diff --git a/gfx/src/xlib/nsDeviceContextXlib.cpp b/gfx/src/xlib/nsDeviceContextXlib.cpp
index f720d94fbb4..9f1619cacd0 100644
--- a/gfx/src/xlib/nsDeviceContextXlib.cpp
+++ b/gfx/src/xlib/nsDeviceContextXlib.cpp
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ NS_IMETHODIMP nsDeviceContextXlib::ConvertPixel(nscolor aColor, PRUint32 & aPixe
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP nsDeviceContextXlib::CheckFontExistence(const nsString& aFontName)
 {
-  return nsFontMetricsXlib::FamilyExists(aFontName);
+  return nsFontMetricsXlib::FamilyExists(this, aFontName);
 }
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP nsDeviceContextXlib::GetDeviceSurfaceDimensions(PRInt32 &aWidth, PRInt32 &aHeight)
diff --git a/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.cpp b/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.cpp
index 133bedf3f78..80232a997eb 100644
--- a/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.cpp
+++ b/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.cpp
@@ -757,10 +757,18 @@ nsFontMetricsXlib::FreeGlobals(void)
  * Initialize all the font lookup hash tables and other globals
  */
 nsresult
-nsFontMetricsXlib::InitGlobals(void)
+nsFontMetricsXlib::InitGlobals(nsIDeviceContext *aDevice)
 {
   nsresult rv = NS_OK;
 
+  NS_ASSERTION(aDevice!=nsnull, "calling InitGlobals() without a device"); 
+#ifdef USE_XPRINT 
+  if (mPrinterMode)
+    gXlibRgbHandle =  NS_STATIC_CAST(nsDeviceContextXp   *,aDevice)->GetXlibRgbHandle();
+  else  
+#endif /* USE_XPRINT */  
+    gXlibRgbHandle =  NS_STATIC_CAST(nsDeviceContextXlib *,aDevice)->GetXlibRgbHandle();
+
   nsServiceManager::GetService(kCharSetManagerCID,
                                NS_GET_IID(nsICharsetConverterManager2),
                                (nsISupports**) &gCharSetManager);
@@ -1035,7 +1043,7 @@ nsFontMetricsXlib::Init(const nsFont& aFont, nsIAtom* aLangGroup,
   mDocConverterType = nsnull;
 
   if (!gInitialized) {
-    res = InitGlobals();
+    res = InitGlobals(aContext);
     if (NS_FAILED(res))
       return res;
   }
@@ -1057,16 +1065,6 @@ nsFontMetricsXlib::Init(const nsFont& aFont, nsIAtom* aLangGroup,
 
   mDeviceContext = aContext;
 
-  if (!gXlibRgbHandle)
-  {
-#ifdef USE_XPRINT 
-    if (mPrinterMode)
-      gXlibRgbHandle =  NS_STATIC_CAST(nsDeviceContextXp   *,mDeviceContext)->GetXlibRgbHandle();
-    else  
-#endif /* USE_XPRINT */  
-      gXlibRgbHandle =  NS_STATIC_CAST(nsDeviceContextXlib *,mDeviceContext)->GetXlibRgbHandle();
-  }  
-
   float app2dev;
   mDeviceContext->GetAppUnitsToDevUnits(app2dev);
 
@@ -1885,8 +1883,6 @@ nsFontXlib::LoadFont(void)
   if (mAlreadyCalledLoadFont)
     return;
 
-  mAlreadyCalledLoadFont = PR_TRUE;
-
   Display *aDisplay = xxlib_rgb_get_display(gXlibRgbHandle);
 
 #ifdef USE_XPRINT
@@ -1896,11 +1892,17 @@ nsFontXlib::LoadFont(void)
     {
       /* applications must not make any assumptions about fonts _before_ XpSetContext() !!! */
       NS_ERROR("Obtaining font information without a valid print context (XLoadQueryFont()) _before_ XpSetContext()\n");
+#ifdef DEBUG
       abort();
+#else
+      return;
+#endif /* DEBUG */      
     }
   }
 #endif /* USE_XPRINT */
 
+  mAlreadyCalledLoadFont = PR_TRUE;
+
   XFontStruct *xlibFont = ::XLoadQueryFont(aDisplay, mName);
 
 #ifdef DEBUG
@@ -3048,8 +3050,15 @@ GetFontNames(const char* aPattern, nsFontNodeArrayXlib* aNodes)
   Display       *dpy = xxlib_rgb_get_display(gXlibRgbHandle);
 
