diff --git a/frontend/ui/rendertext.lua b/frontend/ui/rendertext.lua
index f0eeeb6e6..e059b0e95 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/rendertext.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/rendertext.lua
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ local Font = require("ui/font")
 local Screen = require("ui/screen")
 local Cache = require("cache")
 local CacheItem = require("cacheitem")
+local BlitBuffer = require("ffi/blitbuffer")
 local DEBUG = require("dbg")
 
 --[[
@@ -61,22 +62,20 @@ local function utf8Chars(input)
     return read_next_glyph, input, 1
 end
 
-function RenderText:getGlyph(face, charcode, bold, bgcolor, fgcolor)
-    if bgcolor == nil then bgcolor = 0.0 end
-    if fgcolor == nil then fgcolor = 1.0 end
-    local hash = "glyph|"..face.hash.."|"..charcode.."|"..(bold and 1 or 0).."|"..bgcolor.."|"..fgcolor
+function RenderText:getGlyph(face, charcode, bold)
+    local hash = "glyph|"..face.hash.."|"..charcode.."|"..(bold and 1 or 0)
     local glyph = GlyphCache:check(hash)
     if glyph then
         -- cache hit
         return glyph[1]
     end
-    local rendered_glyph = face.ftface:renderGlyph(charcode, bgcolor, fgcolor, bold)
+    local rendered_glyph = face.ftface:renderGlyph(charcode, bold)
     if face.ftface:checkGlyph(charcode) == 0 then
         for index, font in pairs(Font.fallbacks) do
             -- use original size before scaling by screen DPI
             local fb_face = Font:getFace(font, face.orig_size)
             if fb_face.ftface:checkGlyph(charcode) ~= 0 then
-                rendered_glyph = fb_face.ftface:renderGlyph(charcode, bgcolor, fgcolor, bold)
+                rendered_glyph = fb_face.ftface:renderGlyph(charcode, bold)
                 --DEBUG("fallback to font", font)
                 break
             end
@@ -143,12 +142,18 @@ function RenderText:sizeUtf8Text(x, width, face, text, kerning, bold)
     return { x = pen_x, y_top = pen_y_top, y_bottom = pen_y_bottom}
 end
 
-function RenderText:renderUtf8Text(buffer, x, y, face, text, kerning, bold, bgcolor, fgcolor, width)
+function RenderText:renderUtf8Text(buffer, x, y, face, text, kerning, bold, fgcolor, width)
     if not text then
         DEBUG("renderUtf8Text called without text");
         return 0
     end
 
+    if not fgcolor then
+        fgcolor = BlitBuffer.Color8(0xFF)
+    elseif type(fgcolor) == "number" then
+        fgcolor = BlitBuffer.Color8(fgcolor*0xFF)
+    end
+
     -- may still need more adaptive pen placement when kerning,
     -- see: http://freetype.org/freetype2/docs/glyphs/glyphs-4.html
     local pen_x = 0
@@ -159,15 +164,16 @@ function RenderText:renderUtf8Text(buffer, x, y, face, text, kerning, bold, bgco
     end
     for _, charcode, uchar in utf8Chars(text) do
         if pen_x < text_width then
-            local glyph = self:getGlyph(face, charcode, bold, bgcolor, fgcolor)
+            local glyph = self:getGlyph(face, charcode, bold)
             if kerning and (prevcharcode ~= 0) then
                 pen_x = pen_x + face.ftface:getKerning(prevcharcode, charcode)
             end
-            buffer:blitFrom(
+            buffer:colorblitFrom(
                 glyph.bb,
                 x + pen_x + glyph.l, y - glyph.t,
                 0, 0,
-                glyph.bb:getWidth(), glyph.bb:getHeight())
+                glyph.bb:getWidth(), glyph.bb:getHeight(),
+                fgcolor)
             pen_x = pen_x + glyph.ax
             prevcharcode = charcode
         end -- if pen_x < text_width
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/button.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/button.lua
index dfab32baa..fbc5abc33 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/button.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/button.lua
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ function Button:init()
     if self.text then
         self.label_widget = TextWidget:new{
             text = self.text,
-            bgcolor = 0.0,
             fgcolor = self.enabled and 1.0 or 0.5,
             bold = true,
             face = Font:getFace(self.text_font_face, self.text_font_size)
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/fixedtextwidget.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/fixedtextwidget.lua
index 668dd789e..8febb43b6 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/fixedtextwidget.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/fixedtextwidget.lua
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ end
 
 function FixedTextWidget:paintTo(bb, x, y)
     RenderText:renderUtf8Text(bb, x, y+self._height, self.face, self.text, true, self.bold,
-                self.bgcolor, self.fgcolor)
+                self.fgcolor)
 end
 
 return FixedTextWidget
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/inputtext.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/inputtext.lua
index 88092b310..28d185d4e 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/inputtext.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/inputtext.lua
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ end
 function InputText:initTextBox(text)
     self.text = text
     self:initCharlist(text)
-    local bgcolor, fgcolor = 0.0, self.text == "" and 0.5 or 1.0
+    local fgcolor = 0.0, self.text == "" and 0.5 or 1.0
 
