Novel Document Class Background Color

Question

Is it me or does the background color when using the novel document class look a little dark? Anyone know how to make the background white white? MWE below.

% !TeX TS-program = LuaLaTeX
% !TeX encoding = UTF-8
%
% SOURCE CODE FOR FILE novel.pdf, the cover info for novel document class.
% IF YOU COMPILE THIS DOCUMENT: Be sure that both this file and
%   novel.pdf (if present) have read/write permissions for any user.
%   Otherwise, compile may fail at the point where files are written.
\documentclass{novel} % v. 1.52.
% Almost all settings are defaults.
\SetHeadFootStyle{3}
\SetTitle{Novel Document Class} % only footer, with page number
% The following PDF/X standard is typical for USA print-on-demand.
% However, not every P.O.D. service needs PDF/X these days.
\SetPDFX[CGATSTR001]{X-1a:2001}
\begin{document}
\begin{ChapterStart}[8]
\vspace{\nbs} % \nbs is normal baselineskip
\ChapterTitle{NOVEL}
\vspace{\nbs}
\ChapterSubtitle{A Document Class for the Rest of Us}
\vspace{\nbs}
\ChapterDeco[4]{\decoglyph{n9548}}
\end{ChapterStart}

\textbf{Where is the documentation??} It is in HTML format, and cannot be retrieved via  \textit{texdoc}. If you have this package installed, look for (texroot)/doc/lualatex/novel/novel-documentation.html. If you are online, go to the CTAN page at https://ctan.org/pkg/novel and click ``Package Documentation (HTML).''

\end{document}

Answer 1

I am the author of the novel document class, returned from a hiatus with a different username here.

The document class does not apply a background color. I just re-processed that document (using TeXlive 2022 on Linux) and it builds, with the expected uncolored background.

So, my guess is that your screen may be automatically dimming, when a mostly-white file is displayed?

As for the paper itself: As the novel documentation says, fiction should be printed on creme (cream, off-white) paper. But that has nothing to do with the PDF. The PDF background appears white, which actually means "no ink", so a white PDF will be the paper color.

Recently, I informed CTAN that the novel document class should be retired. Although it continues to work with everything I have tried, it seems to be the case that recent developments in TeXlive (at the binary level) may cause issues with some of the more obscure `novel features.

Hope that your book was printed.