sequences, compatible terminals can print out colored text. Using a UNIX System III-style implementation: BGRED=`echo "\033[41m"` FGBLUE=`echo "\033[35m"` BGGREEN=`echo "\033[42m"` NORMAL=`echo "\033[m"` Or a Unix Version 8-style implementation (such as Bash when not in Unix-conformance mode): BGRED=`echo -e "\033[41m"` FGBLUE=`echo -e "\033[35m"` BGGREEN=`echo -e "\033[42m"` NORMAL=`echo -e "\033[m"` and after: echo "${FGBLUE} Text in blue ${NORMAL}" echo "Text normal" echo "${BGRED} Background in red" echo "${BGGREEN} Background in Green and back to Normal ${NORMAL}" Portably with printf: BGRED=`printf '\33[41m'` NORMAL=`printf '\33[m'` printf '%s\n' "${BGRED}Text on red background${NORMAL}" See also List of Unix commands List of DOS commands References Further reading External links Microsoft TechNet Echo article Internal DOS commands MSX-DOS commands OS/2 commands ReactOS commands Windows commands Multics commands Standard Unix programs Unix SUS2008 utilities Plan 9 commands Inferno (operating system) commands IBM i Qshell commands