     local text_widget = nil
     local show_text = self.text
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ function InputText:initTextBox(text)
         text_widget = ScrollTextWidget:new{
             text = show_text,
             face = self.face,
-            bgcolor = bgcolor,
             fgcolor = fgcolor,
             width = self.width,
             height = self.height,
@@ -74,7 +73,6 @@ function InputText:initTextBox(text)
         text_widget = TextBoxWidget:new{
             text = show_text,
             face = self.face,
-            bgcolor = bgcolor,
             fgcolor = fgcolor,
             width = self.width,
             height = self.height,
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/menu.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/menu.lua
index 2064eb1ae..724a94b22 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/menu.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/menu.lua
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ function ItemShortCutIcon:init()
             TextWidget:new{
                 text = self.key,
                 face = sc_face,
-                bgcolor = background/15,
             },
         },
     }
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua
index 43effb72e..2df47bc59 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ Text widget with vertical scroll bar
 local ScrollTextWidget = InputContainer:new{
     text = nil,
     face = nil,
-    bgcolor = 0.0, -- [0.0, 1.0]
     fgcolor = 1.0, -- [0.0, 1.0]
     width = 400,
     height = 20,
@@ -28,7 +27,6 @@ function ScrollTextWidget:init()
     self.text_widget = TextBoxWidget:new{
         text = self.text,
         face = self.face,
-        bgcolor = self.bgcolor,
         fgcolor = self.fgcolor,
         width = self.width - self.scroll_bar_width - self.text_scroll_span,
         height = self.height
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua
index 7964af4d0..36dd7e904 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ local TextBoxWidget = Widget:new{
     text = nil,
     face = nil,
     bold = nil,
-    bgcolor = 0.0, -- [0.0, 1.0]
     fgcolor = 1.0, -- [0.0, 1.0]
     width = 400, -- in pixels
     height = nil,
@@ -217,7 +216,7 @@ function TextBoxWidget:_render(v_list)
         for _,w in ipairs(l) do
             --@TODO Don't use kerning for monospaced fonts.    (houqp)
             -- refert to cb25029dddc42693cc7aaefbe47e9bd3b7e1a750 in master tree
-            RenderText:renderUtf8Text(self._bb, pen_x, y, self.face, w.word, true, self.bold, self.bgcolor, self.fgcolor)
+            RenderText:renderUtf8Text(self._bb, pen_x, y, self.face, w.word, true, self.bold, self.fgcolor)
             pen_x = pen_x + w.width
         end
         y = y + line_height_px + font_height
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/textwidget.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/textwidget.lua
index 393b14dc4..7de33edcc 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/textwidget.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/textwidget.lua
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ local TextWidget = Widget:new{
     text = nil,
     face = nil,
     bold = nil,
-    bgcolor = 0.0, -- [0.0, 1.0]
     fgcolor = 1.0, -- [0.0, 1.0]
     _bb = nil,
     _length = 0,
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ function TextWidget:paintTo(bb, x, y)
     --bb:blitFrom(self._bb, x, y, 0, 0, self._length, self._bb:getHeight())
     --@TODO Don't use kerning for monospaced fonts.    (houqp)
     RenderText:renderUtf8Text(bb, x, y+self._height*0.7, self.face, self.text, true, self.bold,
-                self.bgcolor, self.fgcolor, self.width)
+                self.fgcolor, self.width)
 end
 
 function TextWidget:free()
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/toggleswitch.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/toggleswitch.lua
index fef772653..34af362e9 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/toggleswitch.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/toggleswitch.lua
@@ -20,13 +20,12 @@ local ToggleLabel = TextWidget:new{
 }
 
 function ToggleLabel:paintTo(bb, x, y)
-    RenderText:renderUtf8Text(bb, x, y+self._height*0.75, self.face, self.text, true, self.bold, self.bgcolor, self.fgcolor)
+    RenderText:renderUtf8Text(bb, x, y+self._height*0.75, self.face, self.text, true, self.bold, self.fgcolor)
 end
 
 local ToggleSwitch = InputContainer:new{
     width = Screen:scaleByDPI(216),
     height = Screen:scaleByDPI(30),
-    bgcolor = 0, -- unfoused item color
     fgcolor = 7, -- focused item color
 }
 
@@ -91,12 +90,10 @@ function ToggleSwitch:update()
         if pos == i then
             self.toggle_content[i].color = self.fgcolor
             self.toggle_content[i].background = self.fgcolor
-            self.toggle_content[i][1][1].bgcolor = self.fgcolor/15
             self.toggle_content[i][1][1].fgcolor = 0.0
         else
             self.toggle_content[i].color = self.bgcolor
             self.toggle_content[i].background = self.bgcolor
-            self.toggle_content[i][1][1].bgcolor = 0.0
             self.toggle_content[i][1][1].fgcolor = 1.0
         end
     end
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/touchmenu.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/touchmenu.lua
index 7888324a9..1ea8a0b0f 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/touchmenu.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/touchmenu.lua
@@ -80,7 +80,6 @@ function TouchMenuItem:init()
             },
             TextWidget:new{
                 text = self.item.text or self.item.text_func(),
-                bgcolor = 0.0,
                 fgcolor = item_enabled ~= false and 1.0 or 0.5,
                 face = self.face,
             },