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Explanation: Typography rationale

ModernDoc’s typography is opinionated. The goal is simple:

Make documents that look “professionally typeset” with minimal configuration.

Typeface choices

IBM Plex pairing

The IBM Plex family is used because it provides a coherent system:

  • Serif for reading (body)
  • Sans for structure (headings)
  • Mono for code
  • CJK companion fonts exist

This yields a consistent, modern voice while avoiding the “default LaTeX look”.

Line length and margins

Readable text requires:

  • a comfortable line length
  • stable paragraph rhythm

ModernDoc relies on KOMA’s typearea calculation (DIV=calc) and doc-type presets so users don’t need to tune geometry manually.

For books/theses, BCOR is used to compensate for binding.

Paragraph style

ModernDoc aims to avoid common “amateur” patterns:

  • Do not use both large \parskip and deep indentation at the same time.
  • Choose one paragraph style per document:
  • indented paragraphs (classic)
  • spaced paragraphs (modern docs/reports)

Microtypography

Microtype improves perceived polish:

  • protrusion (optical margin alignment)
  • expansion (better justification)
  • tracking for caps/small caps only

These features improve texture without obvious “effects”.

Color

Colors are chosen to be:

  • readable
  • print-safe (optionally)
  • colorblind-friendly palettes preferred

Why KOMA-Script

KOMA provides:

  • better heading controls than many legacy article classes
  • sensible defaults for European page design
  • robust mechanisms (typearea, scrlayer-scrpage) instead of ad-hoc hacks