diff --git a/src/args.jl b/src/args.jl
index 7e74e705..d146d966 100644
--- a/src/args.jl
+++ b/src/args.jl
@@ -205,6 +205,11 @@ const _subplot_defaults = KW(
     # :polar                    => false,
     :projection               => :none,             # can also be :polar or :3d
     :aspect_ratio             => :none,             # choose from :none or :equal
+    :margin                   => 2mm,
+    :left_margin              => :match,
+    :top_margin               => :match,
+    :right_margin             => :match,
+    :bottom_margin            => :match,
 )
 
 const _axis_defaults = KW(
@@ -393,7 +398,7 @@ add_aliases(:aspect_ratio, :aspectratio, :axis_ratio, :axisratio, :ratio)
 add_aliases(:match_dimensions, :transpose, :transpose_z)
 add_aliases(:subplot, :sp, :subplt, :splt)
 add_aliases(:projection, :proj)
-add_aliases(:title_location, :title_loc, :titleloc)
+add_aliases(:title_location, :title_loc, :titleloc, :title_position, :title_pos, :titlepos, :titleposition, :title_align, :title_alignment)
 add_aliases(:series_annotations, :series_ann, :seriesann, :series_anns, :seriesanns, :series_annotation)
 
 
@@ -955,6 +960,12 @@ function _update_subplot_args(plt::Plot, sp::Subplot, d_in::KW, subplot_index::I
     color_or_match!(spargs, :foreground_color_grid, fg)
     color_or_match!(spargs, :foreground_color_title, fg)
 
+    for k in (:left_margin, :top_margin, :right_margin, :bottom_margin)
+        if spargs[k] == :match
+            spargs[k] = spargs[:margin]
+        end
+    end
+
     # info("xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx")
     # DD(spargs, "before loop")
 
diff --git a/src/axes.jl b/src/axes.jl
index 1c8af224..49a20c8b 100644
--- a/src/axes.jl
+++ b/src/axes.jl
@@ -10,8 +10,10 @@ function Axis(letter::Symbol, args...; kw...)
     d = KW(
         :letter => letter,
         :extrema => (Inf, -Inf),
-        :discrete_map => Dict(),   # map discrete values to continuous plot values
-        :discrete_values => Tuple{Float64,Any}[],
+        :discrete_map => Dict(),   # map discrete values to discrete indices
+        # :discrete_values => Tuple{Float64,Any}[],
+        :discrete_values => [],
+        :continuous_values => zeros(0),
         :use_minor => false,
         :show => true,  # show or hide the axis? (useful for linked subplots)
     )
@@ -89,7 +91,8 @@ function get_ticks(a::Axis)
     ticks = a[:ticks]
     dvals = a[:discrete_values]
     if !isempty(dvals) && ticks == :auto
-        vals, labels = unzip(dvals)
+        # vals, labels = unzip(dvals)
+        a[:continuous_values], dvals
     else
         ticks
     end
@@ -114,20 +117,28 @@ end
 # these methods track the discrete values which correspond to axis continuous values (cv)
 # whenever we have discrete values, we automatically set the ticks to match.
 # we return (continuous_value, discrete_index)
-function discrete_value!(a::Axis, v)
-    cv_idx = get(a[:discrete_map], v, 0)
-    if cv_idx == 0
+function discrete_value!(a::Axis, dv)
+    cv_idx = get(a[:discrete_map], dv, -1)
+    if cv_idx == -1
         emin, emax = a[:extrema]
         cv = max(0.5, emax + 1.0)
         expand_extrema!(a, cv)
-        a[:discrete_map][v] = cv
-        push!(a[:discrete_values], (cv, v))
-        cv, length(a[:discrete_values])
+        push!(a[:discrete_values], dv)
+        push!(a[:continuous_values], cv)
+        cv_idx = length(a[:discrete_values])
+        a[:discrete_map][dv] = cv_idx
+        cv, cv_idx
     else
-        a[:discrete_values][cv_idx][1], cv_idx
+        cv = a[:continuous_values][cv_idx]
+        cv, cv_idx
     end
 end
 
