Consider the following LaTeX manuscript featuring a TikZ picture* containing an empty, red-bordered node placed at the picture's origin.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\begin{document}
\tikz \path[draw=red] (0,0) node[draw] {};
\end{document}
When this manuscript is compiled with pdflatex
the result is a pdf file with the following picture of a red square, as expected:
However, when the same manuscript is compiled with latex
the result is a dvi file with the following picture of a black square:
When the node is replaced by a line segment:
\tikz path[draw=red] (0,0) -- (1,0);
both pdf and dvi look the same, showing a red line segment, as expected:
Why does latex
draw a black square?
* This picture was the subject of this post, which may or may not be related to the present question; I suspect that it is, but I don't know for sure, hence the separate question.
\documentclass{article} \usepackage{tikz} \begin{document} \tikz \path (0,0) node[draw=red] {}; \end{document}
(this is more correct code) and see if now appear difference between latex and pdftex\path[draw=red]
is allowed and should have a well-defined effect on nodes on the path. To me it looks like a bug in one of the driver.