Typst PDF Template Guide#

Complete guide to the Typst template used for professional PDF generation.

Overview#

The template is located at: templates/typst/clean/

Used by the D2L document generator to create beautiful, WCAG AAA-compliant PDFs.

Design Specifications#

Typography#

Colors#

// MSU Green palette
#let green = rgb("#18453B")        // Main color
#let green-light = green.lighten(88%) // Light background

// Grays
body text:     luma(30)   // Very dark (17.4:1)
footer text:   luma(80)   // Medium gray (8.06:1)
heading h3:    luma(50)   // Dark gray
borders:       luma(210)  // Light gray

All colors tested for AAA contrast (7:1+ ratio).

Layout#

• Paper: US Letter (8.5" × 11")
• Margins: 1" top/bottom, 1.25" left/right
• Line height: 0.7em (tight, professional)
• Paragraph spacing: 1.1em (good readability)
• Page numbers: Centered footer, all pages
• List markers: MSU green bullets

Customization#

Change Colors#

Edit templates/typst/clean/template.typ:

// Change MSU green to different color
#let green = rgb("#FF6B6B")  // Red
#let green = rgb("#0066CC")  // Blue
#let green = rgb("#663399")  // Purple

Accessibility note: Verify new colors maintain 7:1+ contrast.

Change Fonts#

// Change from Roboto to another font
#set text(font: "Georgia", size: 11pt, fill: luma(30))

Recommended accessible alternatives:

Serif fonts:

• Georgia
• Garamond
• Cambria

Sans-serif fonts:

• Arial
• Helvetica
• Open Sans
• Inter

Adjust Heading Sizes#

#show heading.where(level: 1): it => {
  text(fill: green, weight: "bold", size: 18pt, it.body)  // Changed from 15pt
}

Recommended sizes:

• h1: 16-18pt (title)
• h2: 12-14pt (section)
• h3: 11-12pt (subsection)

Change Margins#

#set page(
  paper: "us-letter",
  margin: (top: 0.75in, bottom: 0.75in, left: 1.5in, right: 1.5in),

Standard options:

• Narrow: 0.5-0.75"
• Normal: 1.0-1.25"
• Wide: 1.5-2.0"

Modify Line Spacing#

#set par(leading: 0.65em, spacing: 1.0em)  // Tighter
#set par(leading: 0.8em, spacing: 1.2em)   // Looser

Readable range: 0.6-0.9em leading

Advanced Customization#

Custom Header/Footer#

footer: context {
  let page_num = counter(page).display()
  let total = counter(page).final().first()
  align(center, text(fill: luma(80), size: 9pt)[
    Page #page_num of #total | AI and Society
  ])
}

Heading Styling with Lines#

#show heading.where(level: 1): it => {
  v(1.4em)
  text(fill: green, weight: "bold", size: 15pt, it.body)
  v(0.25em)
  line(length: 100%, stroke: 0.4pt + green.lighten(55%))
  v(0.4em)
}

Custom Code Styling#

// Code blocks with different color
#show raw.where(block: true): it => block(
  width: 100%,
  fill: rgb("#F0F0F0"),  // Light gray
  inset: 10pt,
  radius: 3pt,
  text(size: 0.88em, it),
)

Add Callout Boxes#

#let callout(title, body) = block(
  width: 100%,
  fill: green-light,
  inset: 10pt,
  radius: 4pt,
  [
    *#title*
    
    #body
  ]
)

Use in content:

#callout("Important", "This is important information")

Adjust List Styling#

#set list(marker: text(fill: green, weight: "bold")[•])

// Or with custom markers
#set list(marker: text(fill: green)[▪])

Accessibility Best Practices#

When Customizing#

✅ DO:

• Test color contrast (need 7:1+ for AAA)
• Keep font sizes readable (min 10pt body)
• Maintain heading hierarchy
• Preserve line spacing (min 0.6em)

❌ DON’T:

• Use color as only indicator
• Make text too small (<9pt)
• Skip heading levels (h1 → h3)
• Remove focus indicators
• Rely solely on images

Contrast Testing#

After changing colors, verify contrast ratios:

1. Get RGB values of colors
2. Use WebAIM Contrast Checker
3. Check all color combinations meet 7:1+

Example:

• New green: rgb("#0066CC")
• On white background
• Result: 8.2:1 ✓ AAA compliant

Multiple Templates#

Create variations:

templates/typst/
├── clean/              # Current (default)
├── minimal/            # Simpler version
├── report/             # Professional report
└── paper/              # Academic paper format

Use in script:

TEMPLATE_DIR = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "templates" / "typst" / "minimal"

Template Metadata#

Edit template.yml:

jtex: v1
title: Clean Notes
description: Minimal notes template — Roboto font, MSU green
version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
packages: []
options: []

Troubleshooting#

Fonts Not Rendering#

Check installed fonts:

typst fonts

Install missing font:

# macOS
brew install font-roboto
brew install font-inconsolata

PDF Too Large#

Check for:

• Large embedded images
• Many colored elements
• Complex styling

Solutions:

• Compress images before including
• Simplify styling
• Use fewer colors

Layout Issues#

# Clear cache
rm -rf output/d2l/*.typ

# Regenerate
python scripts/generate-d2l-docs.py --type readings

Color Not Appearing#

Typst uses specific color syntax:

# ✗ Wrong
rgb("green")

# ✓ Correct
rgb("#18453B")
rgb("#228B22")

Version Control#

Template changes should be committed:

git add templates/typst/clean/template.typ
git commit -m "Update template: increase heading size"

Performance Tips#

• Minimize custom functions
• Cache compiled PDFs
• Use vector graphics (not raster images)
• Avoid heavy fonts

Testing Changes#

Workflow#

1. Edit templates/typst/clean/template.typ
2. Regenerate sample PDF:

   python scripts/generate-d2l-docs.py --type readings --format pdf
   

3. Review output PDF
4. Test accessibility:
   • Check contrast
   • Test keyboard nav
   • Test screen reader
5. Commit if satisfied

Learning Resources#

Typst Documentation#

• Official Docs — Complete reference
• Tutorial — Getting started
• Reference — All functions

Accessibility Resources#

• WCAG Guidelines — Standards
• Color Contrast — Verify colors
• Font Guidelines — Accessible fonts

Examples#

Popular Typst templates:

• Awesome Typst — Template collection
• Template Gallery — Official gallery

Summary Table#

Last Updated: May 2026
Status: WCAG AAA Compliant
Typst Version: 0.10+