diff --git a/include/common/font.h b/include/common/font.h
index 38e56b94..ddca15aa 100644
--- a/include/common/font.h
+++ b/include/common/font.h
@@ -42,11 +42,12 @@ int font_width(struct font *font, const char *string);
  * @text: text to be generated as texture
  * @font: font description
  * @color: foreground color in rgba format
+ * @bg_color: background color in rgba format
  * @arrow: arrow (utf8) character to show or NULL for none
  */
 void font_buffer_create(struct lab_data_buffer **buffer, int max_width,
-	const char *text, struct font *font, float *color, const char *arrow,
-	double scale);
+	const char *text, struct font *font, const float *color,
+	const float *bg_color, const char *arrow, double scale);
 
 /**
  * font_finish - free some font related resources
diff --git a/include/common/graphic-helpers.h b/include/common/graphic-helpers.h
index ccf17022..5463d4dc 100644
--- a/include/common/graphic-helpers.h
+++ b/include/common/graphic-helpers.h
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ void multi_rect_set_size(struct multi_rect *rect, int width, int height);
  * Sets the cairo color.
  * Splits a float[4] single color array into its own arguments
  */
-void set_cairo_color(cairo_t *cairo, float *color);
+void set_cairo_color(cairo_t *cairo, const float *color);
 
 /* Draws a border with a specified line width */
 void draw_cairo_border(cairo_t *cairo, struct wlr_fbox fbox, double line_width);
diff --git a/include/common/scaled_font_buffer.h b/include/common/scaled_font_buffer.h
index 42fd3ad5..029a9035 100644
--- a/include/common/scaled_font_buffer.h
+++ b/include/common/scaled_font_buffer.h
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ struct scaled_font_buffer {
 	char *text;
 	int max_width;
 	float color[4];
+	float bg_color[4];
 	char *arrow;
 	struct font font;
 	struct scaled_scene_buffer *scaled_buffer;
@@ -46,7 +47,8 @@ struct scaled_font_buffer *scaled_font_buffer_create(struct wlr_scene_tree *pare
  * - font and color the same
  */
 void scaled_font_buffer_update(struct scaled_font_buffer *self, const char *text,
-	int max_width, struct font *font, float *color, const char *arrow);
+	int max_width, struct font *font, const float *color,
+	const float *bg_color, const char *arrow);
 
 /**
  * Update the max width of an existing auto scaling font buffer
diff --git a/src/common/font.c b/src/common/font.c
index 3b997333..88af3489 100644
--- a/src/common/font.c
+++ b/src/common/font.c
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ font_width(struct font *font, const char *string)
 
 void
 font_buffer_create(struct lab_data_buffer **buffer, int max_width,
-	const char *text, struct font *font, float *color, const char *arrow,
-	double scale)
+	const char *text, struct font *font, const float *color,
+	const float *bg_color, const char *arrow, double scale)
 {
 	/* Allow a minimum of one pixel each for text and arrow */
 	if (max_width < 2) {
@@ -114,6 +114,15 @@ font_buffer_create(struct lab_data_buffer **buffer, int max_width,
 	cairo_t *cairo = (*buffer)->cairo;
 	cairo_surface_t *surf = cairo_get_target(cairo);
 
+	/*
+	 * Fill background color first - necessary for subpixel
+	 * rendering, which does not work properly on transparency
+	 */
+	set_cairo_color(cairo, bg_color);
+	cairo_rectangle(cairo, 0, 0, (*buffer)->unscaled_width,
+		(*buffer)->unscaled_height);
+	cairo_fill(cairo);
+
 	set_cairo_color(cairo, color);
 	cairo_move_to(cairo, 0, 0);
 
diff --git a/src/common/graphic-helpers.c b/src/common/graphic-helpers.c
index 862decd9..460b6760 100644
--- a/src/common/graphic-helpers.c
+++ b/src/common/graphic-helpers.c
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ draw_cairo_border(cairo_t *cairo, struct wlr_fbox fbox, double line_width)
 
 /* Sets the cairo color. Splits the single color channels */
 void
-set_cairo_color(cairo_t *cairo, float *c)
+set_cairo_color(cairo_t *cairo, const float *c)
 {
 	cairo_set_source_rgba(cairo, c[0], c[1], c[2], c[3]);
 }
diff --git a/src/common/scaled_font_buffer.c b/src/common/scaled_font_buffer.c
index a9b33a85..1f488c23 100644
--- a/src/common/scaled_font_buffer.c
+++ b/src/common/scaled_font_buffer.c
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ _create_buffer(struct scaled_scene_buffer *scaled_buffer, double scale)
 
