Index: src/plugins/labeling/labelingguibase.ui
===================================================================
--- src/plugins/labeling/labelingguibase.ui	(Revision 13534)
+++ src/plugins/labeling/labelingguibase.ui	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@
           <item row="0" column="2">
            <widget class="QLabel" name="label_9">
             <property name="text">
-             <string>pixels</string>
+             <string>mm</string>
             </property>
            </widget>
           </item>
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@
             <item>
              <widget class="QLabel" name="label_15">
               <property name="text">
-               <string>pixels</string>
+               <string>mm</string>
               </property>
              </widget>
             </item>
@@ -472,9 +472,9 @@
            </widget>
           </item>
           <item>
-           <widget class="QSpinBox" name="spinBufferSize">
-            <property name="minimum">
-             <number>1</number>
+           <widget class="QDoubleSpinBox" name="spinBufferSize">
+            <property name="suffix">
+             <string> mm</string>
             </property>
            </widget>
           </item>
@@ -753,7 +753,6 @@
   <tabstop>btnChangeFont</tabstop>
   <tabstop>btnTextColor</tabstop>
   <tabstop>chkBuffer</tabstop>
-  <tabstop>spinBufferSize</tabstop>
   <tabstop>btnBufferColor</tabstop>
   <tabstop>sliderPriority</tabstop>
   <tabstop>chkScaleBasedVisibility</tabstop>
Index: src/plugins/labeling/pallabeling.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/plugins/labeling/pallabeling.cpp	(Revision 13534)
+++ src/plugins/labeling/pallabeling.cpp	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -105,6 +105,8 @@
   bufferColor = Qt::white;
   labelPerPart = false;
   mergeLines = false;
+  vectorScaleFactor = 1.0;
+  rasterCompressFactor = 1.0;
 }
 
 LayerSettings::LayerSettings( const LayerSettings& s )
@@ -125,7 +127,8 @@
   bufferColor = s.bufferColor;
   labelPerPart = s.labelPerPart;
   mergeLines = s.mergeLines;
-
+  vectorScaleFactor = s.vectorScaleFactor;
+  rasterCompressFactor = s.rasterCompressFactor;
   fontMetrics = NULL;
   ct = NULL;
 }
@@ -212,8 +215,10 @@
   //QFontMetrics fontMetrics(textFont);
   QRect labelRect = /*QRect(0,0,20,20);*/ fontMetrics->boundingRect( text );
 
-  // 2px border...
-  QgsPoint ptSize = xform->toMapCoordinates( labelRect.width() + 2, labelRect.height() + 2 );
+  // 1mm border...
+  double border = vectorScaleFactor;
+  double buffer = bufferSize * vectorScaleFactor;
+  QgsPoint ptSize = xform->toMapCoordinates( labelRect.width() + 2 * ( border + buffer ) , labelRect.height() + 2 * ( border + buffer ) );
   labelX = fabs( ptSize.x() - ptZero.x() );
   labelY = fabs( ptSize.y() - ptZero.y() );
 }
@@ -252,7 +257,7 @@
 
   // TODO: allow layer-wide feature dist in PAL...?
   if ( dist != 0 )
-    feat->setDistLabel( fabs( ptOne.x() - ptZero.x() )* dist );
+    feat->setDistLabel( fabs( ptOne.x() - ptZero.x() )* dist * vectorScaleFactor );
 }
 
 
@@ -358,6 +363,10 @@
   double size = 0.3527 * lyr.textFont.pointSizeF() * ctx.scaleFactor(); //* ctx.rasterScaleFactor();
   lyr.textFont.setPixelSize(( int )size );
 
+  //raster and vector scale factors
+  lyr.vectorScaleFactor = ctx.scaleFactor();
+  lyr.rasterCompressFactor = ctx.rasterScaleFactor();
+
   // save the pal layer to our layer context (with some additional info)
   lyr.palLayer = l;
   lyr.fieldIndex = fldIndex;
@@ -579,12 +588,17 @@
   painter->save();
   painter->translate( QPointF( outPt.x(), outPt.y() ) );
   painter->rotate( -label->getAlpha() * 180 / M_PI );
-  painter->translate( QPointF( 1, -1 - lyr.fontBaseline ) );
+  painter->translate( QPointF( lyr.vectorScaleFactor *( 1 + lyr.bufferSize ), -lyr.vectorScaleFactor *( 1  + lyr.bufferSize ) - lyr.fontBaseline ) );
 