+# continuous value... just pass back with a negative index
+function discrete_value!(a::Axis, cv::Number)
+    cv, -1
+end
+
 # add the discrete value for each item.  return the continuous values and the indices
 function discrete_value!(a::Axis, v::AVec)
     n = length(v)
diff --git a/src/backends/pyplot.jl b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
index ef1c24d9..9e33e18e 100644
--- a/src/backends/pyplot.jl
+++ b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
@@ -461,7 +461,11 @@ function _update_min_padding!(sp::Subplot{PyPlotBackend})
 
     # TODO: this should initialize to the margin from sp.attr
     # figure out how much the axis components and title "stick out" from the plot area
-    leftpad = toppad = rightpad = bottompad = 1mm
+    # leftpad = toppad = rightpad = bottompad = 1mm
+    leftpad   = sp.attr[:left_margin]
+    toppad    = sp.attr[:top_margin]
+    rightpad  = sp.attr[:right_margin]
+    bottompad = sp.attr[:bottom_margin]
     for bb in (py_bbox_axis(ax, "x"), py_bbox_axis(ax, "y"), py_bbox_title(ax))
         if ispositive(width(bb)) && ispositive(height(bb))
             leftpad   = max(leftpad,   left(plotbb) - left(bb))
@@ -717,15 +721,15 @@ function _series_added(plt::Plot{PyPlotBackend}, series::Series)
         push!(handles, handle)
 
         # contour fills
-        # if st == :contour
-        handle = ax[:contourf](x, y, z, levelargs...;
-            label = d[:label],
-            zorder = plt.n + 0.5,
-            cmap = pyfillcolormap(d),
-            extrakw...
-        )
-        push!(handles, handle)
-        # end
+        if d[:fillrange] != nothing
+            handle = ax[:contourf](x, y, z, levelargs...;
+                label = d[:label],
+                zorder = plt.n + 0.5,
+                cmap = pyfillcolormap(d),
+                extrakw...
+            )
+            push!(handles, handle)
+        end
     end
 
     if st in (:surface, :wireframe)
@@ -837,13 +841,12 @@ function _series_added(plt::Plot{PyPlotBackend}, series::Series)
     end
 
     if st == :pie
+
         handle = ax[:pie](y;
-            # label = d[:label],
             # colors = # a vector of colors?
-            # labels = x
             labels = if haskey(d,:x_discrete_indices)
                 dvals = sp.attr[:xaxis].d[:discrete_values]
-                [dvals[idx][2] for idx in d[:x_discrete_indices]]
+                [dvals[idx] for idx in d[:x_discrete_indices]]
             else
                 d[:x]
             end
diff --git a/src/plot.jl b/src/plot.jl
index 8c0f6b10..765382a0 100644
--- a/src/plot.jl
+++ b/src/plot.jl
@@ -119,10 +119,11 @@ function _apply_series_recipe(plt::Plot, d::KW)
             axis = sp.attr[symbol(letter, "axis")]
             if eltype(data) <: Number
                 expand_extrema!(axis, data)
-            else
+            elseif data != nothing
                 # TODO: need more here... gotta track the discrete reference value
                 #       as well as any coord offset (think of boxplot shape coords... they all
                 #       correspond to the same x-value)
+                # @show letter,eltype(data),typeof(data)
                 d[letter], d[symbol(letter,"_discrete_indices")] = discrete_value!(axis, data)
             end
         end
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index 6d05bb55..a73566f3 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -16,21 +16,21 @@ facts("Gadfly") do
     @fact plot(sort(rand(10)), rand(Int, 10, 3)) --> not(nothing)
     @fact plot!(rand(10,3), rand(10,3)) --> not(nothing)
 
-    image_comparison_facts(:gadfly, skip=[4,6,19,23,24,27], eps=img_eps)
+    image_comparison_facts(:gadfly, skip=[4,6,23,24,27], eps=img_eps)
 end
 
 facts("PyPlot") do
     @fact pyplot() --> Plots.PyPlotBackend()
     @fact backend() --> Plots.PyPlotBackend()
 
-    image_comparison_facts(:pyplot, skip=[19], eps=img_eps)
+    image_comparison_facts(:pyplot, skip=[6], eps=img_eps)
 end
 
 facts("GR") do
     @fact gr() --> Plots.GRBackend()
     @fact backend() --> Plots.GRBackend()
 
-    @linux_only image_comparison_facts(:gr, skip=[24], eps=img_eps)
+    @linux_only image_comparison_facts(:gr, skip=[6,24], eps=img_eps)
 end
 
 facts("Plotly") do