out type.

ProjectThe Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho, 1925—1940 exhibition