Fill and Border Style

You can change the colors, fill background images, apply a pattern, or change the line width or border style for the outer frame, data frame, legend frame, text boxes, and bars.

Complete the following steps to change the background colors, images, or patterns in your charts.

  1. Select the chart element that you want to change.
  2. If the Properties window is not already displayed, from the menus choose:

    Edit > Properties

  3. Use the Fill & Border tab to specify the formatting for the element.
  4. Click Apply.

You can also use the Edit toolbar to change the fill and border color.

Using the Fill & Border tab:

Preview
The preview area displays your current choices and shows how the fill and border looks like when you click Apply.
Color
  • Choose a color and pattern for the fill or border:
    1. Click the swatch next to Fill or Border to indicate which you want to change.
    2. Click a color. The swatch changes to the color, and the red, green, and blue settings (R,G,B) appear below the swatch. The color that displays white with a diagonal red line through it is the transparent color. You can customize a color by selecting it and clicking Edit to open a standard dialog box for customizing colors. Use the last row for creating custom colors. Click Reset to revert to the original settings for all colors.
      Note: If you change the color of the fill for the floor or backplane in a 3-D chart, the color might be a darker shade than you expect. The darker shade reflects the depth.
  • Select Fill Image to add images as background in the charts.

    You can export charts with background images in formats such as .png, .jpg, .svg, .bmp, and .tif. However, exporting charts with background images is not supported in the .eps format.

    3-D charts do not support background images

  • Click Pattern to select a pattern for the fill.
Border Style
Change the weight, style, and end caps for the border. End caps are displayed at the ends of each border segment. Usually, butted end caps are the best choice for non-solid border styles because they use less space. Try round end caps that are combined with a solid border style and medium weight for a slightly curved effect at the corners.