diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index debddb74..2da16260 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -53,7 +53,10 @@ where the formatting is also better._
 - Fixed dynamic x-axis margin spacing for perpendicular (vertical) label text,
   i.e. cases where `las = 2` or `las = 3`. (#369 @grantmcdermott)
 - Better integration with the Positron IDE graphics pane. Thanks to @thomasp85
-  for the report and helpful suggestions. (#377 @grantmcdermott)
+  for the report and helpful suggestions. (#377, #394 @grantmcdermott)
+  - The one remaining Positron issue at present is calling `plt_add()` on a
+    faceted plot, but this appears to be an upstream limitation/bug (see
+    https://github.com/posit-dev/positron/issues/7316)
 - Fixed a bug that resulted in y-axis labels being coerced to numeric for
   `"p"`-alike plot types (including `"jitter"`) if `y` is a factor or character
   (#387 @grantmcdermott).
diff --git a/R/draw_legend.R b/R/draw_legend.R
index 89e1235c..861850e4 100644
--- a/R/draw_legend.R
+++ b/R/draw_legend.R
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@
 #'   keyword position is "bottom!", in which case we need to bump the legend
 #'   margin a bit further.
 #' @param new_plot Logical. Should we be calling plot.new internally?
+#' @param draw Logical. If `FALSE`, no legend is drawn but the sizes are
+#'   returned. Note that a new (blank) plot frame will still need to be started
+#'   in order to perform the calculations. 
 #' 
 #' @returns No return value, called for side effect of producing a(n empty) plot
 #'   with a legend in the margin.
@@ -110,393 +113,429 @@ draw_legend = function(
     gradient = FALSE,
     lmar = NULL,
     has_sub = FALSE,
-    new_plot = TRUE
+    new_plot = TRUE,
+    draw = TRUE
 ) {
   
-  # Note: We wrap everything in recordGraphics to preserve legend spacing if
-  # the plot is resized
-  recordGraphics(
-    {
+    if (is.null(lmar)) {
+      lmar = tpar("lmar")
+    } else {
+      if (!is.numeric(lmar) || length(lmar)!=2) stop ("lmar must be a numeric of length 2.")
+    }
   
-      if (is.null(lmar)) {
-        lmar = tpar("lmar")
-      } else {
-        if (!is.numeric(lmar) || length(lmar)!=2) stop ("lmar must be a numeric of length 2.")
-      }
-      
-      soma = outer_right = outer_bottom = NULL
-      
-      #
-      ## legend args ----
-      
-      if (is.null(legend_args[["x"]])) {
-        if (is.null(legend)) {
-          legend_args[["x"]] = "right!"
-        } else if (is.character(legend)) {
-          legend_args = utils::modifyList(legend_args, list(x = legend))
-        } else if (class(legend) %in% c("call", "name")) {
-          largs = as.list(legend)
-          if (is.null(largs[["x"]])) {
-            lnms = names(largs)
-            # check second position b/c first will be a symbol 
-            if (is.null(lnms)) {
-              largs = stats::setNames(largs, c("", "x"))
-            } else if (length(largs)>=2 && lnms[2] == "") {
-              lnms[2] = "x"
-              largs = stats::setNames(largs, lnms)
-            } else {
-              largs[["x"]] = "right!"
-            }
+    assert_logical(gradient)
+    assert_logical(has_sub)
+    assert_logical(new_plot)
+    assert_logical(draw)
+    
+    #
+    ## legend args ----
+    
+    if (is.null(legend_args[["x"]])) {
+      if (is.null(legend)) {
+        legend_args[["x"]] = "right!"
+      } else if (is.character(legend)) {
+        legend_args = utils::modifyList(legend_args, list(x = legend))
+      } else if (class(legend) %in% c("call", "name")) {
+        largs = as.list(legend)
+        if (is.null(largs[["x"]])) {
+          lnms = names(largs)
+          # check second position b/c first will be a symbol 
+          if (is.null(lnms)) {
+            largs = stats::setNames(largs, c("", "x"))
+          } else if (length(largs)>=2 && lnms[2] == "") {
+            lnms[2] = "x"
+            largs = stats::setNames(largs, lnms)
+          } else {
+            largs[["x"]] = "right!"
           }
-          # Finally, combine with any pre-existing legend args (e.g., title from the by label)
-          legend_args = utils::modifyList(legend_args, largs, keep.null = TRUE)
         }
+        # Finally, combine with any pre-existing legend args (e.g., title from the by label)
+        legend_args = utils::modifyList(legend_args, largs, keep.null = TRUE)
       }
-      
-      ## Use `!exists` rather than `is.null` for title in case user specified no title
-      if (!exists("title", where = legend_args)) legend_args[["title"]] = by_dep
-    
-      legend_args[["pch"]] = legend_args[["pch"]] %||% pch
-      legend_args[["lty"]] = legend_args[["lty"]] %||% lty
-      legend_args[["col"]] = legend_args[["col"]] %||% col
-      legend_args[["bty"]] = legend_args[["bty"]] %||% "n"
-      legend_args[["horiz"]] = legend_args[["horiz"]] %||% FALSE
-      legend_args[["xpd"]] = legend_args[["xpd"]] %||% NA
+    }
     
