> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.laposta.org/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.laposta.org/_mcp/server.

# Why do the colours of your newsletter change in dark mode?

> In dark mode, email clients adjust the colours of your newsletter themselves. Read how this works and how Laposta's templates handle it.

If your subscriber reads the newsletter in dark mode, the colours will differ from what you have set: light backgrounds become dark, text colours change, and a logo with a transparent background may disappear. There is nothing wrong with your newsletter in that case, because the email client adjusts the colours itself.

When developing templates, Laposta aims for an optimal balance between an attractive design and maximum digital accessibility. This accessibility is based on the default display, light mode. In this mode, the colour contrasts meet the required standards, such as the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), ensuring the newsletter is easy for everyone to read. As the sender, you have full control over this light display.

## Why the display differs per email client

Dark mode is a setting that the recipient chooses in their own email client, such as Gmail or Outlook. As soon as this mode is switched on, the email client adjusts the colours in the code itself.

There is no universal standard for this: Outlook handles it differently from Gmail, and Apple Mail does it differently again from Outlook. Because these programmes enforce their own colours, there is very little you can do about this in the template.

## How Laposta's templates handle dark mode

When building templates, Laposta follows three guiding principles:

* Focus on readability: during development, Laposta takes dark mode into account to ensure your newsletter remains at least easy to read in that mode, preventing extreme colour deviations wherever possible.
* Accessibility in the default display: Laposta guarantees digital accessibility in light mode. Because there are no fixed standards for dark mode, that display cannot be controlled and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
* The recipient's choice: anyone who enables dark mode is consciously choosing an adjusted display. For readers for whom specific contrast ratios are essential, the default display remains the most reliable and accessible option.

If you want to see how your newsletter looks in dark mode, send [a testmail](/kan-ik-van-mijn-nieuwsbrief-eerst-een-testmail-versturen) and open it in a mailbox where dark mode is enabled. To find out which colours and contrasts are best to choose in the default display, read about [accessible design](/vormgeving-in-het-kader-van-toegankelijkheid).

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