diff --git a/collects/plot/common/draw.rkt b/collects/plot/common/draw.rkt
index 03f40400ec..a2576f3e25 100644
--- a/collects/plot/common/draw.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/common/draw.rkt
@@ -58,6 +58,25 @@
   (define i (inexact->exact (floor f)))
   (min (max i 0) 255))
 
+;; Returns an immutable instance of color%. Immutable colors are faster because they don't have to
+;; have immutable copies made when they're used in a dc.
+(define (make-color% r g b)
+  (define color (make-object color% r g b))
+  (send color set-immutable)
+  color)
+
+;; Returns an immutable instance of pen%. Same reasoning as for make-color%.
+(define (make-pen% r g b w s)
+  (define pen (make-object pen% (make-color% r g b) w s))
+  (send pen set-immutable)
+  pen)
+
+;; Returns an immutable instance of brush%. Same reasoning as for make-color%.
+(define (make-brush% r g b s)
+  (define brush (make-object brush% (make-color% r g b) s))
+  (send brush set-immutable)
+  brush)
+
 (define (color%? c) (is-a? c color%))
 
 (defproc (->color [c color/c]) (list/c real? real? real?)
@@ -72,7 +91,7 @@
 
 (define (color->color% c)
   (match-define (list r g b) c)
-  (make-object color% (real->color-byte r) (real->color-byte g) (real->color-byte b)))
+  (make-color% (real->color-byte r) (real->color-byte g) (real->color-byte b)))
 
 (define (rgb->hsv rgb)
   (match-define (list r g b) (map (λ (x) (/ x 255)) rgb))
diff --git a/collects/plot/common/legend.rkt b/collects/plot/common/legend.rkt
index d28bf7c43a..87d96af767 100644
--- a/collects/plot/common/legend.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/common/legend.rkt
@@ -168,9 +168,9 @@
                         (send pd set-alpha 1)
                         (send pd draw-glyphs (list (rect-center rect)) sym size))))
 
-(defproc (vector-field-legend-entry [label string?] [color plot-color/c]
-                                    [line-width (>=/c 0)] [line-style plot-pen-style/c]
-                                    ) legend-entry?
+(defproc (arrow-legend-entry [label string?] [color plot-color/c]
+                             [line-width (>=/c 0)] [line-style plot-pen-style/c]
+                             ) legend-entry?
   (legend-entry label (λ (pd rect)
                         (match-define (vector (ivl x-min x-max) y-ivl) rect)
                         (send pd set-pen color line-width line-style)
diff --git a/collects/plot/common/plot-device.rkt b/collects/plot/common/plot-device.rkt
index bc1a009217..c79747a6cf 100644
--- a/collects/plot/common/plot-device.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/common/plot-device.rkt
@@ -135,24 +135,20 @@
     ;; Pen, brush, alpha parameters
     
     (define pen-hash (make-hash))
+    (define transparent-pen (make-pen% 0 0 0 1 'transparent))
     
-    (define pen-color (plot-foreground))
-    (define pen-width (plot-line-width))
     (define pen-style 'solid)
     
     ;; Sets the pen, using a hash table to avoid making duplicate objects. At time of writing (and for
     ;; the forseeable future) this is much faster than using a pen-list%, because it doesn't have to
-    ;; synchronize access to be thread-safe.
+    ;; synchronize access. It's also not thread-safe.
     (define/public (set-pen color width style)
       (match-define (list (app real->color-byte r) (app real->color-byte g) (app real->color-byte b))
         (->pen-color color))
-      (set! pen-color color)
-      (set! pen-width width)
       (set! pen-style (->pen-style style))
       (let ([style  (if (eq? style 'transparent) 'transparent 'solid)])
-        (send dc set-pen
-              (hash-ref! pen-hash (vector r g b width style)
-                         (λ () (make-object pen% (make-object color% r g b) width style))))))
+        (send dc set-pen (hash-ref! pen-hash (vector r g b width style)
+                                    (λ () (make-pen% r g b width style))))))
     
     ;; Sets the pen used to draw major ticks.
     (define/public (set-major-pen [style 'solid])
@@ -164,19 +160,13 @@
     
     (define brush-hash (make-hash))
     
-    (define brush-color (plot-background))
-    (define brush-style 'solid)
-    
     ;; Sets the brush. Same idea as set-pen.
     (define/public (set-brush color style)
       (match-define (list (app real->color-byte r) (app real->color-byte g) (app real->color-byte b))
         (->brush-color color))
       (let ([style  (->brush-style style)])
-        (set! brush-color color)
-        (set! brush-style style)
-        (send dc set-brush
-              (hash-ref! brush-hash (vector r g b style)
-                         (λ () (make-object brush% (make-object color% r g b) style))))))
+        (send dc set-brush (hash-ref! brush-hash (vector r g b style)
+                                      (λ () (make-brush% r g b style))))))
     
     (define alpha (plot-foreground-alpha))
     
@@ -275,13 +265,13 @@
                  (send dc draw-polygon vs 0 0 'winding)
                  (send dc set-smoothing 'smoothed)]
                 [else
-                 (define old-pen-style pen-style)
-                 (set-pen pen-color pen-width 'transparent)
+                 (define old-pen (send dc get-pen))
+                 (send dc set-pen transparent-pen)
                  (send dc set-smoothing 'unsmoothed)
                  (send dc draw-polygon vs 0 0 'winding)
                  (send dc set-smoothing 'smoothed)
-                 (set-pen pen-color pen-width old-pen-style)
-                 (draw-lines/pen-style dc (cons (last vs) vs) old-pen-style)]))))
+                 (send dc set-pen old-pen)
+                 (draw-lines/pen-style dc (cons (last vs) vs) pen-style)]))))
     
