Post any defects you find in the released or beta versions of the ImageMagick software here. Include the ImageMagick version, OS, and any command-line required to reproduce the problem. Got a patch for a bug? Post it here.
I can reproduce it with 6.4.0-0 beta (it gives "convert: Non-conforming drawing primitive definition `text'." if using a number as the first char of the string).
I want to print the file name of an image on the image. When the file name begins with a number -draw text fails. Below is how to do that out of a BASH shell script with parameterization.
The key is to make a new environment variable with quotes
The draw "MSVG" language sytax requires the quotes (double or single) around the text or the image filename.
The fact that it can draw text without the quotes is more likely the bug, rather than the other way around!!!!
For escaping those quotes and other spacial characters see
IM Examples, Drawing on Images, Drawing Special Characters in the Text String http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/draw/#text
Note this is why it is often easier to use annotate, though then you have to deal with 'percent escapes'. Unless you get annotate to read the string from a file or stream (which is literial or as-is)