diff --git a/src/fe-common/core/formats.c b/src/fe-common/core/formats.c
index 4c819c2d..8ad4b3af 100644
--- a/src/fe-common/core/formats.c
+++ b/src/fe-common/core/formats.c
@@ -1233,6 +1233,15 @@ void format_send_to_gui(TEXT_DEST_REC *dest, const char *text)
 	dup = str = g_strdup(text);
 
 	flags = 0; fgcolor = theme->default_color; bgcolor = -1;
+
+	if (*str == '\0') {
+		/* empty line, write line info only */
+		signal_emit_id(signal_gui_print_text, 6, dest->window,
+			       GINT_TO_POINTER(fgcolor),
+			       GINT_TO_POINTER(bgcolor),
+			       GINT_TO_POINTER(flags), str,
+			       dest);
+	}
 	while (*str != '\0') {
 		type = '\0';
 		for (ptr = str; *ptr != '\0'; ptr++) {
diff --git a/src/fe-text/textbuffer.c b/src/fe-text/textbuffer.c
index 01cdd118..9e1ace96 100644
--- a/src/fe-text/textbuffer.c
+++ b/src/fe-text/textbuffer.c
@@ -355,9 +355,6 @@ LINE_REC *textbuffer_insert(TEXT_BUFFER_REC *buffer, LINE_REC *insert_after,
 	g_return_val_if_fail(buffer != NULL, NULL);
 	g_return_val_if_fail(data != NULL, NULL);
 
-	if (len == 0)
-                return insert_after;
-
 	line = !buffer->last_eol ? insert_after :
 		textbuffer_line_insert(buffer, insert_after);