Technical communicators can overcome their reluctance to use color in technical communications and use it effectively if they understand how color works, respect the limitations of color, and apply it in ways compatible with communications objectives and human perception. Terms dealing with colors are defined, and reasons for using color in displays are outlined. Problems, misperceptions, and solutions associated with the use of color in technical communications are discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Many well-written online documents fail because their visual design does not account for the many differences between the paper page and display screen, nor do they take advantage of the display power of the computer. The author provides guidelines for practitioners based on extensive research on computer display. It is concluded that the visual design of the online document should be crafted to match its use, ensuring displays that are scanned quickly and read reliably.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>