-      if (!isTRUE(type %in% c("p", "ribbon", "polygon", "polypath"))) {
-        legend_args[["lwd"]] = legend_args[["lwd"]] %||% lwd
-      }
+    ## Use `!exists` rather than `is.null` for title in case user specified no title
+    if (!exists("title", where = legend_args)) legend_args[["title"]] = by_dep
+  
+    legend_args[["pch"]] = legend_args[["pch"]] %||% pch
+    legend_args[["lty"]] = legend_args[["lty"]] %||% lty
+    legend_args[["col"]] = legend_args[["col"]] %||% col
+    legend_args[["bty"]] = legend_args[["bty"]] %||% "n"
+    legend_args[["horiz"]] = legend_args[["horiz"]] %||% FALSE
+    legend_args[["xpd"]] = legend_args[["xpd"]] %||% NA
+  
+    if (!isTRUE(type %in% c("p", "ribbon", "polygon", "polypath"))) {
+      legend_args[["lwd"]] = legend_args[["lwd"]] %||% lwd
+    }
+  
+    if (isTRUE(type %in% c("p", "pointrange", "errorbar")) && (length(col) == 1 || length(cex) == 1)) {
+      legend_args[["pt.cex"]] = legend_args[["pt.cex"]] %||% cex
+    }
+  
+    # turn off inner line for "barplot" type
+    if (identical(type, "barplot")) {
+      legend_args[["lty"]] = 0
+    }
     
-      if (isTRUE(type %in% c("p", "pointrange", "errorbar")) && (length(col) == 1 || length(cex) == 1)) {
-        legend_args[["pt.cex"]] = legend_args[["pt.cex"]] %||% cex
-      }
+    if (isTRUE(type %in% c("rect", "ribbon", "polygon", "polypath", "boxplot", "hist", "histogram", "spineplot", "ridge", "barplot", "violin")) || gradient) {
+      legend_args[["pch"]] = 22
+      legend_args[["pt.cex"]] = legend_args[["pt.cex"]] %||% 3.5
+      legend_args[["y.intersp"]] = legend_args[["y.intersp"]] %||% 1.25
+      legend_args[["seg.len"]] = legend_args[["seg.len"]] %||% 1.25
+    }
+  
+    if (isTRUE(type %in% c("ribbon", "hist", "histogram", "spineplot"))) {
+      legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] = legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] %||% 0
+    }
+  
+    if (identical(type, "p")) {
+      legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] = legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] %||% lwd
+    }
+  
+    if (identical(type, "n") && isFALSE(gradient)) {
+      legend_args[["pch"]] = legend_args[["pch"]] %||% par("pch")
+    }
+  
+    if (identical(type, "spineplot")) {
+      legend_args[["pt.bg"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]] %||% legend_args[["col"]]
+    }
+  
+    if (identical(type, "ridge") && isFALSE(gradient)) {
+      legend_args[["pt.bg"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]] %||% sapply(legend_args[["col"]], function(ccol) seq_palette(ccol, n = 2)[2])
+    }
+  
+    legend_args[["pt.bg"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]] %||% bg
+  
+    legend_args[["legend"]] = legend_args[["legend"]] %||% lgnd_labs
+    if (length(lgnd_labs) != length(eval(legend_args[["legend"]]))) {
+      warning(
+        "\nUser-supplied legend labels do not match the number of groups.\n",
+        "Defaulting to automatic labels determined by the group splits in `by`,\n"
+      )
+      legend_args[["legend"]] = lgnd_labs
+    }
     
