diff --git a/src/BufferParams.cpp b/src/BufferParams.cpp
index 1c00dbdd97..73b47436b8 100644
--- a/src/BufferParams.cpp
+++ b/src/BufferParams.cpp
@@ -337,10 +337,10 @@ public:
 	Bullet user_defined_bullets[4];
 	IndicesList indiceslist;
 	Spacing spacing;
+	Length parindent;
 	/** This is the amount of space used for paragraph_separation "skip",
 	 * and for detached paragraphs in "indented" documents.
 	 */
-	HSpace indentation;
 	VSpace defskip;
 	HSpace math_indentation;
 	PDFOptions pdfoptions;
@@ -641,15 +641,15 @@ void BufferParams::setMathIndentation(HSpace const & indent)
 }
 
 
-HSpace const & BufferParams::getIndentation() const
+Length const & BufferParams::getParIndent() const
 {
-	return pimpl_->indentation;
+	return pimpl_->parindent;
 }
 
 
-void BufferParams::setIndentation(HSpace const & indent)
+void BufferParams::setParIndent(Length const & indent)
 {
-	pimpl_->indentation = indent;
+	pimpl_->parindent = indent;
 }
 
 
@@ -835,9 +835,7 @@ string BufferParams::readToken(Lexer & lex, string const & token,
 		lex >> parsep;
 		paragraph_separation = parseptranslator().find(parsep);
 	} else if (token == "\\paragraph_indentation") {
-		lex.next();
-		string indentation = lex.getString();
-		pimpl_->indentation = HSpace(indentation);
+		lex >> pimpl_->parindent;
 	} else if (token == "\\defskip") {
 		lex.next();
 		string const defskip = lex.getString();
@@ -1344,7 +1342,7 @@ void BufferParams::writeFile(ostream & os, Buffer const * buf) const
 	   << "\n\\paragraph_separation "
 	   << string_paragraph_separation[paragraph_separation];
 	if (!paragraph_separation)
-		os << "\n\\paragraph_indentation " << getIndentation().asLyXCommand();
+		os << "\n\\paragraph_indentation " << Lexer::quoteString(pimpl_->parindent.asString());
 	else
 		os << "\n\\defskip " << getDefSkip().asLyXCommand();
 	os << "\n\\is_math_indent " << is_math_indent;
@@ -1951,9 +1949,9 @@ bool BufferParams::writeLaTeX(otexstream & os, LaTeXFeatures & features,
 	} else {
 		// when separation by indentation
 		// only output something when a width is given
-		if (getIndentation().asLyXCommand() != "default") {
+		if (!getParIndent().empty()) {
 			os << "\\setlength{\\parindent}{"
-			   << from_utf8(getIndentation().asLatexCommand())
+			   << from_utf8(getParIndent().asLatexString())
 			   << "}\n";
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/BufferParams.h b/src/BufferParams.h
index 3b0b8a79de..14935a9370 100644
--- a/src/BufferParams.h
+++ b/src/BufferParams.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ class IndicesList;
 class Language;
 class LayoutFile;
 class LayoutFileIndex;
+class Length;
 class Lexer;
 class PDFOptions;
 class Spacing;
@@ -93,9 +94,9 @@ public:
 	bool hasClassDefaults() const;
 
