diff --git a/crates/layout/src/display.rs b/crates/layout/src/display.rs
index 10fc9faa2..7233bb7b3 100644
--- a/crates/layout/src/display.rs
+++ b/crates/layout/src/display.rs
@@ -409,10 +409,41 @@ fn stroke_of(u: Underline) -> Stroke {
 /// Draw items for a page.
 pub fn page_display(doc: &Document, page: &Page, opts: &DisplayOptions) -> Vec<Draw> {
     let mut out = Vec::new();
+    let (ha, ba) = dimming(opts);
+    stories_display(doc, &[&page.header, &page.footer], opts, ha, &mut out);
+    stories_display(doc, &[&page.items], opts, ba, &mut out);
+    body_change_bars(doc, page, opts, ba, &mut out);
+    out
+}
+
+/// A page's draw items as two layers, its headers and footers then its body, each at full
+/// strength with the opacity to draw it at. A dimmed layer is faded as one picture, as Word dims
+/// it: where its lines or fills overlap (a table's borders meeting) they don't darken each other.
+pub fn page_layers(doc: &Document, page: &Page, opts: &DisplayOptions) -> [(f32, Vec<Draw>); 2] {
+    let (ha, ba) = dimming(opts);
+    let (mut hf, mut body) = (Vec::new(), Vec::new());
+    stories_display(doc, &[&page.header, &page.footer], opts, 1.0, &mut hf);
+    stories_display(doc, &[&page.items], opts, 1.0, &mut body);
+    body_change_bars(doc, page, opts, 1.0, &mut body);
+    [(ha, hf), (ba, body)]
+}
+
+/// The opacity of the headers/footers and of the body.
+fn dimming(opts: &DisplayOptions) -> (f32, f32) {
+    let a = |dim: bool| if dim { 0.45 } else { 1.0 };
+    (a(opts.dim_header), a(opts.dim_body))
+}
+
+fn body_change_bars(doc: &Document, page: &Page, opts: &DisplayOptions, alpha: f32, out: &mut Vec<Draw>) {
+    if opts.markup && (opts.revisions.insertions_deletions || opts.revisions.formatting) && opts.revisions.changed_lines != ChangeBar::None {
+        change_bars(doc, page, &opts.revisions, alpha, out);
+    }
+}
+
+/// Draw items for the placed items of `stories`, faded by `a`.
+fn stories_display(doc: &Document, stories: &[&Vec<Placed>], opts: &DisplayOptions, a: f32, out: &mut Vec<Draw>) {
     let hidden = opts.hide_object.as_ref().map(|p| Hidden::new(doc, p));
-    let ha = if opts.dim_header { 0.45 } else { 1.0 };
-    let ba = if opts.dim_body { 0.45 } else { 1.0 };
-    for (items, a) in [(&page.header, ha), (&page.footer, ha), (&page.items, ba)] {
+    for items in stories {
         let warps = warped_boxes(doc, items);
         let clips = clipped_cells(items);
         let mut done: Vec<u32> = Vec::new();
@@ -439,17 +470,13 @@ pub fn page_display(doc: &Document, page: &Page, opts: &DisplayOptions) -> Vec<D
                     if let Some((_, rect, warp)) = warps.iter().find(|(w, ..)| w == id) {
                         let lines: Vec<&Placed> =
                             items.iter().filter(|i| matches!(i, Placed::Lines { story: StoryRef::Part(s), .. } if s == id)).collect();
-                        warped_text(doc, &lines, *rect, warp, opts, a, &mut out);
+                        warped_text(doc, &lines, *rect, warp, opts, a, out);
                     }
                 }
-                _ => item(doc, it, opts, a, &mut out),
+                _ => item(doc, it, opts, a, out),
             }
         }
     }
-    if opts.markup && (opts.revisions.insertions_deletions || opts.revisions.formatting) && opts.revisions.changed_lines != ChangeBar::None {
-        change_bars(doc, page, &opts.revisions, ba, &mut out);
-    }
-    out
 }
 
 /// One object drawn alone, as its page draws it: the picture, shape or group `o` in `rect` (its
diff --git a/crates/render/src/lib.rs b/crates/render/src/lib.rs
index b0416c11e..01e70c54a 100644
--- a/crates/render/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/render/src/lib.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use wordcraft_doc::para::ShapeKind;
 use wordcraft_doc::props::Rgb;
 use wordcraft_fonts::FontDb;
 use wordcraft_layout::Page;
-use wordcraft_layout::display::{DisplayOptions, Draw, Stroke, page_display};
+use wordcraft_layout::display::{DisplayOptions, Draw, Stroke, page_layers};
 use wordcraft_layout::wordart::ArtPaint;
 use wordcraft_metafile::{Item, Picture, PlacedItem, Seg};
 