 	/* Buffer gets free'd automatically along the backing wlr_buffer */
 	font_buffer_create(&buffer, self->max_width, self->text,
-		&self->font, self->color, self->arrow, scale);
+		&self->font, self->color, self->bg_color, self->arrow, scale);
 
 	self->width = buffer ? buffer->unscaled_width : 0;
 	self->height = buffer ? buffer->unscaled_height : 0;
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ scaled_font_buffer_create(struct wlr_scene_tree *parent)
 
 void
 scaled_font_buffer_update(struct scaled_font_buffer *self, const char *text,
-		int max_width, struct font *font, float *color,
-		const char *arrow)
+		int max_width, struct font *font, const float *color,
+		const float *bg_color, const char *arrow)
 {
 	assert(self);
 	assert(text);
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ scaled_font_buffer_update(struct scaled_font_buffer *self, const char *text,
 	self->font.slant = font->slant;
 	self->font.weight = font->weight;
 	memcpy(self->color, color, sizeof(self->color));
+	memcpy(self->bg_color, bg_color, sizeof(self->bg_color));
 	self->arrow = arrow ? xstrdup(arrow) : NULL;
 
 	/* Invalidate cache and force a new render */
diff --git a/src/menu/menu.c b/src/menu/menu.c
index 822f5932..c37ebc3b 100644
--- a/src/menu/menu.c
+++ b/src/menu/menu.c
@@ -205,9 +205,11 @@ item_create(struct menu *menu, const char *text, bool show_arrow)
 
 	/* Font buffers */
 	scaled_font_buffer_update(menuitem->normal.buffer, text, menuitem->native_width,
-		&rc.font_menuitem, theme->menu_items_text_color, arrow);
+		&rc.font_menuitem, theme->menu_items_text_color,
+		theme->menu_items_bg_color, arrow);
 	scaled_font_buffer_update(menuitem->selected.buffer, text, menuitem->native_width,
-		&rc.font_menuitem, theme->menu_items_active_text_color, arrow);
+		&rc.font_menuitem, theme->menu_items_active_text_color,
+		theme->menu_items_active_bg_color, arrow);
 
 	/* Center font nodes */
 	x = theme->menu_item_padding_x;
diff --git a/src/ssd/resize_indicator.c b/src/ssd/resize_indicator.c
index e140886d..91265664 100644
--- a/src/ssd/resize_indicator.c
+++ b/src/ssd/resize_indicator.c
@@ -199,7 +199,8 @@ resize_indicator_update(struct view *view)
 		(eff_height - indicator->height) / 2);
 
 	scaled_font_buffer_update(indicator->text, text, width, &rc.font_osd,
-		rc.theme->osd_label_text_color, NULL /* const char *arrow */);
+		rc.theme->osd_label_text_color, rc.theme->osd_bg_color,
+		NULL /* const char *arrow */);
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/src/ssd/ssd_titlebar.c b/src/ssd/ssd_titlebar.c
index b0ffe8a0..ca5ff42c 100644
--- a/src/ssd/ssd_titlebar.c
+++ b/src/ssd/ssd_titlebar.c
@@ -334,7 +334,8 @@ ssd_update_title(struct ssd *ssd)
 	struct ssd_state_title *state = &ssd->state.title;
 	bool title_unchanged = state->text && !strcmp(title, state->text);
 
-	float *text_color;
+	const float *text_color;
+	const float *bg_color;
 	struct font *font = NULL;
 	struct ssd_part *part;
 	struct ssd_sub_tree *subtree;
@@ -346,10 +347,12 @@ ssd_update_title(struct ssd *ssd)
 		if (subtree == &ssd->titlebar.active) {
 			dstate = &state->active;
 			text_color = theme->window_active_label_text_color;
+			bg_color = theme->window_active_title_bg_color;
 			font = &rc.font_activewindow;
 		} else {
 			dstate = &state->inactive;
 			text_color = theme->window_inactive_label_text_color;
+			bg_color = theme->window_inactive_title_bg_color;
 			font = &rc.font_inactivewindow;
 		}
 
@@ -379,7 +382,7 @@ ssd_update_title(struct ssd *ssd)
 		if (part->buffer) {
 			scaled_font_buffer_update(part->buffer, title,
 				title_bg_width, font,
-				text_color, NULL);
+				text_color, bg_color, NULL);
 		}
 
 		/* And finally update the cache */