diff --git a/sd/source/ui/tools/PreviewRenderer.cxx b/sd/source/ui/tools/PreviewRenderer.cxx
index 9a355aa148e2..64b17f0ab7a1 100644
--- a/sd/source/ui/tools/PreviewRenderer.cxx
+++ b/sd/source/ui/tools/PreviewRenderer.cxx
@@ -274,16 +274,28 @@ bool PreviewRenderer::Initialize (
     if (pPageView == NULL)
         return false;
 
-    // Set background color of page view and outliner.
-    svtools::ColorConfig aColorConfig;
-    const Color aPageBackgroundColor(pPage->GetPageBackgroundColor(pPageView));
-    pPageView->SetApplicationBackgroundColor(aPageBackgroundColor);
-    SdrOutliner& rOutliner (pDocument->GetDrawOutliner(NULL));
-    rOutliner.SetBackgroundColor(aPageBackgroundColor);
+    // #i121224# No need to set SetApplicationBackgroundColor (which is the color
+    // of the area 'behind' the page (formally called 'Wiese') since the page previews
+    // produced exactly cover the page's area, so it would never be visible. What
+    // needs to be set is the ApplicationDocumentColor which is derived from
+    // svtools::DOCCOLOR normally
+    Color aApplicationDocumentColor;
+
+    if (pPageView->GetApplicationDocumentColor() == COL_AUTO)
+    {
+        svtools::ColorConfig aColorConfig;
+        aApplicationDocumentColor = aColorConfig.GetColorValue( svtools::DOCCOLOR ).nColor;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        aApplicationDocumentColor = pPageView->GetApplicationDocumentColor();
+    }
+
+    pPageView->SetApplicationDocumentColor(aApplicationDocumentColor);
+    SdrOutliner& rOutliner(pDocument->GetDrawOutliner(NULL));
+    rOutliner.SetBackgroundColor(aApplicationDocumentColor);
     rOutliner.SetDefaultLanguage(pDocument->GetLanguage(EE_CHAR_LANGUAGE));
-    mpView->SetApplicationBackgroundColor(
-        Color(aColorConfig.GetColorValue(svtools::APPBACKGROUND).nColor));
-    mpPreviewDevice->SetBackground(Wallpaper(aPageBackgroundColor));
+    mpPreviewDevice->SetBackground(Wallpaper(aApplicationDocumentColor));
     mpPreviewDevice->Erase();
 
     return true;