@@ -524,13 +524,22 @@ fn render_region_capped(doc: &Document, page: &Page, w: u32, h: u32, view: Affin
     ctx.set_paint(color(opts.ink(doc.settings.page_color.unwrap_or(opts.paper)), 1.0));
     ctx.fill_rect(&kurbo::Rect::new(0.0, 0.0, w16 as f64, h16 as f64));
     draw_page_picture(&mut ctx, doc, page, view);
-    let items = page_display(doc, page, &opts.display);
     let visible = view.inverse().transform_rect_bbox(kurbo::Rect::new(0.0, 0.0, w16 as f64, h16 as f64)).inflate(40.0, 40.0);
     if let Some(wm) = &doc.settings.watermark {
         draw_watermark(&mut ctx, view, page, wm, opts);
     }
-    for it in &items {
-        draw(&mut ctx, doc, it, view, &visible, opts);
+    // A dimmed layer is drawn whole, then faded once, so its overlaps don't darken.
+    for (alpha, items) in page_layers(doc, page, &opts.display) {
+        let faded = alpha < 1.0 && !items.is_empty();
+        if faded {
+            ctx.push_opacity_layer(alpha);
+        }
+        for it in &items {
+            draw(&mut ctx, doc, it, view, &visible, opts);
+        }
+        if faded {
+            ctx.pop_layer();
+        }
     }
     ctx.flush();
     let mut pixels = vec![0u8; w16 as usize * h16 as usize * 4];
@@ -551,8 +560,14 @@ pub fn background_at(doc: &Document, page: &Page, opts: &RenderOptions, x: f32,
         return paper;
     }
     let mut bg = [paper.0 as f32, paper.1 as f32, paper.2 as f32];
-    let items = page_display(doc, page, &opts.display);
-    blend_backgrounds(&items, wordcraft_geom::Point::new(x, y), opts, &mut bg, 0);
+    for (alpha, items) in page_layers(doc, page, &opts.display) {
+        // A faded layer: its own colour there, blended in at its opacity.
+        let mut layer = bg;
+        blend_backgrounds(&items, wordcraft_geom::Point::new(x, y), opts, &mut layer, 0);
+        for (v, n) in bg.iter_mut().zip(layer) {
+            *v += (n - *v) * alpha;
+        }
+    }
     let c = |v: f32| v.round().clamp(0.0, 255.0) as u8;
     Rgb(c(bg[0]), c(bg[1]), c(bg[2]))
 }
@@ -1187,6 +1202,7 @@ pub fn render_items(doc: &Document, items: &[Draw], x: f32, y: f32, w: f32, h: f
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
+    use wordcraft_layout::display::page_display;
     use wordcraft_layout::{LayoutCache, LayoutOptions, layout};
 
     /// The first and last pixel rows with ink in a black-on-white [`render_text_line`] raster.
@@ -1554,6 +1570,34 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!ink(&img, 31, 3), "the upper strand ends at x=30");
     }
 
+    /// A dimmed header is its full-strength picture faded once, as Word dims it: where a header
+    /// table's borders meet they are the tone of the borders, not darker.
+    #[test]
+    fn dimmed_header_borders_dont_darken_where_they_meet() {
+        let mut d = Document::from_text("");
+        let t = wordcraft_doc::Table::new(2, 2, 200.0);
+        let blocks = vec![std::sync::Arc::new(wordcraft_doc::Block::Table(t)), wordcraft_doc::para_block(wordcraft_doc::Paragraph::new())];
+        let id = d.add_part(wordcraft_doc::PartKind::Header, blocks);
+        d.last_section.headers.default = Some(id);
+        let l = layout(&d, &mut LayoutCache::new(), &LayoutOptions::default());
+        let render = |dim_header: bool| {
+            let mut opts = RenderOptions::default();
+            opts.display.dim_header = dim_header;
+            render_page(&d, &l.pages[0], 3.0, &opts)
+        };
+        let (full, dim) = (render(false), render(true));
+        let mut ink = 0;
+        for y in 0..full.height {
+            for x in 0..full.width {
+                let (f, g) = (full.pixel(x, y)[0] as f32, dim.pixel(x, y)[0] as f32);
+                ink += usize::from(f < 128.0);
+                let want = 255.0 - 0.45 * (255.0 - f);
+                assert!((g - want).abs() <= 2.0, "({x}, {y}): {g} dimmed, {want} wanted ({f} at full strength)");
+            }
+        }
+        assert!(ink > 100, "the borders are drawn: {ink}");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn dark_page_inverts_lightness() {
         assert_eq!(invert_lightness(Rgb::WHITE), Rgb::BLACK);
diff --git a/crates/render/src/tests_color_glyphs.rs b/crates/render/src/tests_color_glyphs.rs
index 531f2e6ab..c1d38a7a8 100644
--- a/crates/render/src/tests_color_glyphs.rs
+++ b/crates/render/src/tests_color_glyphs.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 //! Colour glyphs (#1269): emoji from colour fonts (bitmap strikes, COLR) are drawn in colour.
 
 use super::*;
+use wordcraft_layout::display::page_display;
 use wordcraft_layout::{LayoutCache, LayoutOptions, layout};
 
 /// Colour emoji families the system fallback may pick.