diff --git a/src/Mod/Arch/ArchSectionPlane.py b/src/Mod/Arch/ArchSectionPlane.py
index c28cdab10..c527a6754 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Arch/ArchSectionPlane.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Arch/ArchSectionPlane.py
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ def getSVG(section,allOn=False,renderMode="Wireframe",showHidden=False,showFill=
                 svg += svgs
     scaledlinewidth = linewidth/scale
     st = FreeCAD.ParamGet("User parameter:BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/Arch").GetFloat("CutLineThickness",2)
+    yt = FreeCAD.ParamGet("User parameter:BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/Arch").GetFloat("SymbolLineThickness",0.6)
     da = FreeCAD.ParamGet("User parameter:BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/Arch").GetString("archHiddenPattern","30,10")
     da = da.replace(" ","")
     svg = svg.replace('LWPlaceholder', str(scaledlinewidth) + 'px')
@@ -228,7 +229,7 @@ def getSVG(section,allOn=False,renderMode="Wireframe",showHidden=False,showFill=
         if not techdraw:
             svg += '<g transform="scale(1,-1)">'
         for d in drafts:
-            svg += Draft.getSVG(d,scale=scale,linewidth=linewidth,fontsize=fontsize,direction=direction,techdraw=techdraw,rotation=rotation)
+            svg += Draft.getSVG(d,scale=scale,linewidth=linewidth*yt,fontsize=fontsize,direction=direction,techdraw=techdraw,rotation=rotation)
         if not techdraw:
             svg += '</g>'
     # filter out spaces not cut by the section plane
@@ -238,7 +239,7 @@ def getSVG(section,allOn=False,renderMode="Wireframe",showHidden=False,showFill=
         if not techdraw:
             svg += '<g transform="scale(1,-1)">'
         for s in spaces:
-            svg += Draft.getSVG(s,scale=scale,linewidth=linewidth,fontsize=fontsize,direction=direction,techdraw=techdraw,rotation=rotation)
+            svg += Draft.getSVG(s,scale=scale,linewidth=linewidth*yt,fontsize=fontsize,direction=direction,techdraw=techdraw,rotation=rotation)
         if not techdraw:
             svg += '</g>'
     # add additional edge symbols from windows
@@ -263,7 +264,7 @@ def getSVG(section,allOn=False,renderMode="Wireframe",showHidden=False,showFill=
             if not techdraw:
                 svg += '<g transform="scale(1,-1)">'
             for s in sh:
-                svg += Draft.getSVG(s,scale=scale,linewidth=linewidth,fontsize=fontsize,fillstyle="none",direction=direction,techdraw=techdraw,rotation=rotation)
+                svg += Draft.getSVG(s,scale=scale,linewidth=linewidth*yt,fontsize=fontsize,fillstyle="none",direction=direction,techdraw=techdraw,rotation=rotation)
             if not techdraw:
                 svg += '</g>'
             
diff --git a/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui b/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui
index 263a43a3e..5583cbf64 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui
+++ b/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui
@@ -366,6 +366,59 @@
         </item>
        </layout>
       </item>
+      <item>
+       <layout class="QHBoxLayout" name="horizontalLayout_16">
+        <item>
+         <spacer name="horizontalSpacer_8">
+          <property name="orientation">
+           <enum>Qt::Horizontal</enum>
+          </property>
+          <property name="sizeType">
+           <enum>QSizePolicy::Preferred</enum>
+          </property>
+          <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
+           <size>
+            <width>20</width>
+            <height>20</height>
+           </size>
+          </property>
+         </spacer>
+        </item>
+        <item>
+         <widget class="QLabel" name="label_6">
+          <property name="text">
+           <string>Symbol line thickness ratio</string>
+          </property>
+         </widget>
+        </item>
+        <item>
+         <spacer name="horizontalSpacer_7">
+          <property name="orientation">
+           <enum>Qt::Horizontal</enum>
+          </property>
+          <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
+           <size>
+            <width>40</width>
+            <height>20</height>
+           </size>
+          </property>
+         </spacer>
+        </item>
+        <item>
+         <widget class="Gui::PrefDoubleSpinBox" name="doubleSpinBox_2">
+          <property name="value">
+           <double>0.600000000000000</double>
+          </property>
+          <property name="prefEntry" stdset="0">
+           <cstring>SymbolLineThickness</cstring>
+          </property>
+          <property name="prefPath" stdset="0">
+           <cstring>Mod/Arch</cstring>
+          </property>
+         </widget>
+        </item>
+       </layout>
+      </item>
       <item>
        <layout class="QHBoxLayout" name="horizontalLayout_4">
         <item>
diff --git a/src/Mod/Draft/Draft.py b/src/Mod/Draft/Draft.py
index 39dd3fd62..c2c04776d 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Draft/Draft.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Draft/Draft.py
@@ -2023,14 +2023,9 @@ def getSVG(obj,scale=1,linewidth=0.35,fontsize=12,fillstyle="shape color",direct
                 t = text[i]
                 if not isinstance(t,unicode):
                     t = t.decode("utf8")
-                # temporary workaround for unsupported UTF8 in techdraw
-                try:
-                    import unicodedata
-                except:
-                    t = ""
-                    print "Draft.getSVG: unicodedata not available"
-                else:
-                    t = u"".join([c for c in unicodedata.normalize("NFKD",t) if not unicodedata.combining(c)]).encode("utf8")
+                # possible workaround if UTF8 is unsupported
+                #    import unicodedata
+                #    t = u"".join([c for c in unicodedata.normalize("NFKD",t) if not unicodedata.combining(c)]).encode("utf8")
                 svg += '<text fill="' + color +'" font-size="' + str(fontsize) + '" '
                 svg += 'style="text-anchor:'+anchor+';text-align:'+align.lower()+';'
                 svg += 'font-family:'+ fontname +'" '