diff --git a/src/traces/parcats/parcats.js b/src/traces/parcats/parcats.js
index 41b49adba10..538cd797f66 100644
--- a/src/traces/parcats/parcats.js
+++ b/src/traces/parcats/parcats.js
@@ -230,6 +230,8 @@ function performPlot(parcatsModels, graphDiv, layout, svg) {
         .attr('class', 'catlabel')
         .attr('pointer-events', 'none');
 
+    var paperColor = graphDiv._fullLayout.paper_bgcolor;
+
     // Update category label
     categorySelection.select('text.catlabel')
         .attr('text-anchor',
@@ -245,10 +247,10 @@ function performPlot(parcatsModels, graphDiv, layout, svg) {
         .attr('alignment-baseline', 'middle')
 
         .style('text-shadow',
-            'rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px  1px 2px, ' +
-            'rgb(255, 255, 255)  1px  1px 2px, ' +
-            'rgb(255, 255, 255)  1px -1px 2px, ' +
-            'rgb(255, 255, 255) -1px -1px 2px')
+            paperColor + ' -1px  1px 2px, ' +
+            paperColor + ' 1px  1px 2px, ' +
+            paperColor + '  1px -1px 2px, ' +
+            paperColor + ' -1px -1px 2px')
         .style('fill', 'rgb(0, 0, 0)')
         .attr('x',
             function(d) {
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/parcats_dark.png b/test/image/baselines/parcats_dark.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..167fd3428d8
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/image/baselines/parcats_dark.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/mocks/parcats_dark.json b/test/image/mocks/parcats_dark.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1a6c50b8f84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/image/mocks/parcats_dark.json
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{
+  "data": [
+    {"type": "parcats",
+      "domain": {"x": [0.125, 0.625],"y": [0.25, 0.75]},
+      "dimensions":[
+        {"label": "One", "values": [1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1]},
+        {"label": "Two", "values": ["A", "B", "A", "B", "C", "C", "A", "B", "C"]},
+        {"label": "Three", "values": [11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11]}]}
+  ],
+  "layout": {
+    "paper_bgcolor": "black",
+    "font": {"color": "white"},
+    "height": 602,
+    "width": 592,
+    "margin": {
+      "l": 40, "r": 40, "t": 50, "b": 40
+    }}
+}