     (define/public (draw-rect r)
       (when (rect-regular? r)
diff --git a/collects/plot/contracted/legend.rkt b/collects/plot/contracted/legend.rkt
index e05756a660..9b1258b4ad 100644
--- a/collects/plot/contracted/legend.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/contracted/legend.rkt
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
           rectangle-legend-entry rectangle-legend-entries
           interval-legend-entry interval-legend-entries
           point-legend-entry
-          vector-field-legend-entry))
+          arrow-legend-entry))
diff --git a/collects/plot/plot2d/point.rkt b/collects/plot/plot2d/point.rkt
index dac7624ed0..ce0ed4ed65 100644
--- a/collects/plot/plot2d/point.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/plot2d/point.rkt
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@
                       (vector x y)
                       (vector (+ x (* mag (cos angle))) (+ y (* mag (sin angle))))))
               
-              (cond [label  (vector-field-legend-entry label color line-width line-style)]
+              (cond [label  (arrow-legend-entry label color line-width line-style)]
                     [else   empty])]))
 
 (defproc (vector-field
diff --git a/collects/plot/plot3d/point.rkt b/collects/plot/plot3d/point.rkt
index d148352106..78a5bd86bd 100644
--- a/collects/plot/plot3d/point.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/plot3d/point.rkt
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@
                     [mag   (in-list new-mags)])
                 (send area put-arrow v (v+ v (v* norm mag))))
               
-              (cond [label  (vector-field-legend-entry label color line-width line-style)]
+              (cond [label  (arrow-legend-entry label color line-width line-style)]
                     [else   empty])]))
 
 (defproc (vector-field3d
diff --git a/collects/plot/scribblings/custom.scrbl b/collects/plot/scribblings/custom.scrbl
index b19dd6f1f7..90c3d704a2 100644
--- a/collects/plot/scribblings/custom.scrbl
+++ b/collects/plot/scribblings/custom.scrbl
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 @title[#:tag "custom"]{Custom Plot Elements}
 
+@defmodule*/no-declare[(plot/utils)]
 @declare-exporting[plot/utils]
 
 @section{Plot Elements}
@@ -64,6 +65,4 @@ Examples: @racket[x-ticks], @racket[y-ticks], @racket[z-ticks], @racket[invisibl
 @doc-apply[interval-legend-entry]
 @doc-apply[interval-legend-entries]
 @doc-apply[point-legend-entry]
-@doc-apply[vector-field-legend-entry]
-
-todo: rename vector-field-legend-entry to arrow-legend-entry?
+@doc-apply[arrow-legend-entry]
diff --git a/collects/plot/scribblings/intro.scrbl b/collects/plot/scribblings/intro.scrbl
index 7eeb8c1072..37d92c1135 100644
--- a/collects/plot/scribblings/intro.scrbl
+++ b/collects/plot/scribblings/intro.scrbl
@@ -113,13 +113,13 @@ We might say that bounds passed to renderers are @italic{suggestions}, and bound
 
 Here is an example of commanding @(racket plot3d) to override a renderer's bounds. First, consider the plot of a sphere with radius @(racket 1):
 
-@interaction[#:eval plot-eval (plot3d (polar3d (λ (θ ρ) 1) #:line-color "white" #:line-width 1)
+@interaction[#:eval plot-eval (plot3d (polar3d (λ (θ ρ) 1) #:color 2 #:line-style 'transparent)
                                       #:altitude 25)]
 
 Passing bounds to @(racket plot3d) that are smaller than [-1..1] × [-1..1] × [-1..1] cuts off the six axial poles:
 
 @interaction[#:eval plot-eval
-                    (plot3d (polar3d (λ (θ ρ) 1) #:line-color "white" #:line-width 1)
+                    (plot3d (polar3d (λ (θ ρ) 1) #:color 2 #:line-style 'transparent)
                             #:x-min -0.8 #:x-max 0.8
                             #:y-min -0.8 #:y-max 0.8
                             #:z-min -0.8 #:z-max 0.8
diff --git a/collects/plot/tests/doc-tests.rkt b/collects/plot/tests/doc-tests.rkt
index 78a19f36db..9aa7a2cfdd 100644
--- a/collects/plot/tests/doc-tests.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/tests/doc-tests.rkt
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
          scribble/manual
          scribble/render
          scribble/text-render
-         scribble/decode)
+         scribble/decode
+         (for-syntax racket/base racket/syntax))
 
 (define (render-doc doc-part)
   (define path (make-temporary-file "racket-doc-~a.txt" #f (current-directory)))
@@ -21,11 +22,17 @@
   (for ([line  (in-list (render-doc doc-part))])
     (displayln line)))
 
-(display-doc (plot/dc:doc))
+(define-syntax (doc stx)
+  (syntax-case stx ()
+    [(_ name)  (with-syntax ([name:doc  (format-id #'name "~a:doc" #'name)])
+                 (syntax/loc stx
+                   (display-doc (name:doc))))]))
+
+(doc plot/dc)
 (newline)
-(display-doc (treeof:doc))
+(doc treeof)
 (newline)
-(display-doc (plot-background:doc))
+(doc plot-background)
 (newline)
-(display-doc (known-point-symbols:doc))
+(doc known-point-symbols)
 (newline)
diff --git a/collects/plot/tests/isosurface-tests.rkt b/collects/plot/tests/isosurface-tests.rkt
index c50a1e62a0..ea93033e86 100644
--- a/collects/plot/tests/isosurface-tests.rkt
+++ b/collects/plot/tests/isosurface-tests.rkt
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #lang racket
 
-(require plot plot/utils #;racket/flonum)
+(require plot plot/utils)
 
 (time
  (plot3d (isosurface3d (λ (x y z) (sqrt (+ (sqr x) (sqr y) (sqr z)))) 1