-      # turn off inner line for "barplot" type
-      if (identical(type, "barplot")) {
-        legend_args[["lty"]] = 0
-      }
-      
-      if (isTRUE(type %in% c("rect", "ribbon", "polygon", "polypath", "boxplot", "hist", "histogram", "spineplot", "ridge", "barplot", "violin")) || isTRUE(gradient)) {
-        legend_args[["pch"]] = 22
-        legend_args[["pt.cex"]] = legend_args[["pt.cex"]] %||% 3.5
-        legend_args[["y.intersp"]] = legend_args[["y.intersp"]] %||% 1.25
-        legend_args[["seg.len"]] = legend_args[["seg.len"]] %||% 1.25
-      }
+    #
+    ## legend placement ----
     
-      if (isTRUE(type %in% c("ribbon", "hist", "histogram", "spineplot"))) {
-        legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] = legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] %||% 0
-      }
+    # Note: "side" = left/right ; "end" = top/bottom
+    outer_side = outer_end = outer_right = outer_bottom = FALSE ## placeholders
     
-      if (identical(type, "p")) {
-        legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] = legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] %||% lwd
-      }
+    ooma = par("oma")
+    omar = par("mar")
+    topmar_epsilon = 0.1
     
-      if (identical(type, "n") && isFALSE(gradient)) {
-        legend_args[["pch"]] = legend_args[["pch"]] %||% par("pch")
-      }
+    # Catch to avoid recursive offsets, e.g. repeated tinyplot calls with
+    # "bottom!" legend position.
     
-      if (identical(type, "spineplot")) {
-        legend_args[["pt.bg"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]] %||% legend_args[["col"]]
-      }
-    
-      if (identical(type, "ridge") && isFALSE(gradient)) {
-        legend_args[["pt.bg"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]] %||% sapply(legend_args[["col"]], function(ccol) seq_palette(ccol, n = 2)[2])
-      }
-    
-      legend_args[["pt.bg"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]] %||% bg
+    ## restore inner margin defaults
+    ## (in case the plot region/margins were affected by the preceding tinyplot call)
+    dynmar = isTRUE(.tpar[["dynmar"]])
+    if (any(ooma != 0) && !dynmar) {
+      if ( ooma[1] != 0 & omar[1] == par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab") ) omar[1] = 5.1
+      if ( ooma[2] != 0 & omar[2] == par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab") ) omar[2] = 4.1
+      if ( ooma[3] == topmar_epsilon & omar[3] != 4.1 ) omar[3] = 4.1
+      if ( ooma[4] != 0 & omar[4] == 0 ) omar[4] = 2.1
+      par(mar = omar)
+    }
+    ## restore outer margin defaults
+    par(omd = c(0,1,0,1))
+    ooma = par("oma")
     
-      legend_args[["legend"]] = legend_args[["legend"]] %||% lgnd_labs
-      if (length(lgnd_labs) != length(eval(legend_args[["legend"]]))) {
-        warning(
-          "\nUser-supplied legend labels do not match the number of groups.\n",
-          "Defaulting to automatic labels determined by the group splits in `by`,\n"
-        )
-        legend_args[["legend"]] = lgnd_labs
-      }
+    ## Legend to outer side (either right or left) of plot
+    if (grepl("right!$|left!$", legend_args[["x"]])) {
       
-      #
-      ## legend placement ----
+      outer_side = TRUE
+      outer_right = grepl("right!$", legend_args[["x"]])
       