 	///
-	HSpace const & getIndentation() const;
+	Length const & getParIndent() const;
 	///
-	void setIndentation(HSpace const & indent);
+	void setParIndent(Length const & indent);
 	///
 	VSpace const & getDefSkip() const;
 	///
diff --git a/src/HSpace.cpp b/src/HSpace.cpp
index 7d03ecc1d7..8a56899a12 100644
--- a/src/HSpace.cpp
+++ b/src/HSpace.cpp
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ int HSpace::inPixels(BufferView const & bv) const
 	switch (kind_) {
 	case DEFAULT:
 		// FIXME: replace by correct length
-		return bv.buffer().params().getIndentation().inPixels(bv);
+		return bv.buffer().params().getParIndent().inPixels(bv.workWidth());
 	case LENGTH:
 		return len_.len().inPixels(bv.workWidth());
 	default:
diff --git a/src/TextMetrics.cpp b/src/TextMetrics.cpp
index 13c1d02cdf..bb38914149 100644
--- a/src/TextMetrics.cpp
+++ b/src/TextMetrics.cpp
@@ -1717,32 +1717,32 @@ int TextMetrics::leftMargin(int max_width,
 	// set the correct parindent
 	if (pos == 0
 	    && (layout.labeltype == LABEL_NO_LABEL
-		|| layout.labeltype == LABEL_ABOVE
-		|| layout.labeltype == LABEL_CENTERED
-		|| (layout.labeltype == LABEL_STATIC
-		    && layout.latextype == LATEX_ENVIRONMENT
-		    && !text_->isFirstInSequence(pit)))
+	        || layout.labeltype == LABEL_ABOVE
+	        || layout.labeltype == LABEL_CENTERED
+	        || (layout.labeltype == LABEL_STATIC
+	            && layout.latextype == LATEX_ENVIRONMENT
+	            && !text_->isFirstInSequence(pit)))
 	    && (align == LYX_ALIGN_BLOCK || align == LYX_ALIGN_LEFT)
 	    && !par.params().noindent()
 	    // in some insets, paragraphs are never indented
 	    && !text_->inset().neverIndent()
 	    // display style insets are always centered, omit indentation
 	    && !(!par.empty()
-		 && par.isInset(pos)
-		 && par.getInset(pos)->display())
+	         && par.isInset(pos)
+	         && par.getInset(pos)->display())
 	    && (!(tclass.isDefaultLayout(par.layout())
-		  || tclass.isPlainLayout(par.layout()))
+	        || tclass.isPlainLayout(par.layout()))
 	        || buffer.params().paragraph_separation
 				== BufferParams::ParagraphIndentSeparation)) {
-			// use the parindent of the layout when the
-			// default indentation is used otherwise use
-			// the indentation set in the document
-			// settings
-			if (buffer.params().getIndentation().asLyXCommand() == "default")
-				l_margin += bfm.signedWidth(parindent);
-			else
-				l_margin += buffer.params().getIndentation().inPixels(*bv_);
-		}
+		/* use the parindent of the layout when the default
+		 * indentation is used otherwise use the indentation set in
+		 * the document settings
+		 */
+		if (buffer.params().getParIndent().empty())
+			l_margin += bfm.signedWidth(parindent);
+		else
+			l_margin += buffer.params().getParIndent().inPixels(max_width_, bfm.em());
+	}
 
 	return l_margin;
 }
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiDocument.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiDocument.cpp
index b1db0e9886..52515dd85c 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiDocument.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiDocument.cpp
@@ -2953,19 +2953,19 @@ void GuiDocument::applyView()
 		bp_.paragraph_separation = BufferParams::ParagraphIndentSeparation;
 		switch (textLayoutModule->indentCO->currentIndex()) {
 		case 0:
-			bp_.setIndentation(HSpace(HSpace::DEFAULT));
+			bp_.setParIndent(Length());
 			break;
 		case 1:	{
-			HSpace indent = HSpace(
+			Length indent(
 				widgetsToLength(textLayoutModule->indentLE,
 				textLayoutModule->indentLengthCO)
 				);
-			bp_.setIndentation(indent);
+			bp_.setParIndent(indent);
 			break;
 			}
 		default:
 			// this should never happen
-			bp_.setIndentation(HSpace(HSpace::DEFAULT));
+			bp_.setParIndent(Length());
 			break;
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -3445,12 +3445,12 @@ void GuiDocument::paramsToDialog()
 
 	if (bp_.paragraph_separation == BufferParams::ParagraphIndentSeparation) {
 		textLayoutModule->indentRB->setChecked(true);
-		string indentation = bp_.getIndentation().asLyXCommand();
+		string parindent = bp_.getParIndent().asString();
 		int indent = 0;
-		if (indentation != "default") {
+		if (!parindent.empty()) {
 			lengthToWidgets(textLayoutModule->indentLE,
-			textLayoutModule->indentLengthCO,
-			indentation, default_unit);
+			                textLayoutModule->indentLengthCO,
+			                parindent, default_unit);
 			indent = 1;
 		}
 		textLayoutModule->indentCO->setCurrentIndex(indent);