diff --git a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextActor.java b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextActor.java
index 12ad3441d28..82b0a5c69ea 100644
--- a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextActor.java
+++ b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextActor.java
@@ -101,7 +101,9 @@ public double getPreferredHeight(StringBounder stringBounder) {
 	}
 
 	public double getPreferredWidth(StringBounder stringBounder) {
-		return StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) + 2;
+		// make all widths odd sized by converting the string widths to even,
+		// adding 3 to make it both odd and padded by 1 on each side, then return the result
+		// as a double.
+		return (double) ((StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) / 2 * 2) + 3);
 	}
-
 }
diff --git a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextParticipant.java b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextParticipant.java
index 85cbcbd415d..fb5553fc7b4 100644
--- a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextParticipant.java
+++ b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextParticipant.java
@@ -63,9 +63,12 @@ public void drawU(UGraphic ug, Area area, Context2D context) {
 		final UmlCharArea charArea = ((UGraphicTxt) ug).getCharArea();
 		final int width = (int) dimensionToUse.getWidth();
 		final int height = (int) dimensionToUse.getHeight();
-		charArea.fillRect(' ', 0, 0, width, height);
+		int textWidth = StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay);
+		int boxWidth = textWidth+2;
+
+		charArea.fillRect(' ', 0, 0, boxWidth, height);
 		if (fileFormat == FileFormat.UTXT) {
-			charArea.drawBoxSimpleUnicode(0, 0, width, height);
+			charArea.drawBoxSimpleUnicode(0, 0, boxWidth, height);
 			if (type == ComponentType.PARTICIPANT_TAIL) {
 				charArea.drawChar('\u2534', (width - 1) / 2, 0);
 			}
@@ -73,7 +76,7 @@ public void drawU(UGraphic ug, Area area, Context2D context) {
 				charArea.drawChar('\u252c', (width - 1) / 2, height - 1);
 			}
 		} else {
-			charArea.drawBoxSimple(0, 0, width, height);
+			charArea.drawBoxSimple(0, 0, boxWidth, height);
 			if (type == ComponentType.PARTICIPANT_TAIL) {
 				charArea.drawChar('+', (width - 1) / 2, 0);
 			}
@@ -93,7 +96,10 @@ public double getPreferredHeight(StringBounder stringBounder) {
 	}
 
 	public double getPreferredWidth(StringBounder stringBounder) {
-		return StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) + 2;
+		// make all widths odd sized by converting the string widths to even,
+		// adding 3 to make it both odd and padded by 1 on each side, then return the result
+		// as a double.
+		return (double) ((StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) / 2 * 2) + 3);
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextSelfArrow.java b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextSelfArrow.java
index 2a0e94b7028..00782cd4b92 100644
--- a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextSelfArrow.java
+++ b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextSelfArrow.java
@@ -73,32 +73,32 @@ public void drawU(UGraphic ug, Area area, Context2D context) {
 		final int width = (int) dimensionToUse.getWidth();
 		final int height = (int) dimensionToUse.getHeight() - 1;
 
-		charArea.fillRect(' ', 0, 0, width, height);
+		charArea.fillRect(' ', 1, 0, width-2, height);
 
 		if (fileFormat == FileFormat.UTXT) {
 			if (config.isDotted()) {
-				charArea.drawStringLR("\u2500 \u2500 \u2510", 0, 0);
-				charArea.drawStringLR("|", 4, 1);
-				charArea.drawStringLR("< \u2500 \u2518", 0, 2);
+				charArea.drawStringLR("\u2500 \u2500 \u2510", 1, 0);
+				charArea.drawStringLR("|", 5, 1);
+				charArea.drawStringLR("< \u2500 \u2518", 1, 2);
 			} else {
-				charArea.drawStringLR("\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510", 0, 0);
-				charArea.drawStringLR("\u2502", 4, 1);
-				charArea.drawStringLR("<\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2518", 0, 2);
+				charArea.drawStringLR("\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510", 1, 0);
+				charArea.drawStringLR("\u2502", 5, 1);
+				charArea.drawStringLR("<\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2518", 1, 2);
 			}
 		} else if (config.isDotted()) {
-			charArea.drawStringLR("- - .", 0, 0);
-			charArea.drawStringLR("|", 4, 1);
-			charArea.drawStringLR("< - '", 0, 2);
+			charArea.drawStringLR("- - .", 1, 0);
+			charArea.drawStringLR("|", 5, 1);
+			charArea.drawStringLR("< - '", 1, 2);
 		} else {
-			charArea.drawStringLR("----.", 0, 0);
-			charArea.drawStringLR("|", 4, 1);
-			charArea.drawStringLR("<---'", 0, 2);
+			charArea.drawStringLR("----.", 1, 0);
+			charArea.drawStringLR("|", 5, 1);
+			charArea.drawStringLR("<---'", 1, 2);
 		}
 
 		if (fileFormat == FileFormat.UTXT) {
-			charArea.drawStringsLRUnicode(stringsToDisplay.asList(), 6, 1);
+			charArea.drawStringsLRUnicode(stringsToDisplay.asList(), 7, 1);
 		} else {
-			charArea.drawStringsLRSimple(stringsToDisplay.asList(), 6, 1);
+			charArea.drawStringsLRSimple(stringsToDisplay.asList(), 7, 1);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ public double getPreferredHeight(StringBounder stringBounder) {
 	}
 
 	public double getPreferredWidth(StringBounder stringBounder) {
-		return StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) + 6;
+		return StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) + 8;
 	}
 
 	public XPoint2D getStartPoint(StringBounder stringBounder, XDimension2D dimensionToUse) {
diff --git a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextShape.java b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextShape.java
index 7f94b21dd08..960353a6574 100644
--- a/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextShape.java
+++ b/src/net/sourceforge/plantuml/asciiart/ComponentTextShape.java
@@ -83,7 +83,9 @@ public double getPreferredHeight(StringBounder stringBounder) {
 	}
 
 	public double getPreferredWidth(StringBounder stringBounder) {
-		return StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) + 2;
+		// make all widths odd sized by converting the string widths to even,
+		// adding 3 to make it both odd and padded by 1 on each side, then return the result
+		// as a double.
+		return (double) ((StringUtils.getWcWidth(stringsToDisplay) / 2 * 2) + 3);
 	}
-
 }