diff --git a/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp b/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp
index c84a36240..b96e98519 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp
@@ -128,6 +128,9 @@ static void shape_text(text_line & line,
 
             double ymin = 0.0;
             double ymax = 0.0;
+            double units_per_EM = face->get_face()->units_per_EM;
+            double scale_multiplier = (units_per_EM > 0) ? (size / units_per_EM) : 1.0 ;
+
             for (unsigned i = 0; i < num_glyphs; ++i)
             {
                 auto const& gpos = positions[i];
@@ -138,7 +141,7 @@ static void shape_text(text_line & line,
                 if (face->glyph_dimensions(g))
                 {
                     g.face = face;
-                    g.scale_multiplier = size / face->get_face()->units_per_EM;
+                    g.scale_multiplier = scale_multiplier;//size / face->get_face()->units_per_EM;
                     //Overwrite default advance with better value provided by HarfBuzz
                     g.unscaled_advance = gpos.x_advance;
                     g.offset.set(gpos.x_offset * g.scale_multiplier, gpos.y_offset * g.scale_multiplier);
@@ -148,7 +151,7 @@ static void shape_text(text_line & line,
                     ymax = std::max(g.ymax(), ymax);
                 }
             }
-            std::cerr << "update y min/max " << ymin << "," << ymax << std::endl;
+            std::cerr << "Harfbuzz shaper: update y min/max " << ymin << "," << ymax << std::endl;
             line.set_y_minmax(ymin, ymax);
             break; //When we reach this point the current font had all glyphs.
         }
diff --git a/include/mapnik/text/icu_shaper.hpp b/include/mapnik/text/icu_shaper.hpp
index bcd822b27..3d1b923a3 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/text/icu_shaper.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/text/icu_shaper.hpp
@@ -90,7 +90,9 @@ static void shape_text(text_line & line,
             std::size_t num_chars = static_cast<std::size_t>(num_char);
             shaped.releaseBuffer(length);
             bool shaped_status = true;
-            double max_glyph_height = 0;
+            double ymin = 0.0;
+            double ymax = 0.0;
+            double scale_multiplier = size / face->get_face()->units_per_EM;
             if (U_SUCCESS(err) && (num_chars == length))
             {
                 unsigned char_index = 0;
@@ -109,16 +111,17 @@ static void shape_text(text_line & line,
                     if (face->glyph_dimensions(g))
                     {
                         g.face = face;
-                        g.scale_multiplier = size / face->get_face()->units_per_EM;
-                        double tmp_height = g.height();
-                        if (tmp_height > max_glyph_height) max_glyph_height = tmp_height;
+                        g.scale_multiplier = scale_multiplier;
                         width_map[char_index++] += g.advance();
                         line.add_glyph(std::move(g), scale_factor);
+                        ymin = std::min(g.ymin(), ymin);
+                        ymax = std::max(g.ymax(), ymax);
                     }
                 }
             }
             if (!shaped_status) continue;
-            line.update_max_char_height(max_glyph_height);
+            std::cerr << "ICU shaper: update y min/max " << ymin << "," << ymax << std::endl;
+            line.set_y_minmax(ymin, ymax);
             return;
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/agg/process_debug_symbolizer.cpp b/src/agg/process_debug_symbolizer.cpp
index 4c1a029d5..aa0b4ec49 100644
--- a/src/agg/process_debug_symbolizer.cpp
+++ b/src/agg/process_debug_symbolizer.cpp
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ void agg_renderer<T0,T1>::process(debug_symbolizer const& sym,
         for (auto const& n : *common_.detector_)
         {
             auto const& label = n.get();
+            std::cerr << "label.box=>" << label.box << std::endl;
             draw_rotated_rect(pixmap_, *ras_ptr, label.box, label.angle);
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/text/placement_finder.cpp b/src/text/placement_finder.cpp
index 8a2378769..6224c8486 100644
--- a/src/text/placement_finder.cpp
+++ b/src/text/placement_finder.cpp
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ text_upright_e placement_finder::simplify_upright(text_upright_e upright, double
 
