diff --git a/src/components/drawing/index.js b/src/components/drawing/index.js
index 2b1c733df98..2f0b99c0f9f 100644
--- a/src/components/drawing/index.js
+++ b/src/components/drawing/index.js
@@ -52,7 +52,9 @@ drawing.font = function(s, family, size, color) {
  * instead, so that <tspan.line> elements get updated to match.
  */
 drawing.setPosition = function(s, x, y) { s.attr('x', x).attr('y', y); };
-drawing.setSize = function(s, w, h) { s.attr('width', w).attr('height', h); };
+drawing.setSize = function(s, w, h) {
+    s.attr('width', w < 0 ? 0 : w).attr('height', h < 0 ? 0 : h);
+};
 drawing.setRect = function(s, x, y, w, h) {
     s.call(drawing.setPosition, x, y).call(drawing.setSize, w, h);
 };
diff --git a/src/plot_api/subroutines.js b/src/plot_api/subroutines.js
index fa74da9e967..63a707db7a2 100644
--- a/src/plot_api/subroutines.js
+++ b/src/plot_api/subroutines.js
@@ -174,8 +174,8 @@ exports.lsInner = function(gd) {
         });
 
         plotClip.select('rect').attr({
-            width: xa._length,
-            height: ya._length
+            width: xa._length < 0 ? 0 : xa._length,
+            height: ya._length < 0 ? 0 : ya._length
         });
 
         Drawing.setTranslate(plotinfo.plot, xa._offset, ya._offset);
diff --git a/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js b/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
index c44db0c9856..a405313b87f 100644
--- a/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
+++ b/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
@@ -1488,8 +1488,8 @@ axes.makeClipPaths = function(gd) {
         d3.select(this).select('rect').attr({
             x: d.x._offset || 0,
             y: d.y._offset || 0,
-            width: d.x._length || 1,
-            height: d.y._length || 1
+            width: (d.x._length < 0 ? 0 : d.x._length) || 1,
+            height: (d.y._length < 0 ? 0 : d.y._length) || 1
         });
     });
 };