Abstract: Methods and arrangements for forming a color gradient on a pharmaceutical dosage forms such as tablets are disclosed. In preferred aspects of the invention, a coating layer is applied to a tablet core so that the coating layer is different from the color of the tablet core. The coating layer is etched by one or more lasers to remove selected portions thereof and reveal the core. Removal of selected portions of the coating layer, while other portions remain unetched by the laser(s), causes a variation in the color of the coating layer. The color of the tablet core may be visible at locations at which portions of the coating layer have been entirely removed while the color of the coating layer, i.e., the color of any of the color coatings thereof, is visible at locations at which portions of the coating layer have been only partially removed or not removed at all.