diff --git a/jquery.flot.axislabels.js b/jquery.flot.axislabels.js
index 536cece..c5c6dde 100644
--- a/jquery.flot.axislabels.js
+++ b/jquery.flot.axislabels.js
@@ -72,53 +72,209 @@ WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
                                              plot, opts);
     }
 
+    // Adjust the label width in canvas (if the option axisLabelAdjustment for
+    // this axis was set to true) to the max height/width of the axis 
+    // by inserting line breaks as long as needed and possible
+    CanvasAxisLabel.prototype.adjustLabel = function(box) {
+
+        // we'll need those options and it's possible, that they
+        // haven't yet been set to their default values if not present
+        if (!this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels)
+            this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels = 14;
+        if (!this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily)
+            this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily = 'sans-serif';
+
+        var widthBox, labelMaxWidth;
+        var ctx;
+        var blMadeAdjustment = true;
+
+        // if it's x-axis, take the height of the axis as the max width 
+        // of the label, otherwise (y-axis) take the width of the axis
+        // as the max width of the label
+        if (this.position == 'left' || this.position == 'right') {
+            widthBox = box.height;
+        } else {
+            widthBox = box.width;
+        }
+
+        // we need to calculate the label width, for that we'll need the canvas
+        // and set the used font size and family
+        ctx = this.plot.getCanvas().getContext('2d');
+        ctx.font = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + 'px ' + this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily;
+
+        // Now get the label width. If there is already more than one line: iterate through
+        // them and find the line with the widest width.
+        labelMaxWidth = this.getMaxWidthLabel(ctx);
+
+        // now lets do adjustments to the label (inserting line breaks) as long as
+        // the label width is wider than the height/width of the axis and as long
+        // as we were able to do adjustments (or if we're just beginning the loop).
+        while (labelMaxWidth.width > widthBox && blMadeAdjustment) {
+
+            // is there a space somewhere in the most broadest line
+            var idx = labelMaxWidth.lines[labelMaxWidth.index].lastIndexOf(' ');
+
+            // If so, insert a line break into this most broadest line and
+            // join the lines back together so we have our new axis label.
+            // If we can't break the broadest line it doesn't make sense to
+            // break any other line, so we would have to leave the loop
+            // by declaring we haven't done any adjustments.
+            if (idx > 0) {
+                // now we insert the line break to the last space(s) of the broadest line
+                labelMaxWidth.lines[labelMaxWidth.index] = labelMaxWidth.lines[labelMaxWidth.index].replace(/ *([^ ]*)$/, '\n$1');
+
+                // and now we join the lines back together with line breaks (since that's how
+                // we've splittet them into lines) and we have our new axis label
+                this.opts.axisLabel = labelMaxWidth.lines.join('\n');
+
+                // Now lets start all this over again and check if we have our perfect label
+                // now by getting once more the label width. Since there is now for sure already 
+                // more than one line: iterate through them and find the line with the widest width.
+                labelMaxWidth = this.getMaxWidthLabel(ctx);
+            }
+            else
+                blMadeAdjustment = false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Lets get the width of the broadest line, 
+    // we'll also need all the lines
+    // and the index of the broadest line.
+    // We need this for adjusting the axis label.
+    CanvasAxisLabel.prototype.getMaxWidthLabel = function(ctx) {
+        var arrAxisLabel = this.opts.axisLabel.split('\n');
+        var countLines = arrAxisLabel.length;
+        var widthLine, widthLabelMax = null, idx = 0;
+
+        for (var i = 0; i < countLines; i++) {
+            widthLine = ctx.measureText(arrAxisLabel[i]).width;
+            if (widthLabelMax === null || widthLine > widthLabelMax) {
+                widthLabelMax = widthLine;
+                idx = i;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return { width: widthLabelMax, index: idx, lines: arrAxisLabel };
+    }
+
     CanvasAxisLabel.prototype.calculateSize = function() {
+        // padding between lines if we have more than one
+        if (!this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding)
+            this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding = 5;
         if (!this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels)
             this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels = 14;
         if (!this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily)
             this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily = 'sans-serif';
 
+        // How many lines are there in our label? Important if it's a multiline label.
+        var countLines = this.opts.axisLabel.split('\n').length;
         var textWidth = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + this.padding;
         var textHeight = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + this.padding;
+
+        // now calculate the height of line times the number of line adding the padding between lines and the padding to the axis
         if (this.position == 'left' || this.position == 'right') {
-            this.width = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + this.padding;
+            this.width = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels * countLines * 0.72 + this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding * (countLines - 1) + this.padding;
             this.height = 0;
         } else {
             this.width = 0;
-            this.height = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + this.padding;
+            this.height = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels * countLines * 0.72 + this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding * (countLines - 1) + this.padding;
         }
     };
 
