Colors

TCPDF-Next provides full color management through the HasColors trait, the Graphics\Color value object, and the Graphics\ColorSpace abstraction. Colors apply independently to strokes, fills, and text.

Setting Colors

use Yeeefang\TcpdfNext\Core\Document;

$pdf = Document::create()
    ->addPage()
    ->setDrawColor(255, 0, 0)      // Red stroke
    ->setFillColor(0, 0, 255)      // Blue fill
    ->setTextColor(51, 51, 51);    // Dark gray text

Signatures

setDrawColor(int $r, int $g = -1, int $b = -1): static   // Stroke color
setFillColor(int $r, int $g = -1, int $b = -1): static   // Fill color
setTextColor(int $r, int $g = -1, int $b = -1): static   // Text color

When only $r is provided ($g and $b default to -1), the value is treated as grayscale (0 = black, 255 = white).

Color Value Object

use Yeeefang\TcpdfNext\Graphics\Color;

$red  = Color::rgb(255, 0, 0);
$cyan = Color::cmyk(100, 0, 0, 0);
$gray = Color::gray(128);
$spot = Color::spot('Pantone 151 C', 0, 60, 100, 0);

Factory Method	Parameters	Color Space
Color::rgb(r, g, b)	0--255 per channel	DeviceRGB
Color::cmyk(c, m, y, k)	0--100 per channel	DeviceCMYK
Color::gray(value)	0--255	DeviceGray
Color::spot(name, c, m, y, k)	Name + CMYK fallback	Separation

Color Spaces

Color Space	Usage
DeviceRGB	Screen-oriented output (web, presentations)
DeviceCMYK	Print-oriented output (commercial printing)
DeviceGray	Grayscale documents
Separation	Spot/Pantone colors for brand-accurate printing

CMYK values are written directly into the PDF stream. For color-managed workflows, embed an ICC profile via setColorProfile().

Transparency

setAlpha(float $opacity = 1.0, string $blendMode = 'Normal'): static

$pdf->setAlpha(0.5, 'Multiply')    // 50% opacity, Multiply blend
    ->rect(10, 10, 50, 30, 'F')
    ->setAlpha(1.0);                // Reset to fully opaque

Always reset opacity after transparent sections to prevent unintended effects on subsequent content.

Blend Modes

All 16 PDF blend modes are supported:

Mode	Effect
Normal	Source over destination (default)
Multiply	Darkens — multiplies channel values
Screen	Lightens — inverse multiply
Overlay	Combines Multiply and Screen
Darken / Lighten	Keeps darker / lighter value per channel
ColorDodge / ColorBurn	Brightens / darkens destination
HardLight / SoftLight	Strong / subtle light effect
Difference / Exclusion	Channel difference (high / low contrast)
Hue / Saturation	Source hue or saturation, destination luminosity
Color / Luminosity	Source color or luminosity

Gradients

Four gradient types are rendered as native PDF shading objects:

$pdf->linearGradient(10, 10, 100, 50, '#ff0000', '#0000ff', [0, 0, 1, 1]);   // Linear
$pdf->radialGradient(60, 60, 80, 80, '#ffffff', '#000000');                    // Radial
$pdf->coonsPatchMesh(10, 10, 100, 100, $colors, $coords);       // Coons patch mesh
$pdf->tensorProductPatchMesh(10, 10, 100, 100, $colors, $coords); // Tensor-product

• Linear — two-color gradient along a direction vector.
• Radial — two-color gradient expanding from a center point.
• Coons patch mesh — complex multi-color fills defined by Bezier control points.
• Tensor-product patch mesh — Coons extension with additional interior control points.

Complete Example

use Yeeefang\TcpdfNext\Core\Document;

$pdf = Document::create()
    ->addPage()
    ->setDrawColor(255, 0, 0)       // Red stroke
    ->setFillColor(0, 0, 255)       // Blue fill
    ->rect(10, 10, 50, 30, 'DF')    // Draw + Fill
    ->setAlpha(0.5, 'Multiply')     // 50% opacity with Multiply blend
    ->setFillColor(255, 255, 0)     // Yellow
    ->rect(30, 20, 50, 30, 'F')     // Overlapping semi-transparent rect
    ->setAlpha(1.0);                // Reset opacity

Tips

• Use DeviceRGB for on-screen PDFs and DeviceCMYK for commercial print.
• Spot colors require SpotColorManager — it is lazily initialized on first use.
• Always reset alpha to 1.0 after transparent sections.
• Gradient coordinates use the current user unit system (default: mm).