-      ooma = par("oma")
-      omar = par("mar")
-      topmar_epsilon = 0.1
+      # extra bump for spineplot if outer_right legend (to accommodate secondary y-axis)
+      if (identical(type, "spineplot")) lmar[1] = lmar[1] + 1.1
       
-      # Catch to avoid recursive offsets, e.g. repeated tinyplot calls with
-      # "bottom!" legend position.
+      ## Switch position anchor (we'll adjust relative to the _opposite_ side below)
+      if (outer_right) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("right!$", "left", legend_args[["x"]])
+      if (!outer_right) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("left!$", "right", legend_args[["x"]])
       
-      ## restore inner margin defaults
-      ## (in case the plot region/margins were affected by the preceding tinyplot call)
-      dynmar = isTRUE(.tpar[["dynmar"]])
-      if (any(ooma != 0) && !dynmar) {
-        if ( ooma[1] != 0 & omar[1] == par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab") ) omar[1] = 5.1
-        if ( ooma[2] != 0 & omar[2] == par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab") ) omar[2] = 4.1
-        if ( ooma[3] == topmar_epsilon & omar[3] != 4.1 ) omar[3] = 4.1
-        if ( ooma[4] != 0 & omar[4] == 0 ) omar[4] = 2.1
-        par(mar = omar)
+      ## We have to set the inner margins of the plot before the (fake) legend is
+      ## drawn, otherwise the inset calculation---which is based in the legend
+      ## width---will be off the first time.
+      if (outer_right) {
+        omar[4] = 0
+      } else {
+        # For outer left we have to account for the y-axis label too, which
+        # requires additional space
+        omar[2] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
       }
-      ## restore outer margin defaults
-      par(omd = c(0,1,0,1))
-      ooma = par("oma")
+      par(mar = omar)
       