     CanvasAxisLabel.prototype.draw = function(box) {
+        // split our label in multiple lines if there are any line breaks inserted
+        var arrAxisLabel = this.opts.axisLabel.split('\n');
+
         if (!this.opts.axisLabelColour)
             this.opts.axisLabelColour = 'black';
+
+        // now set the default value of label alignment if none was given, 
+        // or convert the value 'middle' to value 'center'. This will only
+        // affect multiline labels.
+        if (!this.opts.axisLabelAlignment || this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'middle')
+            this.opts.axisLabelAlignment = 'center';
+
+        // what is our line count?
+        var countLines = arrAxisLabel.length;
+        // array of canvases
+        var arrCtx = new Array(countLines);
+        // height of one line
+        var height = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels;
+        // get the broadest line width of our multiline label,
+        // we might need this for alignment.
         var ctx = this.plot.getCanvas().getContext('2d');
+        ctx.font = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + 'px ' + this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily;
         ctx.save();
-        ctx.font = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + 'px ' +
-            this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily;
-        ctx.fillStyle = this.opts.axisLabelColour;
-        var width = ctx.measureText(this.opts.axisLabel).width;
-        var height = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels;
-        var x, y, angle = 0;
-        if (this.position == 'top') {
-            x = box.left + box.width/2 - width/2;
-            y = box.top + height*0.72;
-        } else if (this.position == 'bottom') {
-            x = box.left + box.width/2 - width/2;
-            y = box.top + box.height - height*0.72;
-        } else if (this.position == 'left') {
-            x = box.left + height*0.72;
-            y = box.height/2 + box.top + width/2;
+        var labelMaxWidth = this.getMaxWidthLabel(ctx);
+        var angle = 0;
+
+        // angle if this is a y-axis
+        if (this.position == 'left') {
             angle = -Math.PI/2;
         } else if (this.position == 'right') {
-            x = box.left + box.width - height*0.72;
-            y = box.height/2 + box.top - width/2;
             angle = Math.PI/2;
         }
-        ctx.translate(x, y);
-        ctx.rotate(angle);
-        ctx.fillText(this.opts.axisLabel, 0, 0);
-        ctx.restore();
+
+        // now lets draw each label line on the chart
+        for (var i = 0; i < countLines; i++) {
+            // prepare the canvas for this label
+            arrCtx[i] = this.plot.getCanvas().getContext('2d');
+            arrCtx[i].save();
+            arrCtx[i].font = this.opts.axisLabelFontSizePixels + 'px ' + this.opts.axisLabelFontFamily;
+            arrCtx[i].fillStyle = this.opts.axisLabelColour;
+
+            // measure width of this line
+            var width = arrCtx[i].measureText(arrAxisLabel[i]).width;
+            var x, y;
+
+            // calculate position of this line
+            if (this.position == 'top') {
+                // align the text correct in multiline labels
+                if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'left')
+                    x = box.left + box.width/2 - labelMaxWidth.width/2;
+                else if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'right')
+                    x = box.left + box.width/2 + labelMaxWidth.width/2 - width;
+                else
+                    x = box.left + box.width/2 - width/2;
+                // calculate the position of one label line
+                y = box.top + height * (i + 1) * 0.72 + this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding * i;
+            } else if (this.position == 'bottom') {
+                // align the text correct in multiline labels
+                if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'left')
+                    x = box.left + box.width/2 - labelMaxWidth.width/2;
+                else if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'right')
+                    x = box.left + box.width/2 + labelMaxWidth.width/2 - width;
+                else
+                    x = box.left + box.width/2 - width/2;
+                // calculate the position of one label line
+                y = box.top + box.height - height * (countLines - i) * 0.72 - this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding * (countLines - i - 1);
+            } else if (this.position == 'left') {
+                // calculate the position of one label line
+                x = box.left + height * (i + 1) * 0.72 + this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding * i;
+                // align the text correct in multiline labels
+                if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'left')
+                    y = box.top + box.height/2 + labelMaxWidth.width/2;
+                else if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'right')
+                    y = box.top + box.height/2 - labelMaxWidth.width/2 + width;
+                else
+                    y = box.top + box.height/2 + width/2;
+            } else if (this.position == 'right') {
+                // calculate the position of one label line
+                x = box.left + box.width - height * (i + 1) * 0.72 - this.opts.axisLabelLinePadding * i;
+                // align the text correct in multiline labels
+                if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'left')
+                    y = box.top + box.height/2 - labelMaxWidth.width/2;
+                else if (this.opts.axisLabelAlignment === 'right')
+                    y = box.top + box.height/2 + labelMaxWidth.width/2 - width;
+                else
+                    y = box.top + box.height/2 - width/2;
+            }
+            // now draw the text of this line
+            arrCtx[i].translate(x, y);
+            arrCtx[i].rotate(angle);
+            arrCtx[i].fillText(arrAxisLabel[i], 0, 0);
+            arrCtx[i].restore();
+        }
     };
 
 
@@ -403,6 +559,13 @@ WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
                                                         axis.position, padding,
                                                         plot, opts);
 
+                    // if the label should be adjusted (enters line breaks if needed)
+                    // then do this now, provided the adjustLabel function exists
+                    // for this kind of axis (currently only in canvas).
+                    if (axisLabels[axisName].opts.axisLabelAdjustment &&
+                         typeof axisLabels[axisName].adjustLabel === 'function')
+                        axisLabels[axisName].adjustLabel(axis.box);
+
                     // flot interprets axis.labelHeight and .labelWidth as
                     // the height and width of the tick labels. We increase
                     // these values to make room for the axis label and