It may seem like the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is going from Technicolor back to back-and-white, but officials say they’re changing the look of the state license plate for good reason.  The new general-issue license plate is called the “Texas Classic.”  Gone are the read and blue colors and scenic backdrops. The Texas Classic is white with black lettering. The Texas star is in the upper left-hand corner and a small state silhouette sits in the middle of the plate number.  Texas Department of Motor Vehicles officials say the new plate design is meant to increase public safety.  The plates will include two new embedded security threads that will make it easier for law enforcement officials to spot legitimate plates. 
The symbols on the new plates are also bigger, with the numbers and letters being a full inch wide and more than 2 and a half inches tall.  Along with the new plate comes a new license pattern. Plates will now be issued with three letters followed by four numbers. Administrators say the pattern change is meant to help make the license plate number easier to remember.  The new Texas Classic plates are being shipped to all 254 Texas county tax offices, but they won’t be issued to the public until the current license plate inventory is used up.