diff --git a/example/ping b/example/ping
index 3defe2c..3e7afeb 100755
--- a/example/ping
+++ b/example/ping
@@ -79,11 +79,12 @@ var score = new blessed.Box({
   top: 0,
   left: 4,
   height: 3,
-  width: 26,
+  //width: 26,
   border: {
     type: 'ascii'
   },
-  align: 'center',
+  shrink: true,
+  //align: 'center',
   bold: true
 });
 
diff --git a/lib/widget.js b/lib/widget.js
index 13d55e7..020d29e 100644
--- a/lib/widget.js
+++ b/lib/widget.js
@@ -986,7 +986,8 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
     , xi_ = this.left
     , xi
     , xl = this.screen.cols - this.right
-    , yi = this.top
+    , yi_ = this.top
+    , yi
     , yl = this.screen.rows - this.bottom
     , cell
     , attr
@@ -1003,14 +1004,14 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
   }
 
   if (this.position.height) {
-    yl = yi + this.height;
+    yl = yi_ + this.height;
   }
 
   if (this.parent.childBase != null && ~this.parent.items.indexOf(this)) {
     var rtop = this.rtop - (this.parent.border ? 1 : 0)
       , visible = this.parent.height - (this.parent.border ? 2 : 0);
 
-    yi -= this.parent.childBase;
+    yi_ -= this.parent.childBase;
     yl = Math.min(yl, this.screen.rows - this.parent.bottom - (this.parent.border ? 1 : 0));
 
     if (rtop - this.parent.childBase < 0) {
@@ -1040,7 +1041,7 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
   var ret = {
     xi: xi_,
     xl: xl,
-    yi: yi,
+    yi: yi_,
     yl: yl
   };
 
@@ -1050,7 +1051,6 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
     ? sattr(this.border, this.border.fg, this.border.bg)
     : 0;
 
-  //if (this.escapes) dattr = this.screen.dattr;
   dattr = sattr(this, this.fg, this.bg);
   attr = dattr;
 
@@ -1067,42 +1067,22 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
     }
   }
 
-  for (; yi < yl; yi++) {
+  if (this.border) yi_++, yl--, xi_++, xl--;
+
+outer:
+  for (yi = yi_; yi < yl; yi++) {
     if (!lines[yi]) break;
     for (xi = xi_; xi < xl; xi++) {
       cell = lines[yi][xi];
       if (!cell) break;
 
-      if (this.border && (yi === this.top || xi === this.left || yi === yl - 1 || xi === xl - 1)) {
-        if (this.border.type === 'ascii') {
-          if (yi === this.top) {
-            if (xi === this.left) ch = '┌';
-            else if (xi === xl - 1) ch = '┐';
-            else ch = '─';
-          } else if (yi === yl - 1) {
-            if (xi === this.left) ch = '└';
-            else if (xi === xl - 1) ch = '┘';
-            else ch = '─';
-          } else if (xi === this.left || xi === xl - 1) {
-            ch = '│';
-          }
-        } else if (this.border.type === 'bg') {
-          ch = this.border.ch;
-        }
-        if (battr !== cell[0] || ch !== cell[1]) {
-          lines[yi][xi][0] = battr;
-          lines[yi][xi][1] = ch;
-          lines[yi].dirty = true;
-        }
-        continue;
+      if (this.shrink && !content[ci] && yi === yi_) {
+        xl = xi + 1 - 1;
+        break outer;
       }
 
       ch = content[ci++] || ' ';
 
-      if (this.shrink && !content[ci - 1]) {
-        if (this.border) continue; else break;
-      }
-
       // Handle escape codes.
       while (ch === '\x1b') {
         if (c = /^\x1b\[(?:\d+(?:;\d+)*)?m/.exec(content.substring(ci - 1))) {
@@ -1117,8 +1097,7 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
       if (ch === '\t') ch = ' ';
       if (ch === '\n' || ch === '\r') {
         ch = ' ';
-        var xxl = xl - (this.border ? 1 : 0);
-        for (; xi < xxl; xi++) {
+        for (; xi < xl; xi++) {
           cell = lines[yi][xi];
           if (!cell) break;
           if (attr !== cell[0] || ch !== cell[1]) {
@@ -1127,7 +1106,6 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
             lines[yi].dirty = true;
           }
         }
-        if (this.border) xi--;
         continue;
       }
 
@@ -1139,6 +1117,69 @@ Box.prototype.render = function(stop) {
     }
   }
 
+  if (this.border) {
+    yi_--, yl++, xi_--, xl++;
+    yi = yi_;
+    for (xi = xi_; xi < xl; xi++) {
+      if (!lines[yi]) break;
+      if (this.border.type === 'ascii') {
+        if (xi === xi_) ch = '┌';
+        else if (xi === xl - 1) ch = '┐';
+        else ch = '─';
+      } else if (this.border.type === 'bg') {
+        ch = this.border.ch;
+      }
+      cell = lines[yi][xi];
+      if (!cell) break;
+      if (battr !== cell[0] || ch !== cell[1]) {
+        lines[yi][xi][0] = battr;
+        lines[yi][xi][1] = ch;
+        lines[yi].dirty = true;
+      }
+    }
+    yi = yi_ + 1;
+    for (; yi < yl; yi++) {
+      if (!lines[yi]) break;
+      if (this.border.type === 'ascii') {
+        ch = '│';
+      } else if (this.border.type === 'bg') {
+        ch = this.border.ch;
+      }
+      cell = lines[yi][xi_];
+      if (!cell) break;
+      if (battr !== cell[0] || ch !== cell[1]) {
+        lines[yi][xi_][0] = battr;
+        lines[yi][xi_][1] = ch;
+        lines[yi].dirty = true;
+      }
+      cell = lines[yi][xl - 1];
+      if (!cell) break;
+      if (battr !== cell[0] || ch !== cell[1]) {
+        lines[yi][xl - 1][0] = battr;
+        lines[yi][xl - 1][1] = ch;
+        lines[yi].dirty = true;
+      }
+    }
+    yi = yl - 1;
+    for (xi = xi_; xi < xl; xi++) {
+      if (!lines[yi]) break;
+      if (this.border.type === 'ascii') {
+        if (xi === xi_) ch = '└';
+        else if (xi === xl - 1) ch = '┘';
+        else ch = '─';
+      } else if (this.border.type === 'bg') {
+        ch = this.border.ch;
+      }
+      cell = lines[yi][xi];
+      if (!cell) break;
+      if (battr !== cell[0] || ch !== cell[1]) {
+        lines[yi][xi][0] = battr;
+        lines[yi][xi][1] = ch;
+        lines[yi].dirty = true;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   this.children.forEach(function(el) {
     el.render();
   });