One of my colleagues sends out a newsy little tidbit every month using the same email newsletter system I use (Constant Contact.)  But…she’s been using her favorite color for her newsletters…a rich magenta/pink color for the background.  She just loves that color and until I pointed out to her that this color does not read well when used as an Internet background.  Red, intense blue, intense pink or green are just too jarring as background colors.  Use something paler with dark type to be readable.