+  //request larger font and scale down painter (to avoid Qt font scale bug)
+  QFont labelFont = lyr.textFont;
+  labelFont.setPixelSize( labelFont.pixelSize() * lyr.rasterCompressFactor );
+  painter->scale( 1.0 / lyr.rasterCompressFactor, 1.0 / lyr.rasterCompressFactor );
+
   if ( drawBuffer )
   {
     // we're drawing buffer
-    drawLabelBuffer( painter, txt, lyr.textFont, lyr.bufferSize, lyr.bufferColor );
+    drawLabelBuffer( painter, txt, labelFont, lyr.bufferSize * lyr.vectorScaleFactor * lyr.rasterCompressFactor, lyr.bufferColor );
   }
   else
   {
@@ -594,7 +608,7 @@
     painter->drawText((0,0, txt);*/
 
     QPainterPath path;
-    path.addText( 0, 0, lyr.textFont, txt );
+    path.addText( 0, 0, labelFont, txt );
     painter->setPen( Qt::NoPen );
     painter->setBrush( lyr.textColor );
     painter->drawPath( path );
@@ -606,7 +620,7 @@
 }
 
 
-void PalLabeling::drawLabelBuffer( QPainter* p, QString text, const QFont& font, int size, QColor color )
+void PalLabeling::drawLabelBuffer( QPainter* p, QString text, const QFont& font, double size, QColor color )
 {
   /*
   p->setFont( font );
@@ -618,7 +632,9 @@
 
   QPainterPath path;
   path.addText( 0, 0, font, text );
-  p->setPen( QPen( color, size ) );
+  QPen pen( color );
+  pen.setWidthF( size );
+  p->setPen( pen );
   p->setBrush( color );
   p->drawPath( path );
 }
Index: src/plugins/labeling/pallabeling.h
===================================================================
--- src/plugins/labeling/pallabeling.h	(Revision 13534)
+++ src/plugins/labeling/pallabeling.h	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -60,9 +60,11 @@
     bool enabled;
     int priority; // 0 = low, 10 = high
     bool obstacle; // whether it's an obstacle
-    double dist; // distance from the feature (in pixels)
+    double dist; // distance from the feature (in mm)
+    double vectorScaleFactor; //scale factor painter units->pixels
+    double rasterCompressFactor; //pixel resolution scale factor
     int scaleMin, scaleMax; // disabled if both are zero
-    int bufferSize;
+    double bufferSize; //buffer size (in mm)
     QColor bufferColor;
     bool labelPerPart; // whether to label every feature's part or only the biggest one
     bool mergeLines;
@@ -139,7 +141,7 @@
 
     void drawLabelCandidateRect( pal::LabelPosition* lp, QPainter* painter, const QgsMapToPixel* xform );
     void drawLabel( pal::LabelPosition* label, QPainter* painter, const QgsMapToPixel* xform, bool drawBuffer = false );
-    static void drawLabelBuffer( QPainter* p, QString text, const QFont& font, int size, QColor color );
+    static void drawLabelBuffer( QPainter* p, QString text, const QFont& font, double size, QColor color );
 
   protected:
 
Index: src/plugins/labeling/labelpreview.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/plugins/labeling/labelpreview.cpp	(Revision 13534)
+++ src/plugins/labeling/labelpreview.cpp	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@
   update();
 }
 
-void LabelPreview::setBuffer( int size, QColor color )
+void LabelPreview::setBuffer( double size, QColor color )
 {
-  mBufferSize = size;
+  mBufferSize = size * 88 / 25.4; //assume standard dpi for preview
   mBufferColor = color;
   update();
 }
Index: src/plugins/labeling/labelinggui.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/plugins/labeling/labelinggui.cpp	(Revision 13534)
+++ src/plugins/labeling/labelinggui.cpp	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
   connect( btnChangeFont, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( changeTextFont() ) );
   connect( chkBuffer, SIGNAL( toggled( bool ) ), this, SLOT( updatePreview() ) );
   connect( btnBufferColor, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( changeBufferColor() ) );
-  connect( spinBufferSize, SIGNAL( valueChanged( int ) ), this, SLOT( updatePreview() ) );
+  connect( spinBufferSize, SIGNAL( valueChanged( double ) ), this, SLOT( updatePreview() ) );
   connect( btnEngineSettings, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( showEngineConfigDialog() ) );
 
   // set placement methods page based on geometry type
Index: src/plugins/labeling/labelpreview.h
===================================================================
--- src/plugins/labeling/labelpreview.h	(Revision 13534)
+++ src/plugins/labeling/labelpreview.h	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 
     void setTextColor( QColor color );
 
-    void setBuffer( int size, QColor color );
+    void setBuffer( double size, QColor color );
 
     void paintEvent( QPaintEvent* e );