Fixing Text-Stroke Issues in Tailwind CSS

When working with the text-stroke property in Tailwind CSS, you might encounter problems like the stroke cutting through certain characters (e.g., letters like "a" and "e"). This issue often stems from the nature of -webkit-text-stroke, which can behave inconsistently across browsers and fonts.

In this blog, we’ll explore the problem, identify its causes, and provide practical solutions to resolve or avoid it.

The Problem

Here’s an example of an HTML element using a custom text-stroke property in Tailwind CSS:

<h1 className="text-7xl text-white text-stroke-3 text-center mt-5 font-bold">
  How are you feeling today?
</h1>

And the corresponding CSS for the text-stroke utility:

.text-stroke-3 {
  -webkit-text-stroke: 3px black;
}

Observed Issue

Characters like "a" and "e" appear as if the stroke is cutting through their inner areas.
This issue is more prominent with certain fonts and in browsers that implement -webkit-text-stroke inconsistently.

Solutions to Fix the Issue

1. Use a Different Font

One of the simplest fixes is switching to a different font that does not exhibit these issues. Variable fonts, in particular, may cause rendering inconsistencies with -webkit-text-stroke.

Example:

<h1 className="font-sans text-7xl text-white text-stroke-3 text-center mt-5 font-bold">
  How are you feeling today?
</h1>

2. Replace `-webkit-text-stroke` with `text-shadow`

For better compatibility, you can achieve a similar stroke effect using text-shadow. This method works across all modern browsers and avoids the inconsistencies of -webkit-text-stroke.

Example CSS:

.text-stroke-3 {
  text-shadow:
    -1px -1px 0 black,
    1px -1px 0 black,
    -1px 1px 0 black,
    1px 1px 0 black;
}

Example HTML:

<h1 className="text-7xl text-white text-stroke-3 text-center mt-5 font-bold">
  How are you feeling today?
</h1>

This approach creates a faux stroke by applying shadows in all directions. You can adjust the shadow values to control the stroke's size and appearance.

3. Inspect Parent Styles

Sometimes, the problem arises from inherited styles or transformations applied to parent elements. Ensure there are no conflicting styles (e.g., scaling, transforms, or opacity changes) impacting the text rendering.

4. Test in Multiple Browsers

While Chrome typically handles -webkit-text-stroke well, other browsers might not. Testing your design across different browsers and devices can help identify rendering issues early.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What causes `-webkit-text-stroke` to behave inconsistently?

The inconsistencies often stem from:

Poor font rendering for certain fonts.
Browser-specific quirks in implementing -webkit-text-stroke.
Variable fonts or inherited styles from parent elements.

2. Is `text-shadow` a better alternative to `-webkit-text-stroke`?

Yes, text-shadow is more reliable and works across all modern browsers. While it may not perfectly replicate -webkit-text-stroke, it provides a visually similar effect without compatibility issues.

3. Can I use both `-webkit-text-stroke` and `text-shadow` together?

Yes, you can combine the two for enhanced effects. For example:

.text-stroke-3 {
  -webkit-text-stroke: 3px black;
  text-shadow:
    -1px -1px 0 black,
    1px -1px 0 black,
    -1px 1px 0 black,
    1px 1px 0 black;
}