 #ifdef USE_XPRINT
+#ifdef DEBUG
   if(nsFontMetricsXlib::mPrinterMode)
   {
+    if (!dpy)
+    {
+      NS_ERROR("Obtaining font information without having a |Display *|");
+      abort(); /* DIE!! */
+    }
+  
     if (XpGetContext(dpy) == None)
     {
       /* applications must not make any assumptions about fonts _before_ XpSetContext() !!! */
@@ -3057,6 +3066,7 @@ GetFontNames(const char* aPattern, nsFontNodeArrayXlib* aNodes)
       abort(); /* DIE!! */
     }    
   }               
+#endif /* DEBUG */
 #endif /* USE_XPRINT */
   int count;
   char** list = ::XListFonts(dpy, aPattern, INT_MAX, &count);
@@ -3404,14 +3414,14 @@ FindFamily(nsCString* aName)
 }
 
 nsresult
-nsFontMetricsXlib::FamilyExists(const nsString& aName)
+nsFontMetricsXlib::FamilyExists(nsIDeviceContext *aDevice, const nsString& aName)
 {
   if (!gInitialized) {
-    nsresult res = InitGlobals();
+    nsresult res = InitGlobals(aDevice);
     if (NS_FAILED(res))
       return res;
   }
-
+  
   if (!IsASCIIFontName(aName))
     return NS_ERROR_FAILURE;
 
diff --git a/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.h b/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.h
index 24e9a453829..4c39b8cb83e 100644
--- a/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.h
+++ b/gfx/src/xlib/nsFontMetricsXlib.h
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ public:
   static void     EnablePrinterMode(PRBool printermode);
 #endif /* USE_XPRINT */
 
-  static nsresult InitGlobals(void);
+  static nsresult InitGlobals(nsIDeviceContext *);
   static void     FreeGlobals(void);
   
   NS_DECL_AND_IMPL_ZEROING_OPERATOR_NEW
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ public:
                                nsFontCharSetXlibInfo* aCharSet,
                                PRUnichar aChar);
 
-  static nsresult FamilyExists(const nsString& aFontName);
+  static nsresult FamilyExists(nsIDeviceContext*, const nsString& aFontName);
 
   nsCAutoString      mDefaultFont;
   nsCString          *mGeneric;
diff --git a/gfx/src/xlib/nsGCCache.h b/gfx/src/xlib/nsGCCache.h
index 32999d808f8..e4bc7323902 100644
--- a/gfx/src/xlib/nsGCCache.h
+++ b/gfx/src/xlib/nsGCCache.h
@@ -61,7 +61,9 @@ public:
   }
 
   PRInt32 AddRef(void) {
-    if(mRefCnt>100) abort();
+#ifdef DEBUG  
+    if(mRefCnt>400) abort();
+#endif /* DEBUG */
     NS_PRECONDITION(PRInt32(mRefCnt) >= 0, "illegal refcnt");
     ++mRefCnt;
     return mRefCnt;
diff --git a/gfx/src/xlib/nsRenderingContextXlib.cpp b/gfx/src/xlib/nsRenderingContextXlib.cpp
index 1551f0d25ef..cc078c8fa78 100644
--- a/gfx/src/xlib/nsRenderingContextXlib.cpp
+++ b/gfx/src/xlib/nsRenderingContextXlib.cpp
@@ -1483,7 +1483,12 @@ FoundFont:
           if (aSpacing) {
             const PRUnichar* str = &aString[start];
             const PRUnichar* end = &aString[i];
+
+            // save off mCurrentFont and set it so that we cache the GC's font correctly
+            nsFontXlib *oldFont = mCurrentFont;
+            mCurrentFont = prevFont;
             UpdateGC();
+
             while (str < end) {
               x = aX;
               y = aY;
@@ -1492,12 +1497,16 @@ FoundFont:
               aX += *aSpacing++;
               str++;
             }
+            mCurrentFont = oldFont;
           }
-          else 
-          {
+          else {
+            // save off mCurrentFont and set it so that we cache the GC's font correctly
+            nsFontXlib *oldFont = mCurrentFont;
+            mCurrentFont = prevFont;
             UpdateGC();
-            prevFont->DrawString(this, mRenderingSurface, x, y, &aString[start], i - start);
-            x += prevFont->GetWidth(&aString[start], i -start);
+            x += prevFont->DrawString(this, mRenderingSurface, x, y, &aString[start],
+                                      i - start);
+            mCurrentFont = oldFont;
           }
           prevFont = currFont;
           start = i;
@@ -1510,7 +1519,11 @@ FoundFont:
     }
 
     if (prevFont) {
+      // save off mCurrentFont and set it so that we cache the GC's font correctly
+      nsFontXlib *oldFont = mCurrentFont;
+      mCurrentFont = prevFont;
       UpdateGC();
+    
       if (aSpacing) {
         const PRUnichar* str = &aString[start];
         const PRUnichar* end = &aString[i];
@@ -1522,10 +1535,13 @@ FoundFont:
           aX += *aSpacing++;
           str++;
         }
+
       }
       else {
         prevFont->DrawString(this, mRenderingSurface, x, y, &aString[start], i - start);
       }
+
+      mCurrentFont = oldFont;
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/gfx/src/xprint/nsDeviceContextXP.cpp b/gfx/src/xprint/nsDeviceContextXP.cpp
index abf41391e0e..0246131faad 100644
--- a/gfx/src/xprint/nsDeviceContextXP.cpp
+++ b/gfx/src/xprint/nsDeviceContextXP.cpp
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ NS_IMETHODIMP nsDeviceContextXp :: GetDrawingSurface(nsIRenderingContext &aConte
  */
 NS_IMETHODIMP nsDeviceContextXp :: CheckFontExistence(const nsString& aFontName)
 {
-  return nsFontMetricsXlib::FamilyExists(aFontName);
+  return nsFontMetricsXlib::FamilyExists(this, aFontName);
 }
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP nsDeviceContextXp :: GetSystemAttribute(nsSystemAttrID anID,