diff --git a/cmd/menu/main.c b/cmd/menu/main.c
index 5d647257..819c0634 100644
--- a/cmd/menu/main.c
+++ b/cmd/menu/main.c
@@ -293,6 +293,8 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	loadcolor(&cnorm, readctl("normcolors "));
 	loadcolor(&csel, readctl("focuscolors "));
 	font = loadfont(readctl("font "));
+	sscanf(readctl("fontpad "), "%d %d %d %d", &font->pad.min.x, &font->pad.max.x,
+	       &font->pad.min.x, &font->pad.max.y);
 	if(!font)
 		fatal("Can't load font %q", readctl("font "));
 
diff --git a/cmd/menu/menu.c b/cmd/menu/menu.c
index 62500504..343fc40b 100644
--- a/cmd/menu/menu.c
+++ b/cmd/menu/menu.c
@@ -130,15 +130,15 @@ next:
 
 static void
 _menu_draw(bool draw) {
-	Rectangle r, rd, rp, r2;
+	Rectangle r, rd, rp, r2, extent;
 	CTuple *c;
 	Item *i;
-	int inputw, itemoff, end, pad, n;
+	int inputw, itemoff, end, pad, n, offset;
 
 	r = barwin->r;
 	r = rectsetorigin(r, ZP);
 
-	pad = (font->height & ~1);
+	pad = (font->height & ~1) + font->pad.min.x + font->pad.max.x;
 
 	rd = r;
 	rp = ZR; // SET(rp)
@@ -208,7 +208,8 @@ _menu_draw(bool draw) {
 	r2.max.x = promptw + inputw;
 	drawstring(ibuf, font, r2, West, input.string, cnorm.fg);
 
-	r2.min.x = promptw + textwidth_l(font, input.string, input.pos - input.string) + pad/2 - 1;
+	extent = textextents_l(font, input.string, input.pos - input.string, &offset);
+	r2.min.x = promptw + offset + font->pad.min.x - extent.min.x + pad/2 - 1;
 	r2.max.x = r2.min.x + 2;
 	r2.min.y++;
 	r2.max.y--;
@@ -236,7 +237,7 @@ menu_show(void) {
 	ltwidth = textwidth(font, "<");
 
 	pad = (font->height & ~1)/2;
-	height = font->height + 2;
+	height = labelh(font);
 
 	r = scr.rect;
 	if(ontop)
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/bar.c b/cmd/wmii/bar.c
index d4178651..13864814 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/bar.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/bar.c
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ bar_draw(WMScreen *s) {
 	foreach_bar(s, b) {
 		b->r.min = ZP;
 		b->r.max.y = Dy(s->brect);
-		b->r.max.x = def.font->height & ~1;
+		b->r.max.x = (def.font->height & ~1) + def.font->pad.min.x + def.font->pad.max.x;
 		if(b->text && strlen(b->text))
 			b->r.max.x += textwidth(def.font, b->text);
 		width += Dx(b->r);
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/frame.c b/cmd/wmii/frame.c
index 228ca61e..ad5e3cca 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/frame.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/frame.c
@@ -466,8 +466,8 @@ frame_draw(Frame *f) {
 
 	/* grabbox */
 	r.min = Pt(2, 2);
-	r.max.x = r.min.x + def.font->height - 3;
 	r.max.y -= 2;
+	r.max.x = r.min.x + Dy(r);
 	f->grabbox = r;
 
 	if(c->urgent)
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/message.c b/cmd/wmii/message.c
index cf8a5283..51995351 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/message.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/message.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ enum {
 	LEXEC,
 	LFOCUSCOLORS,
 	LFONT,
+	LFONTPAD,
 	LGRABMOD,
 	LGROW,
 	LINCMODE,
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ char *symtab[] = {
 	"exec",
 	"focuscolors",
 	"font",
+	"fontpad",
 	"grabmod",
 	"grow",
 	"incmode",
@@ -265,6 +267,16 @@ getbase(const char **s, long *sign) {
 	return ret;
 }
 
+static bool
+getint(const char *s, int *ret) {
+	long l;
+	bool res;
+
+	res = getlong(s, &l);
+	*ret = l;
+	return res;
+}
+
 bool
 getlong(const char *s, long *ret) {
 	const char *end;
@@ -537,6 +549,18 @@ message_root(void *p, IxpMsg *m) {
 			ret = "can't load font";
 		view_update(selview);
 		break;
+	case LFONTPAD:
+		if(!getint(msg_getword(m), &def.font->pad.min.x) ||
+		   !getint(msg_getword(m), &def.font->pad.max.x) ||
+		   !getint(msg_getword(m), &def.font->pad.max.y) ||
+		   !getint(msg_getword(m), &def.font->pad.min.y))
+			ret = "invalid rectangle";
+		else {
+			for(n=0; n < nscreens; n++)
+				bar_resize(screens[n]);
+			view_update(selview);
+		}
+		break;
 	case LGRABMOD:
 		s = msg_getword(m);
 		if(!parsekey(s, &i, nil) || i == 0)
@@ -598,6 +622,8 @@ readctl_root(void) {
 	}
 	bufprint("focuscolors %s\n", def.focuscolor.colstr);
 	bufprint("font %s\n", def.font->name);
+	bufprint("fontpad %d %d %d %d\n", def.font->pad.min.x, def.font->pad.max.x,
+		 def.font->pad.max.y, def.font->pad.min.y);
 	bufprint("grabmod %s\n", def.grabmod);
 	bufprint("incmode %s\n", incmodetab[def.incmode]);
 	bufprint("normcolors %s\n", def.normcolor.colstr);
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/x11.c b/cmd/wmii/x11.c
index 12023b4f..fdded900 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/x11.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/x11.c
@@ -537,8 +537,9 @@ uint
 drawstring(Image *dst, Font *font,
 	   Rectangle r, Align align,
 	   char *text, ulong col) {
+	Rectangle tr;
 	char *buf;
-	uint x, y, w, h, len;
+	uint x, y, width, height, len;
 	int shortened;
 
 	shortened = 0;
@@ -547,14 +548,22 @@ drawstring(Image *dst, Font *font,
 	buf = emalloc(len+1);
 	memcpy(buf, text, len+1);
 
