diff --git a/src/frontends/Painter.h b/src/frontends/Painter.h
index c72d8133b9..21067682e6 100644
--- a/src/frontends/Painter.h
+++ b/src/frontends/Painter.h
@@ -133,28 +133,29 @@ public:
 	virtual void image(int x, int y, int w, int h,
 		graphics::Image const & image) = 0;
 
+	/** draw a character at position x, y (y is the baseline)
+	 */
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, char_type c, FontInfo const & f) = 0;
+
 	/** draw a string at position x, y (y is the baseline). The
 	 * text direction is given by \c rtl.
-	 * \return the width of the drawn text.
 	 */
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, FontInfo const & f,
-                     bool rtl = false, double wordspacing = 0.0) = 0;
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, FontInfo const & f,
+                      bool rtl = false, double wordspacing = 0.0) = 0;
 
 	/** draw a string at position x, y (y is the baseline). The
 	 * text direction is enforced by the \c Font.
-	 * \return the width of the drawn text.
 	 */
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
-                     double wordspacing = 0.0) = 0;
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
+                      double wordspacing = 0.0) = 0;
 
 	/** draw a string at position x, y (y is the baseline), but
 	 * make sure that the part between \c from and \c to is in
 	 * \c other color. The text direction is enforced by the \c Font.
-	 * \return the width of the drawn text.
 	 */
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
-                     Color other, size_type from, size_type to,
-                     double const wordspacing) = 0;
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
+	                  Color other, size_type from, size_type to,
+	                  double const wordspacing) = 0;
 
 	void setDrawingEnabled(bool drawing_enabled)
 	{ drawing_enabled_ = drawing_enabled; }
@@ -164,12 +165,6 @@ public:
 
 	double pixelRatio() const { return pixel_ratio_; }
 
-	/// draw a char at position x, y (y is the baseline)
-	/**
-	* \return the width of the drawn text.
-	*/
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, char_type c, FontInfo const & f) = 0;
-
 	/// draw the underbar, strikeout, uuline and uwave font attributes
 	virtual void textDecoration(FontInfo const & f, int x, int y, int width) = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.cpp
index 5329624a6a..12d4f72eb9 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.cpp
@@ -327,9 +327,9 @@ void GuiPainter::image(int x, int y, int w, int h, graphics::Image const & i)
 }
 
 
-int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, char_type c, FontInfo const & f)
+void GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, char_type c, FontInfo const & f)
 {
-	return text(x, y, docstring(1, c), f);
+	text(x, y, docstring(1, c), f);
 }
 
 
@@ -368,13 +368,13 @@ void GuiPainter::do_drawText(int x, int y, QString str, bool rtl, FontInfo const
 }
 
 
-int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & s,
-                     FontInfo const & f, bool const rtl,
-                     double const wordspacing)
+void GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & s,
+                      FontInfo const & f, bool const rtl,
+                      double const wordspacing)
 {
 	//LYXERR0("text: x=" << x << ", s=" << s);
-	if (s.empty())
-		return 0;
+	if (s.empty() || !isDrawingEnabled())
+		return;
 
 	/* Caution: The following ucs4 to QString conversions work for symbol fonts
 	only because they are no real conversions but simple casts in reality.
@@ -406,9 +406,6 @@ int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & s,
 	// Note that we have to take in account space stretching (word spacing)
 	int const textwidth = fm.width(s) + count(s.begin(), s.end(), ' ') * wordspacing;
 
-	if (!isDrawingEnabled())
-		return textwidth;
-
 	textDecoration(f, x, y, textwidth);
 
 	if (use_pixmap_cache_) {
@@ -428,7 +425,7 @@ int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & s,
 		if (QPixmapCache::find(key, pm)) {
 			// Draw the cached pixmap.
 			drawPixmap(x + lb, y - mA, pm);
-			return textwidth;
+			return;
 		}
 
 		// Only the right bearing of the last character is
@@ -456,27 +453,26 @@ int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & s,
 			drawPixmap(x + lb, y - mA, pm);
 			//rectangle(x-lb, y-mA, w, h, Color_green);
 		}
-		return textwidth;
+		return;
 	}
 
 	// don't use the pixmap cache,
 	do_drawText(x, y, str, rtl, f, ff);
 	//LYXERR(Debug::PAINTING, "draw " << string(str.toUtf8())
 	//	<< " at " << x << "," << y);
-	return textwidth;
 }
 
 
-int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
-                     double const wordspacing)
+void GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
+                      double const wordspacing)
 {
-	return text(x, y, str, f.fontInfo(), f.isVisibleRightToLeft(), wordspacing);
+	text(x, y, str, f.fontInfo(), f.isVisibleRightToLeft(), wordspacing);
 }
 
 
-int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
-                     Color other, size_type const from, size_type const to,
-                     double const wordspacing)
+void GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
+                      Color other, size_type const from, size_type const to,
+                      double const wordspacing)
 {
 	GuiFontMetrics const & fm = getFontMetrics(f.fontInfo());
 	FontInfo fi = f.fontInfo();
@@ -495,7 +491,7 @@ int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
 	fi.setPaintColor(other);
 	QRegion const clip(x + xmin, y - ascent, xmax - xmin, height);
 	setClipRegion(clip);
-	int const textwidth = text(x, y, str, fi, rtl, wordspacing);
+	text(x, y, str, fi, rtl, wordspacing);
 
 	// Then the part in normal color
 	// Note that in Qt5, it is not possible to use Qt::UniteClip,
@@ -505,8 +501,6 @@ int GuiPainter::text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
 	setClipRegion(region - clip);
 	text(x, y, str, fi, rtl, wordspacing);
 	setClipping(false);
-
-	return textwidth;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.h b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.h
index 5aec66ac4c..f92b606096 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.h
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiPainter.h
@@ -107,29 +107,26 @@ public:
 
 	/** draw a string at position x, y (y is the baseline). The
 	 * text direction is given by \c rtl.
-	 * \return the width of the drawn text.
 	 */
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, FontInfo const & f,
-                     bool rtl = false, double wordspacing = 0.0);
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, FontInfo const & f,
+                      bool rtl = false, double wordspacing = 0.0);
 
 	/** draw a string at position x, y (y is the baseline). The
 	 * text direction is enforced by the \c Font.
-	 * \return the width of the drawn text.
 	 */
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
-                     double wordspacing = 0.0);
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
+                      double wordspacing = 0.0);
 
 	/** draw a string at position x, y (y is the baseline), but
 	 * make sure that the part between \c from and \c to is in
 	 * \c other color. The text direction is enforced by the \c Font.
-	 * \return the width of the drawn text.
 	 */
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
-                     Color other, size_type from, size_type to,
-                     double const wordspacing);
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, docstring const & str, Font const & f,
+	                  Color other, size_type from, size_type to,
+                      double const wordspacing);
 
 	/// draw a char at position x, y (y is the baseline)
-	virtual int text(int x, int y, char_type c, FontInfo const & f);
+	virtual void text(int x, int y, char_type c, FontInfo const & f);
 
 	///
 	virtual void textDecoration(FontInfo const & f, int x, int y, int width);