Chart Display Settings

The Chart Display Settings in FutPrint allow traders to customize every visual aspect of their charts — from key price indicators such as the Last Trade Price line to the chart’s background colors, candlestick styling, crosshair behavior, and grid lines.
These settings are designed to give traders maximum control over the visual clarity, contrast, and usability of their charting environment for different strategies and preferences.

1. Chart Features

The Chart Features section contains options that add functional overlays and visual aids to your chart for real-time analysis.

Last Trade Price Line

  • Purpose: Displays a horizontal line at the most recent trade price.
  • Benefit: Allows traders to instantly recognize the current market price and track short-term fluctuations.
  • Behavior: Updates in real-time with each new trade.
  • Use Case: Helpful as a visual reference for optimal entry and exit points during live trading.

Bar Countdown

  • Purpose: Shows a countdown timer indicating when the current price bar (or candle) will close.
  • Benefit: Enables precise timing around bar closure, which is crucial for breakout trades or closing positions in time-framed strategies.
  • Behavior: Only applies to time-based charts, not tick or volume-based charts.

Crosshair Snap to Candles

  • Purpose: Snaps the crosshair position to the nearest candle/bar rather than moving freely.
  • Benefit: Ensures precise data point selection when reviewing candles.
  • When Disabled: The crosshair moves fluidly across the chart for continuous price value inspection.
  • Use Case: Recommended for traders doing bar-by-bar price analysis.

2. Chart Appearance

This section determines the overall look and feel of your chart, including colors, candle structure visibility, and background tones.

Background Color

  • Purpose: Sets the color of the main chart area background.
  • Recommendation:
    • Dark backgrounds are preferred for low light or extended chart viewing as they reduce eye strain.
    • Light backgrounds may be useful for printing or daytime trading environments.

Candlestick Body Colors

Candlestick bodies indicate whether the price is rising or falling for a given period.

  • Bullish Candle Color

    • Indicates positive movement — typically where the closing price > opening price.
    • Default suggestion: Green or a shade that signifies growth.

  • Bearish Candle Color

    • Indicates negative movement — where the closing price < opening price.
    • Default suggestion: Red or a shade that signifies decline.

Wick Colors

Wicks (or shadows) show the highest and lowest prices reached during a candle's period.

  • Bullish Wick Color: Wicks of bullish candles. Can be same or lighter/darker than candle body for better contrast.
  • Bearish Wick Color: Wicks of bearish candles. Similar customization applies.

Border Colors

Adds an outline around candle bodies for enhanced visibility.

  • Bullish Border Color: Outline for bullish candles.
  • Bearish Border Color: Outline for bearish candles.
  • Tip: Use a slightly darker or lighter tone than the candle body color for better definition.

Visibility Toggles

  • Show Wicks: Enables wick (high/low) display. Disable for a minimalist chart view.
  • Show Bodies: Enables candle bodies (open/close range). Disable to display only wicks, resulting in a line-like appearance.

3. Crosshair Settings

The crosshair is an essential tool for pinpointing exact price and time levels.

  • Crosshair Color: Change the line color used for crosshair tracking.

    • Recommendation: Use semi-transparent (alpha) colors to avoid obstructing price data.

  • Crosshair Text Color: Change the text label color showing date/time and price on crosshair hover.

  • Snap to Candles: Same as above in Chart Features. Ensures you land exactly on a candle when using the crosshair.

4. Grid Settings

Grid lines help structure the chart visually. In FutPrint, grid customization is primarily for day separators.

  • Show Day Separators

    • Adds vertical lines that separate different trading days.
    • Especially useful for intraday traders analyzing session-based activity.

  • Day Separator Color

    • Set the color for these separators.
    • Choose a shade that blends with your chart but is still visible.
    • Dark charts generally benefit from soft grey or muted blue; light charts work well with light grey or pastel lines.

Best Practices

  • Keep Important Lines Subtle: Overly bright or heavy lines can distract from price action.
  • Use Consistent Colors Across Charts: Helps improve visual recognition when switching views or markets.
  • Adapt for Strategy: Scalpers might use minimal chart decoration; swing traders may prefer more indicators and visual boundaries.

By carefully fine-tuning Chart Display Settings, you can create a trading environment that maximizes clarity, reduces cognitive load, and improves reaction time in fast-moving markets.