1. Abstract
We describe a narrow-measure page model in which optical correction is treated as a first-order constraint. The resulting surface remains monochrome, except for linked references such as [1] and [4], whose blue is reserved for navigation alone.
The claim is modest: rigor becomes visible when spacing, rule weight, and citation color are assigned before expression. No pictorial ornament is admitted.
Lemma 1. For every paragraph whose measure is bounded, the perceived density is minimized when the column rule is thinner than the table rule and darker than the caption.
2. Method
All specimens were set on warm paper with a fixed baseline rhythm. Captions were placed in a restrained sans face; running text remained serif and justified. Equation numbers were held flush right to preserve scan order [7].
| rule | weight | role |
|---|---|---|
| top | 1.0 | opens evidence |
| mid | 0.5 | separates labels |
| bottom | 1.0 | closes evidence |
Table 1. A booktabs specimen: horizontal rules only, no vertical fencing.
Thus the poster is not decorated; it is typeset. Authority emerges from omission, measured black, and one disciplined blue.