To achieve white text in AutoCAD, especially when using a colored background, it’s crucial to understand the differences between color properties and how they affect plotting and visibility. Here’s a comprehensive guide with detailed steps to ensure your text appears white as intended, even when printed.
Understanding Color Settings in AutoCAD
AutoCAD utilizes a color index system and true colors. True white in AutoCAD corresponds to RGB (255, 255, 255). Make sure to leverage this for text settings to ensure the text plots correctly.
Step 1: Setting the Text Color
Select Text Object: Click on the text you wish to change to white. This can be either single-line text (DTEXT) or multi-line text (MTEXT).
Open Properties Window: Right-click the selected text and choose ‘Properties’ from the context menu. This opens the Properties palette.
Change Color: In the Properties palette, locate the ‘Color’ section. You will typically find a drop-down menu here. Select ‘True Color’ and enter the values 255, 255, 255, or simply choose the pure white option available.
- Review Plot Style: It’s important that your plot style does not interfere. Go to the Plot Style Table and confirm that the color associated with white (255) is set to ‘Use Object Color’ and the screening is set to ‘0’. This ensures that it will plot white rather than defaulting to black.
Step 2: Ensuring Print Settings are Correct
Access Page Setup: Open your layout tab where you have your drawing set up for printing. Right-click on the layout tab and select ‘Page Setup Manager’.
Modify Page Setup: Choose your current page setup, and click on ‘Modify’.
Check Plot Style: In the plot settings, ensure the appropriate plot style that supports white printing is selected. If necessary, adjust these settings to ensure they align with your text color.
- Preview before Plotting: Use the ‘Preview’ function within the plot settings to confirm that your text appears as intended before actually printing.
Step 3: Adding Background Masks to Enhance Visibility
For situations where the white text may not stand out against a light background or when printed, a background mask can be beneficial.
Open Text Editor: If you are using MTEXT, double-click the text to bring up the Text Editor.
Enable Background Mask: In the Text Editor’s ribbon, find the ‘Background Mask’ option. Click on it to open the Background Mask dialog.
Configure Mask Settings: Check the box for ‘Use drawing background color’ or specify a different solid color that contrasts with your text for better visibility.
- Apply and Save Changes: Click ‘OK’ to apply the background mask and then save the changes to ensure it updates the text properties.
Additional Techniques for Text Visibility
Text Styles: Consider creating or modifying a text style for white text, ensuring it consistently applies across your drawings.
- High Contrast: Utilize contrasting colors for the background of your layout to enhance the visibility of white text without sacrificing quality during printing.
FAQ
Q1: Can I change the color of existing text without recreating it?
Yes, you can simply select the existing text and modify its properties through the Properties palette, allowing you to change its color without starting from scratch.
Q2: What if my printer doesn’t support white ink?
When printing, if the printer does not support white ink, it will often interpret white text on a colored background as black. Ensure your plot settings are configured correctly to prevent this.
Q3: Is there a shortcut to quickly change text properties?
You can use the CHPROP command in AutoCAD. Select the text, enter CHPROP, and choose to change the color, which can speed up the process of adjusting properties for multiple objects.
