Can't see white text

[MilkyTech]

obviously with the default white background of an artboard, I won't be able to see white text.  I went into document setup and selected simulate colored paper so I could change the background to black so I would see the white text, but that didn't work. still don't see the text (although in the Layers dialog box, you can see the white text but in the actual artboard it is invisible. I have search adobe.com for an answer and found nothing useful.

[colling_s · Accepted solution]

For this you have to turn on the transparency grid, available in the view menu

[Jacob Bugge]

MT,

Or you can just tick View>Show Grid.

[MilkyTech]

view>show grid doesn't do it, the first answer was right: you have to click view>show transparency grid, but is that really the only way to view the white text? I have to have this annoying checkerboard as the background?  why can't I just have a solid Black background so I can see it as the final print product will be?

[MilkyTech]

forget it, I figure it out.  changed the grid colors in Document Setup to both be black.  Kind of silly that you have to do that, no?

[Jesseham-jc1rvC]

Are you printing on black paper? 😉

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

MilkyTech wrote:

forget it, I figure it out.  changed the grid colors in Document Setup to both be black.  Kind of silly that you have to do that, no?

Yes, there should be such an option, however since these types of drawing programs are evolving and re being used in ways that they were never intended then one has to expect that not every circumstance can be anticipated. I use to have this problem when I first started using AI I often used art that would be dropped out white from a background image in Quark so had to bring it in as a 1 bit white eps in order to for it to work.

But working in AI required outline mode which was not so cool often or do what you did I usually used gray not black as that was more like halftone.

It would be better to be able to choose a different color background, but as I recall after making a response to such a feature request by someone in the feature request forum, it was suggested that it might not be a good idea at that time for stability issues. And since there was outline, transparency grid and smart guides it was not at that time going to be considered.

Perhaps with 64 bit support or with engineers with a different outlook it might be different at this time especially since the desire to change the background color is request requested much more often.

So here is where you make your feature request.

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

[Jacob Bugge]

MT,

view>show grid doesn't do it,

With the Grid on you should be able to see the (whiteness as a) lack of gridlines, but obviously, it does not stand out in contrast. And I agree that it is strange to have to set both colours, maybe it is a lack of trust in the ability of users to discern it from a large background object.

[Eddie_Mercer]

There is no way to preview white text, logo's, or graphics in illustrator (without "hacks") using backgrounds other than white. Illustrator is stuck in the 1980's functionally limited to ease of use for print only. Every print designer who moved into web is only comfortable with battery draining all white backgrounds and in adobe's eyes these are the only people doing design comps and graphics. I would feel better if every search for an answer to this myself has yielded no usefull results and led me to several forum posts like this. How hard is it to comprehend not everything is being designed for print or by designers only comfortable using white backgrounds.

[kemch1013]

When I design with white text, I make a new layer, I put a huge black rectangle on it, I lock it and throw it on the bottom. I find this to be the simpler than changing the preferences around.

[jazbtena]

Thank you!!

[JETalmage]

There is no way to preview white text, logo's, or graphics in illustrator (without "hacks") using backgrounds other than white.

That is nonsense. If you give something a white fill, the white fill does, indeed, display. Just like any program, if there is no contrasting object behind it and the non-object background is white, it's of course not visible against the "background" by default. This doesn't make sense to you?

It's as true of web-centric programs as print-centric programs. Do you not get a white background by default in a WYSIWYG webpage program like, say,  Dreamweaver? In fact, if you code a web page by hand, doesn't the background default to white if you don't expressly code it otherwise?

Illustrator is stuck in the 1980's functionally limited to ease of use for print only.

Got news for you: Illustrator isn't particularly easy to use for print, either.

Every print designer who moved into web is only comfortable with battery draining all white backgrounds.

More nonsense. You got some kind of anti-print chip on your shoulder? If so, two can play that game. Print designers routinely design for colored stock. Always have; even long before graphics software existed. They also routinely deal with varnishes and metallics and opaque inks, and myriad other technical aspects most web-only designers wouldn't have a clue about. And guess what... Illustrator's interface doesn't really adequately provide for those, either.

in adobe's eyes these are the only people doing design comps and graphics

Many print-centric designers will tell you quite the opposite; that Adobe has all but abandoned its print-centric roots and started "corrupting" its print-centric apps with a bunch of "me, too" webby crap. Regardless of what may or may not be "in Adobe's eyes", though, it is generally highly advantageous in commercial work to design for print first and repurpose for web; not the other way around.

Consider Fireworks. It was not created by Adobe. It was created by Macromedia, certainly a web-centric company. In fact, FreeHand was Macromedia's only print-centric application, and even it was acquired, not created, by Macromedia. (It was, however, much improved by Macromedia for several versions. Illustrator is still trying to catch up with its advantages.)