-	h = font->ascent + font->descent;
-	y = r.min.y + Dy(r) / 2 - h / 2 + font->ascent;
+	r.max.y -= font->pad.min.y;
+	r.min.y += font->pad.max.y;
+
+	height = font->ascent + font->descent;
+	y = r.min.y + Dy(r) / 2 - height / 2 + font->ascent;
+
+	width = Dx(r) - font->pad.min.x - font->pad.max.x - (font->height & ~1);
+
+	r.min.x += font->pad.min.x;
+	r.max.x -= font->pad.max.x;
 
 	/* shorten text if necessary */
-	w = 0;
+	tr = ZR;
 	while(len > 0) {
-		w = textwidth_l(font, buf, len + min(shortened, 3));
-		if(w <= Dx(r) - (font->height & ~1))
+		tr = textextents_l(font, buf, len + min(shortened, 3), nil);
+		if(Dx(tr) <= width)
 			break;
 		while(len > 0 && (buf[--len]&0xC0) == 0x80)
 			buf[len] = '.';
@@ -562,7 +571,7 @@ drawstring(Image *dst, Font *font,
 		shortened++;
 	}
 
-	if(len == 0 || w > Dx(r))
+	if(len == 0 || Dx(tr) > width)
 		goto done;
 
 	/* mark shortened info in the string */
@@ -571,13 +580,13 @@ drawstring(Image *dst, Font *font,
 
 	switch (align) {
 	case East:
-		x = r.max.x - (w + (font->height / 2));
+		x = r.max.x - (tr.max.x + (font->height / 2));
 		break;
 	case Center:
-		x = r.min.x + (Dx(r) - w) / 2;
+		x = r.min.x + (Dx(r) - Dx(tr)) / 2 - tr.min.x;
 		break;
 	default:
-		x = r.min.x + (font->height / 2);
+		x = r.min.x + (font->height / 2) - tr.min.x;
 		break;
 	}
 
@@ -605,7 +614,7 @@ drawstring(Image *dst, Font *font,
 
 done:
 	free(buf);
-	return w;
+	return Dx(tr);
 }
 
 void
@@ -745,26 +754,44 @@ freefont(Font *f) {
 	free(f);
 }
 
-uint
-textwidth_l(Font *font, char *text, uint len) {
+Rectangle
+textextents_l(Font *font, char *text, uint len, int *offset) {
+	Rectangle rect;
 	XRectangle r;
 	XGlyphInfo i;
+	int unused;
+
+	if(!offset)
+		offset = &unused;
 
 	switch(font->type) {
 	case FFontSet:
-		Xutf8TextExtents(font->font.set, text, len, nil, &r);
-		return r.width;
+		*offset = Xutf8TextExtents(font->font.set, text, len, &r, nil);
+		return Rect(r.x, -r.y - r.height, r.x + r.width, -r.y);
 	case FXft:
 		XftTextExtentsUtf8(display, font->font.xft, (uchar*)text, len, &i);
-		return i.width;
+		*offset = i.xOff;
+		return Rect(-i.x, i.y - i.height, -i.x + i.width, i.y);
 	case FX11:
-		return XTextWidth(font->font.x11, text, len);
+		rect = ZR;
+		rect.max.x = XTextWidth(font->font.x11, text, len);
+		rect.max.y = font->ascent;
+		*offset = rect.max.x;
+		return rect;
 	default:
 		die("Invalid font type");
-		return 0; /* shut up ken */
+		return ZR; /* shut up ken */
 	}
 }
 
+uint
+textwidth_l(Font *font, char *text, uint len) {
+	Rectangle r;
+
+	r = textextents_l(font, text, len, nil);
+	return Dx(r);
+}
+
 uint
 textwidth(Font *font, char *text) {
 	return textwidth_l(font, text, strlen(text));
@@ -772,7 +799,7 @@ textwidth(Font *font, char *text) {
 
 uint
 labelh(Font *font) {
-	return font->height + 2;
+	return font->height + font->descent + font->pad.min.y + font->pad.max.y;
 }
 
 /* Misc */
diff --git a/cmd/wmiir.c b/cmd/wmiir.c
index e719a98d..11dd7abc 100644
--- a/cmd/wmiir.c
+++ b/cmd/wmiir.c
@@ -367,6 +367,7 @@ struct exectab {
 	{0, }
 }, utiltab[] = {
 	{"namespace", xnamespace},
+	{"ns", xnamespace},
 	{"setsid", xsetsid},
 	{0, }
 };
diff --git a/include/x11.h b/include/x11.h
index 10cb4378..e3174e08 100644
--- a/include/x11.h
+++ b/include/x11.h
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ struct Font {
 		XFontSet	set;
 		XftFont*	xft;
 	} font;
+	Rectangle pad;
 	int	ascent;
 	int	descent;
 	uint	height;
@@ -261,6 +262,7 @@ Point	subpt(Point, Point);
 void	sync(void);
 uint	textwidth(Font*, char*);
 uint	textwidth_l(Font*, char*, uint len);
+Rectangle	textextents_l(Font*, char*, uint, int*);
 int	traperrors(bool);
 Point	translate(Window*, Window*, Point);
 void	ungrabkeyboard(void);