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by captainmuon 3336 days ago
I think it's due to people not having really bright screens. If your screen is too dim, you need the background to be as white as possible. Another factor is that off-white can be percieved as dirty.

Ideally, I'd prefer if off-white was the standard for backgrounds, and you could use bright white for highlights and more contrast in images. Or maybe 100% white should be the standard, and you have a screen that goes to 110% :-). Maybe one day when HDR screens become standard...

1 comments

Just to clarify: I'm talking about the font color being too light against a light background :O
I know. I was speculating why some website creators prefer dark grey on bright white, as opposed to pitch black on slightly off-white (which I think is easier on the eyes).
Line ghosting [0]. Which can be alleviated with more spacing between lines and a larger font size, but even then I still find it problematic personally. "Ghosting" is a lot less noticeable on light backgrounds, which I think is just how the eyes "work".

[0] http://www.ironicsans.com/owmyeyes/