diff --git a/src/firefly/js/drawingLayers/NorthUpCompass.js b/src/firefly/js/drawingLayers/NorthUpCompass.js
index 3f3205cb41..aaf2056acd 100644
--- a/src/firefly/js/drawingLayers/NorthUpCompass.js
+++ b/src/firefly/js/drawingLayers/NorthUpCompass.js
@@ -96,11 +96,5 @@ function makeCompass(plotId, action){
 
     //return Arrays.asList(new DrawObj[]{dataN, dataE});
     //
-    var arrows = VisUtil.getArrowCoords();
-
-    var pt = makeWorldPt(10.68479, 41.26906);//cc.getWorldCoords(makeImagePt(0, 0));
-    var obj = ShapeDataObj.makeCircleWithRadius(pt,50);
-    var txt = ShapeDataObj.makeText(pt,"Text");
-    obj.color = 'yellow';
     return [dataE, dataN];
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DirectionArrowDrawObj.js b/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DirectionArrowDrawObj.js
index 0f015e6d5c..b541d7e652 100644
--- a/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DirectionArrowDrawObj.js
+++ b/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DirectionArrowDrawObj.js
@@ -123,11 +123,7 @@ function drawDirectionArrow(ctx,drawTextAry,startPt,endPt,drawParams,renderOptio
 
     DrawUtil.drawPath(ctx, color,2,drawList,false, renderOptions);
 
-    //DrawUtil.drawText(ctx,ret.textX, ret.textY, color, '9px serif',  text, renderOptions);
-
-    //FIXME:color text black on white background - yellow on white background is not readable
-    //TODO: better solution would be to adapt text color with background
-    DrawUtil.drawText(drawTextAry, text, ret.textX, ret.textY,'black', renderOptions);
+    DrawUtil.drawText(drawTextAry, text, ret.textX, ret.textY, color, renderOptions);
 }
 
 function toRegion(startPt,endPt,plot,drawParams,renderOptions) {
diff --git a/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DrawUtil.js b/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DrawUtil.js
index 8abc1b3fce..8550fcc9df 100644
--- a/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DrawUtil.js
+++ b/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/DrawUtil.js
@@ -96,11 +96,14 @@ function drawInnerRecWithHandles(ctx, color, lineWidth, inX1, inY1, inX2, inY2)
  * @param size
  * @param fontWeight
  * @param fontStyle
+ * @param backGroundColor
+ * @param padDing
  */
 function drawText(drawTextAry,text, x,y,color,
                   renderOptions,
                   fontFamily='helvetica', size='9px',
-                  fontWeight='normal', fontStyle='normal') {
+                  fontWeight='normal', fontStyle='normal',
+                  backGroundColor, padDing) {
 
 
     //todo
@@ -120,11 +123,14 @@ function drawText(drawTextAry,text, x,y,color,
         'fontSize': size,
         fontWeight,
         fontStyle,
-        'backgroundColor': 'white',
-        'MozBorderRadius': '5px',
-        'borderRadius': '5px',
-        'WebkitBorderRadius': '5px'
+        'MozBorderRadius': '1px',
+        'borderRadius': '1px',
+        'WebkitBorderRadius': '1px'
     };
+
+    if (backGroundColor) style.backgroundColor = backGroundColor;
+    if (padDing) style.padding = padDing;
+
     drawTextAry.push({text,style});
 }
 
diff --git a/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/ShapeDataObj.js b/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/ShapeDataObj.js
index f733d521f5..04dfa95452 100644
--- a/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/ShapeDataObj.js
+++ b/src/firefly/js/visualize/draw/ShapeDataObj.js
@@ -629,11 +629,7 @@ export function drawText(drawObj, drawTextAry, plot, inPt, drawParams) {
         if (y > south)y = south;
         else if (y<height) y= height;
 
-        //FIXME:color text black on white background - yellow on white background is not readable
-        //TODO: better solution would be to adapt text color with background
-
-        // in case shape 'text' defines the color of its own
-        var color = has(drawObj, 'color') ? drawObj.color : 'black';
+        var color = drawParams.color || drawObj.color || 'black';
         DrawUtil.drawText(drawTextAry, text, x, y, color, renderOptions,
                 fontName+FONT_FALLBACK, fontSize, fontWeight, fontStyle);
         drawObj.textWorldLoc = plot.getImageCoords(makeViewPortPt(x, y));
@@ -1384,4 +1380,4 @@ export function heightAfterRotation(width, height, angle) {
     const hcos = height * Math.cos(angle);
 
     return Math.max(Math.abs(wsin-hcos), Math.abs(wsin+hcos));
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}