# Settings: Appearance

> Scalpel's Appearance tab: the five themes, stop and target returns in R or percent, UI scale from 70% to 125% with its shortcuts, and zebra stripes.

Source: https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-appearance
Guide 11.6, Settings reference. Intermediate, 3 min read.
Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on 2026-10-15. By Scalpel Team.

**In short:**

The Appearance tab changes how Scalpel looks, never how it trades: the theme (Dracula by default, or Dark, Light, Nord and Ferra), whether stop, target and position returns read in R or in percent, the UI scale from 70% to 125% (100% by default, also `Ctrl`+`-`, `Ctrl`+`=` and `Ctrl`+`0`), and zebra stripes on the scanner tables.

Open **Settings** (`Ctrl`+`,`) and pick **Appearance**. Changes show when you click **Apply** or press `Enter`.

*Screenshot: The Appearance tab at its defaults: Dracula, returns in R, 100% scale, zebra stripes on.*

## Every option

| Option | What it does for your trading | Default | Allowed values | When to change it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Theme** | The colour scheme of the cockpit. It changes nothing about your orders. | Dracula | Dark, Light, Dracula, Nord, Ferra | **Light** for a bright room; **Dark** or **Nord** if you prefer less colour. Pick what you can read for hours. |
| **Stops / TP returns** | How the chips on the chart's stop and target lines, the position badge and the orders table express a result. **Return (R)** is a multiple of your risk; **Percent (%)** is the move from your entry. | Return (R) | Return (R) or Percent (%) | Stay on R if you size by risk: "+2.0R" says more about a trade than "+12.0%". Percent suits share-count traders who think in moves. |
| **UI scale** | Zooms the whole cockpit, text and panels together, in 5% steps. | 100% | 70% to 125% | Lower it to fit more desks on one screen; raise it on a high-resolution monitor or if the text is small. |
| **Zebra stripes** | Shades every other row in the scanner tables so your eye can follow a row across. | On | On or off | Turn it off for a flatter look. |

The notes read: "How stop, take-profit and position returns read on the chart chips and the orders table: R-multiples or percent of entry." and "Zooms the whole cockpit. Ctrl+/- steps by 5%; Ctrl+0 resets to 100%."

### R or percent: the same trade both ways

A 30c stop on a 5.00 entry, with the target at 2R:

| Line | Return (R) | Percent (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Stop at 4.70 | -1.0R | -6.0% |
| Target at 5.60 | +2.0R | +12.0% |

R is explained in [guide 5.4](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/r-multiples).

## The themes

*Screenshot: The Theme list: five schemes, Dracula by default.*

Every theme is built to be read for hours. Body text, muted labels, prices and the buy and sell colours all keep at least a 4.5:1 contrast against the panels (the WCAG AA level for normal text). Filled buttons and tags pick dark or white text, whichever reads better on their colour, so a bright green buy button gets dark text and a deep one gets white.

**Light** has its own set of data colours rather than the dark themes' bright ones on a white panel: deeper greens, reds, gold and cyan for prices and reads, and pale green and red fills behind dark text on the tape. Pick the theme that suits your room and your eyes; none of them changes what the colours mean.

## Zoom from the keyboard

You do not need this tab to zoom. `Ctrl`+`=` zooms in and `Ctrl`+`-` zooms out by 5%, and `Ctrl`+`0` goes back to 100%, at any time, even while a field has focus. On a Mac, use `Cmd`. The scale is saved and is the same on every screen. Laying desks out across monitors is in [guide 2.4](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/multi-monitor-setup).

## Questions

**How do I make Scalpel's text bigger?**

Press Ctrl and = (Cmd and = on a Mac) to zoom in 5% at a time, up to 125%, or set UI scale on the Appearance tab. Ctrl and 0 goes back to 100%.

**Can I show stop and target returns in percent?**

Yes. Set Stops / TP returns to Percent (%) on the Appearance tab. The chart chips, the position badge and the orders table then show the move from your entry.

**Does the theme or zoom change anything about my orders?**

No. Appearance settings only change how the cockpit looks. Sizes, stops and caps are on the Sizing, Stops and Risk tabs.

**Is there a light theme?**

Yes, Light, with deeper data colours so prices and reads stay sharp on a white panel. The others are Dark, Dracula (the default), Nord and Ferra.