If you launch Fireworks, select white as the Canvas Color, type some white text, and deselect it,  you can't see it either. Your other choices are the hideous checkerboard--which in my recollection, originated in Photoshop to indicate "transparency"--and Custom, which also defaults to white. Same is true of Flash (also not created by Adobe).

How is that so radically different from Illustrator's Simulate Colored Paper feature? Granted, it's rather tedious that turning on the Simulate Colored Paper checkbox doesn't change both grid colors by default, but c'mon...Illustrator is chock-full of far more tedious interface aspects than this little detail.

Maybe you want that checkbox to appear in the New Document dialog? I wouldn't have any heartburn over that. But fact is, a program like Illustrator is used for all kinds of environments. Not just web and not just print, either. And that's a good thing. What the New Document dialog does provide, though, is a Templates.... button. You can set up templates for your web-centric projects. Several such templates are provided.

It really has nothing to do with Illustrator's being stuck in the 80s (which, understand, I quite agree that  in many ways, it certainly is). The vast majority of users want the default non-object area to be white, myself included (and yes, even when working on web-centric projects).

So how, exactly, would you prefer this simulated background feature to be interfaced?

JET

[Mike_Sargent]

You could use Simulate Colored  Paper - this is to found in File > Document Setup (about halfway down  the dialogue there is a checkbox (Simulated Colored Paper and 2  coloured boxes will will bring up a colour picker for you to choose the  colour to simulate, make them both the same colour). This simulated  colour is obviously non-printing.

[Eddie_Mercer]

I'd prefer you could change the color of the art board itself, possibly set it to default to something other than white and not have to add a layer or create new layers every time.

[JETalmage]

You don't have to "add a layer or create new layers every time". Set up a document the way you want to work, with all the web-centric settings desired, including the Simulate Colored Paper setting. Save it as a Template (or make multiple such tempates). Select that Template when you create a new document.

JET

[Eddie_Mercer]

Still too much trouble for something that should be simple and intuitive.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Eddie Mercer wrote:

Still too much trouble for something that should be simple and intuitive.

Agreed!

[_Jongware_-9BC6tI]

Eddie Mercer wrote:

Still too much trouble for something that should be simple and intuitive.

Agreed!

Certainly compared to that other Adobe flagship: InDesign (albeit it's only a ten-year old, compared with middle-aged Illy). The whole rigmarole with that is: Double-click the [Paper] swatch, set the required color, done.

(For those who don't work with InDesign: its [Paper] swatch is quite distinct from "White" -- for exactly the reason discussed. Anything you 'paint' in [Paper] will not be printed or output to a PDF, per definition.)

[P4lu]

I just had this same problem recently and i've fixed it by:

1. Double click to select the text

2. Under Windows > Appearance, you will see: stroke, fill, default transparency.

   Note: If you can't see 'fill', and only see 'characters' and 'default transparency', make sure you double click on the text to hightlight it. and try changing the white fill color to stroke color, then change it back to fill color. Somehow this fixes it and you will see 'fill' in the panel.

3. Click on 'Fill' and save the file as PDF

It worked for me, so hopefully this will help.

[aa87547974]

I have same problem when i use artbord black color from document setup - simulate colored paper option then i unable to work on art work if i add any image on artbord it will auto hide behind atrbord. pleas help how to arrange on front?

[Monika Gause]

aa87547974 schrieb:

I have same problem when i use artbord black color from document setup - simulate colored paper option then i unable to work on art work if i add any image on artbord it will auto hide behind atrbord. pleas help how to arrange on front?

That's not what the simulate option is there for. It simulates black paper. And when you print on  black paper the result will be black.

Just don't use that option and you will see your artwork.

Please tell us what you need it for and then there might be other options.

[Test Screen Name]

I maybe missed this point, but surely if you colour an object white it should be invisible on any background, if designing for print. On print, white=no ink; no ink=see background paper colour. Of course an RGB design for screen use would be a different story. I've not tested it, but in my head "Invisible white on background" seems exactly right. (If you are one of the lucky few with a printer that has white ink, a different story)

[Danny Whitehead.]

If you were designing for a process using opaque inks (like screen printing, but there are opaque litho inks too) on a dark substrate, then it would be great to be able to preview that.

[aa87547974]

actually i am creating brochure and i want black background on the all artboards approx 8-10 pages then how can i use black color artboards? i was found on the google for simulate color option but its not work right now i am using manually black rectangle any other option?

[Monika Gause]

Create a black rectangle and put it behind everything else.