diff --git a/src/vectorizer.js b/src/vectorizer.js
index 310baffc0..80eeea61f 100644
--- a/src/vectorizer.js
+++ b/src/vectorizer.js
@@ -31,8 +31,17 @@ V = Vectorizer = (function() {
         return 'v-' + id;
     }
 
+    // Replace all spaces with the Unicode No-break space (http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/a0/index.htm).
+    // IE would otherwise collapse all spaces into one. This is used in the text() method but it is
+    // also exposed so that the programmer can use it in case he needs to. This is useful e.g. in tests
+    // when you want to compare the actual DOM text content without having to add the unicode character in
+    // the place of all spaces.
+    function sanitizeText(text) {
+        return (text || '').replace(/ /g, '\u00A0');
+    }
+
     function isObject(o) {
-        return Object(o) === Object(o);
+        return o === Object(o);
     }
 
     function isArray(o) {
@@ -355,6 +364,9 @@ V = Vectorizer = (function() {
 
         text: function(content, opt) {
 
+            // Replace all spaces with the Unicode No-break space (http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/a0/index.htm).
+            // IE would otherwise collapse all spaces into one.
+            content = sanitizeText(content);
             opt = opt || {};
             var lines = content.split('\n');
             var i = 0;
@@ -487,11 +499,12 @@ V = Vectorizer = (function() {
 
                 } else {
 
-                    // Make sure the textContent is never empty. If it is, add an additional
-                    // space (an invisible character) so that following lines are correctly
+                    // Make sure the textContent is never empty. If it is, add a dummy
+                    // character and make it invisible, making the following lines correctly
                     // relatively positioned. `dy=1em` won't work with empty lines otherwise.
                     vLine.addClass('v-empty-line');
-                    vLine.node.textContent = ' ';
+                    vLine.node.style.opacity = 0;
+                    vLine.node.textContent = '-';
                 }
 
                 V(textNode).append(vLine);
@@ -1337,6 +1350,8 @@ V = Vectorizer = (function() {
         return annotations;
     };
 
+    V.sanitizeText = sanitizeText;
+
     return V;
 
 })();
diff --git a/test/jointjs/basic.js b/test/jointjs/basic.js
index da02ea655..838cf486f 100644
--- a/test/jointjs/basic.js
+++ b/test/jointjs/basic.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ test('construction', function() {
     equal(textEls.length, 1, 'there is exactly one <text> element in the paper');
     equal(rectEls.length, 1, 'there is exactly one <rect> element in the paper');
 
-    equal(textEls[0].textContent, 'my rectangle', 'text element has a proper content');
+    equal(textEls[0].textContent, V.sanitizeText('my rectangle'), 'text element has a proper content');
     
 });
 
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ asyncTest('async: resetCells', function() {
 	equal(textEls.length, 3, 'there is exactly 3 <text> elements in the paper');
 	equal(rectEls.length, 3, 'there is exactly 3 <rect> elements in the paper');
 
-	equal(textEls[0].textContent, 'my rectangle', 'text element has a proper content');
+	equal(textEls[0].textContent, V.sanitizeText('my rectangle'), 'text element has a proper content');
 
 	start();
 
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ asyncTest('async: addCells', function() {
 	equal(textEls.length, 5, 'there is exactly 5 <text> elements in the paper');
 	equal(rectEls.length, 5, 'there is exactly 5 <rect> elements in the paper');
 
-	equal(textEls[0].textContent, 'my rectangle', 'text element has a proper content');
+	equal(textEls[0].textContent, V.sanitizeText('my rectangle'), 'text element has a proper content');
 
 	start();
 
@@ -620,8 +620,8 @@ test('clone()', function() {
     equal(textEls.length, 2, 'there are exactly two <text> elements in the paper');
     equal(rectEls.length, 2, 'there are exactly two <rect> elements in the paper');
 
-    equal(textEls[0].textContent, 'my rectangle', 'text element has a proper content');
-    equal(textEls[1].textContent, 'my rectangle', 'text element of the cloned element has a proper content');
+    equal(textEls[0].textContent, V.sanitizeText('my rectangle'), 'text element has a proper content');
+    equal(textEls[1].textContent, V.sanitizeText('my rectangle'), 'text element of the cloned element has a proper content');
 
     checkBbox(this.paper, r2, 20, 30, 120, 80, 'cloned element is at the exact same position as the original element');