diff --git a/src/core/annotation.js b/src/core/annotation.js
index 881671bd7cfaa5..fed39b56909ea6 100644
--- a/src/core/annotation.js
+++ b/src/core/annotation.js
@@ -79,12 +79,12 @@ var Annotation = (function AnnotationClosure() {
     data.annotationFlags = dict.get('F');
 
     var color = dict.get('C');
+    // C is optional. Missing or empty array means no color / transparent.
+    data.color = null;
     if (isArray(color) && color.length === 3) {
-      // TODO(mack): currently only supporting rgb; need support different
-      // colorspaces
+      // TODO: currently only supporting rgb; need support DeviceGray and
+      // DeviceCMYK (1 and 4 elements)
       data.color = color;
-    } else {
-      data.color = [0, 0, 0];
     }
 
     // Some types of annotations have border style dict which has more
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ var Annotation = (function AnnotationClosure() {
       if (data.borderWidth > 0 && dashArray) {
         if (!isArray(dashArray)) {
           // Ignore the border if dashArray is not actually an array,
-          // this is consistent with the behaviour in Adobe Reader. 
+          // this is consistent with the behaviour in Adobe Reader.
           data.borderWidth = 0;
         } else {
           var dashArrayLength = dashArray.length;
diff --git a/src/display/annotation_helper.js b/src/display/annotation_helper.js
index 0c01aa3b9586fc..d5ce2dfae36de1 100644
--- a/src/display/annotation_helper.js
+++ b/src/display/annotation_helper.js
@@ -45,26 +45,27 @@ var AnnotationUtils = (function AnnotationUtilsClosure() {
     style.fontFamily = fontFamily + fallbackName;
   }
 
-  // TODO(mack): Remove this, it's not really that helpful.
-  function getEmptyContainer(tagName, rect, borderWidth) {
-    var bWidth = borderWidth || 0;
-    var element = document.createElement(tagName);
-    element.style.borderWidth = bWidth + 'px';
-    var width = rect[2] - rect[0] - 2 * bWidth;
-    var height = rect[3] - rect[1] - 2 * bWidth;
-    element.style.width = width + 'px';
-    element.style.height = height + 'px';
-    return element;
-  }
-
-  function initContainer(item) {
-    var container = getEmptyContainer('section', item.rect, item.borderWidth);
-    container.style.backgroundColor = item.color;
-
-    var color = item.color;
-    item.colorCssRgb = Util.makeCssRgb(Math.round(color[0] * 255),
-                                       Math.round(color[1] * 255),
-                                       Math.round(color[2] * 255));
+  function initContainer(item, drawBorder) {
+    var container = document.createElement('section');
+    var cstyle = container.style;
+    var width = item.rect[2] - item.rect[0];
+    var height = item.rect[3] - item.rect[1];
+
+    var bWidth = item.borderWidth || 0;
+    if (bWidth) {
+      width = width - 2 * bWidth;
+      height = height - 2 * bWidth;
+      cstyle.borderWidth = bWidth + 'px';
+      var color = item.color;
+      if (drawBorder && color) {
+        cstyle.borderStyle = 'solid';
+        cstyle.borderColor = Util.makeCssRgb(Math.round(color[0] * 255),
+                                             Math.round(color[1] * 255),
+                                             Math.round(color[2] * 255));
+      }
+    }
+    cstyle.width = width + 'px';
+    cstyle.height = height + 'px';
 
     var highlight = document.createElement('div');
     highlight.className = 'annotationHighlight';
@@ -79,7 +80,11 @@ var AnnotationUtils = (function AnnotationUtilsClosure() {
   }
 
   function getHtmlElementForTextWidgetAnnotation(item, commonObjs) {
-    var element = getEmptyContainer('div', item.rect, 0);
+    var element = document.createElement('div');
+    var width = item.rect[2] - item.rect[0];
+    var height = item.rect[3] - item.rect[1];
+    element.style.width = width + 'px';
+    element.style.height = height + 'px';
     element.style.display = 'table';
 
     var content = document.createElement('div');
@@ -109,7 +114,7 @@ var AnnotationUtils = (function AnnotationUtilsClosure() {
       rect[2] = rect[0] + (rect[3] - rect[1]); // make it square
     }
 
-    var container = initContainer(item);
+    var container = initContainer(item, false);
     container.className = 'annotText';
 
     var image  = document.createElement('img');
@@ -218,12 +223,9 @@ var AnnotationUtils = (function AnnotationUtilsClosure() {
   }
 
   function getHtmlElementForLinkAnnotation(item) {
-    var container = initContainer(item);
+    var container = initContainer(item, true);
     container.className = 'annotLink';
 
-    container.style.borderColor = item.colorCssRgb;
-    container.style.borderStyle = 'solid';
-
     var link = document.createElement('a');
     link.href = link.title = item.url || '';