 bool placement_finder::find_point_placement(pixel_position const& pos)
 {
-    glyph_positions_ptr glyphs = std::make_shared<glyph_positions>();
+    glyph_positions_ptr glyphs = std::make_unique<glyph_positions>();
     std::vector<std::tuple<box2d<double>,double> > labels;
 
     glyphs->reserve(layouts_.glyphs_count());
@@ -140,7 +140,9 @@ bool placement_finder::find_point_placement(pixel_position const& pos)
         }
 
         box2d<double> bbox = layout.bounds();
-        bbox.re_center(layout_center.x, layout_center.y);
+        std::cerr << "before recenter -->" << bbox << std::endl;
+        auto box_center_y = bbox.center().y;
+        bbox.re_center(layout_center.x, layout_center.y + box_center_y);
 
         // TODO
         double margin = (text_props_->margin != 0 ? text_props_->margin : text_props_->minimum_distance) * scale_factor_;
@@ -197,6 +199,7 @@ bool placement_finder::find_point_placement(pixel_position const& pos)
         {
             label_box.expand_to_include(box);
         }
+        std::cerr << box << std::endl;
         detector_.insert(box, layouts_.text(), std::get<1>(label));
     }
     // do not render text off the canvas
@@ -305,7 +308,7 @@ bool placement_finder::single_line_placement(vertex_cache &pp, text_upright_e or
 
                 pixel_position pos = off_pp.current_position() + cluster_offset;
                 // Center the text on the line
-                double char_height = line.ymax() - line.ymin();//line.max_char_height();
+                double char_height = line.ymax() - line.ymin(); //line.max_char_height();
                 pos.y = -pos.y - char_height/2.0*rot.cos;
                 pos.x =  pos.x + char_height/2.0*rot.sin;
 
diff --git a/src/text/text_layout.cpp b/src/text/text_layout.cpp
index 8caba4628..0844a8ad3 100644
--- a/src/text/text_layout.cpp
+++ b/src/text/text_layout.cpp
@@ -37,12 +37,15 @@ namespace mapnik
 {
 
 // Output is centered around (0,0)
-static void rotated_box2d(box2d<double> & box, rotation const& rot, pixel_position const& center, double width, double ymin, double ymax)
+void rotated_box2d(box2d<double> & box, rotation const& rot, pixel_position const& center, double width, double height, double vertical_displacement)
 {
     double half_width, half_height;
-    half_width  = width / 2.;
-    half_height = (ymax - ymin) / 2.;
-    box.init(center.x - half_width, center.y - half_height + ymin, center.x + half_width, center.y + half_height + ymin);
+    half_width  = 0.5 * width ;
+    half_height = 0.5 * height;
+    box.init(center.x - half_width,
+             center.y - half_height - vertical_displacement,
+             center.x + half_width,
+             center.y + half_height - vertical_displacement);
 }
 
 pixel_position evaluate_displacement(double dx, double dy, directions_e dir)
@@ -192,11 +195,10 @@ void text_layout::layout()
     init_auto_alignment();
 
     // Find text origin.
-    std::cerr << "ymin=" << ymin_ << " ymax=" << ymax_ << std::endl;
     displacement_ = scale_factor_ * displacement_ + alignment_offset();
     if (rotate_displacement_) displacement_ = displacement_.rotate(!orientation_);
     // Find layout bounds, expanded for rotation
-    rotated_box2d(bounds_, orientation_, displacement_, width_, ymin_, ymax_);
+    rotated_box2d(bounds_, orientation_, displacement_, width_, height_, ymin_);
 }
 
 // In the Unicode string characters are always stored in logical order.
@@ -409,8 +411,8 @@ void text_layout::add_line(text_line && line)
         line.set_first_line(true);
     }
     height_ += line.height();
-    ymin_ += line.ymin();
-    ymax_ += line.ymax();
+    ymin_ = std::min(ymin_, line.ymin());
+    ymax_ = std::max(ymax_, line.ymax());
     glyphs_count_ += line.size();
     width_ = std::max(width_, line.width());
     lines_.emplace_back(std::move(line));