White paper

Definition and stakes

Jean Wilde Clark,  A Desk Book on the Etiquette of Social Stationery (1910)

“ The art of successful paper-making demands a uniform sheet. And not only uniformity in a single sheet, but each sheet should be exactly like another in texture, finish and color, so that envelopes, for instance, shall match the paper that goes with them.
Absolutely White Paper But color is one of the most important things in selecting paper, and especially when that color is the color which is really absence of color—in other words, white.
So many things pass as white that are not white, that few people realize what a real white is. Most whites have in them some color.
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Source: Wikisource

Edmund G. Gress,  The Art & Practice of Typography

“ On two-color printing have all reading matter in the stronger color and subdue the color of the decoration so that the contrast between the paper and the print of the reading portion of the page is softened by this intermediate tone. Black print on white paper is made artistic by impressing the print firmly on antique paper. This roots the print to the paper, and the result is more idealistic than that presented by the print daintily set upon the surface of glossy, enameled papers.
EXAMPLE 41
The spotted black tone of the border is reflected in the treatment of the text.
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Source: Gutenberg

Edmund G. Gress,  The Art & Practice of Typography

“ Example 317.—For printing on colored stock strong treatment is sometimes advisable—treatment such as has been given this heading. On white paper the type sizes should be kept small, as the light background illuminates the print. White and black form the greatest contrast. There is not much contrast between blue ink and blue paper, for instance, and it is necessary to strengthen the print by the use of a larger or bolder type-face. ”
Source: Gutenberg

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