-      ## Legend to outer side (either right or left) of plot
-      if (grepl("right!$|left!$", legend_args[["x"]])) {
-        
-        outer_right = grepl("right!$", legend_args[["x"]])
-        
-        # extra bump for spineplot if outer_right legend (to accommodate secondary y-axis)
-        if (identical(type, "spineplot")) lmar[1] = lmar[1] + 1.1
-        
-        ## Switch position anchor (we'll adjust relative to the _opposite_ side below)
-        if (outer_right) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("right!$", "left", legend_args[["x"]])
-        if (!outer_right) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("left!$", "right", legend_args[["x"]])
-        
-        ## We have to set the inner margins of the plot before the (fake) legend is
-        ## drawn, otherwise the inset calculation---which is based in the legend
-        ## width---will be off the first time.
-        if (outer_right) {
-          omar[4] = 0
-        } else {
-          # For outer left we have to account for the y-axis label too, which
-          # requires additional space
-          omar[2] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
-        }
-        par(mar = omar)
-        
-        # if (isTRUE(new_plot)) plot.new()
-        if (isTRUE(new_plot)) {
-          plot.new()
-          # Experimental: For themed + dynamic plots, we need to make sure the
-          # adjusted plot margins for the legend are reinstated (after being
-          # overwritten by the before.plot.new hook.
-          if (dynmar) {
-            omar = par("mar")
-            if (outer_right) {
-              omar[4] = 0
-            } else {
-              omar[2] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
-            }
-            par(mar = omar)
+      if (new_plot && draw) {
+        plot.new()
+        # For themed + dynamic plots, we need to make sure the adjusted plot
+        # margins for the legend are reinstated (after being overwritten by
+        # the before.plot.new hook.
+        if (dynmar) {
+          omar = par("mar")
+          if (outer_right) {
+            omar[4] = 0
+          } else {
+            omar[2] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
           }
+          par(mar = omar)
         }
-        
-        legend_args[["horiz"]] = FALSE
-        
-        # "draw" fake legend
-        fklgnd.args = modifyList(
-          legend_args,
-          list(x = 0, y = 0, plot = FALSE),
-          keep.null = TRUE
-        )
-        if (isTRUE(gradient)) {
-          lgnd_labs_tmp = na.omit(fklgnd.args[["legend"]])
-          if (length(lgnd_labs_tmp) < 5L) {
-            nmore = 5L - length(lgnd_labs_tmp)
-            lgnd_labs_tmp = c(lgnd_labs_tmp, rep("", nmore))
-            }
-          fklgnd.args = modifyList(
-            fklgnd.args,
-            list(legend = lgnd_labs_tmp),
-            keep.null = TRUE
-          )
-        }
-        fklgnd = do.call("legend", fklgnd.args)
-        
-        # calculate outer margin width in lines
-        soma = grconvertX(fklgnd$rect$w, to="lines") - grconvertX(0, to="lines")
-        # Add legend margins to the outer margin
-        soma = soma + sum(lmar)
-        ## differing outer margin adjustments depending on side
-        if (outer_right) {
-          ooma[4] = soma
-        } else {
-          ooma[2] = soma
-        }
+      }
+      
+      legend_args[["horiz"]] = FALSE
+      
+      ## Legend at the outer top or bottom of plot
+    } else if (grepl("bottom!$|top!$", legend_args[["x"]])) {
+
+      outer_end = TRUE
+      outer_bottom = grepl("bottom!$", legend_args[["x"]])
+
+      ## Switch position anchor (we'll adjust relative to the _opposite_ side below)
+      if (outer_bottom) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("bottom!$", "top", legend_args[["x"]])
+      if (!outer_bottom) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("top!$", "bottom", legend_args[["x"]])
+
+      ## We have to set the inner margins of the plot before the (fake) legend is
+      ## drawn, otherwise the inset calculation---which is based in the legend
+      ## width---will be off the first time.
+      if (outer_bottom) {
+        omar[1] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
+        if (has_sub && (is.null(.tpar[["side.sub"]]) || .tpar[["side.sub"]]==1)) omar[1] = omar[1] + 1*par("cex.sub")
+      } else {
+        ## For "top!", the logic is slightly different: We don't expand the outer
+        ## margin b/c we need the legend to come underneath the main title. So
+        ## we rather expand the existing inner margin.
+        ooma[3] = ooma[3] + topmar_epsilon
         par(oma = ooma)
-        
-        # determine legend inset
-        inset = grconvertX(lmar[1], from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertX(0, from = "lines", to = "npc")
-        if (isFALSE(outer_right)) {
-          # extra space needed for "left!" b/c of lhs inner margin
-          inset_bump = grconvertX(par("mar")[2], from = "lines", to = "npc") - grconvertX(0, from = "lines", to = "npc")
-          inset = inset + inset_bump
-        }
-        # GM: The legend inset spacing only works _exactly_ if we refresh the plot
-        # area. I'm not sure why (and it works properly if we use the same
-        # parameters manually while debugging), but this hack seems to work.
-        ## v0.3.0 update: Using (temporary) hook instead of direct par(new = TRUE)
-        ## assignment to play nice with tinytheme logic.
-        oldhook = getHook("before.plot.new")
-        setHook("before.plot.new", function() par(new = TRUE), action = "append")
-        setHook("before.plot.new", function() par(mar = omar), action = "append")
+      }
+      par(mar = omar)
+
+      if (new_plot && draw) {
         plot.new()
-        setHook("before.plot.new", oldhook, action = "replace")
-        # Finally, set the inset as part of the legend args.
-        legend_args[["inset"]] = c(1+inset, 0)
-        
-        ## Legend at the outer top or bottom of plot
-      } else if (grepl("bottom!$|top!$", legend_args[["x"]])) {
-        
-        outer_bottom = grepl("bottom!$", legend_args[["x"]])
-        
-        ## Switch position anchor (we'll adjust relative to the _opposite_ side below)
-        if (outer_bottom) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("bottom!$", "top", legend_args[["x"]])
-        if (!outer_bottom) legend_args[["x"]] = gsub("top!$", "bottom", legend_args[["x"]])
-        
-        ## We have to set the inner margins of the plot before the (fake) legend is
-        ## drawn, otherwise the inset calculation---which is based in the legend
-        ## width---will be off the first time.
-        if (outer_bottom) {
-          omar[1] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
-          if (isTRUE(has_sub) && (is.null(.tpar[["side.sub"]]) || .tpar[["side.sub"]]==1)) omar[1] = omar[1] + 1*par("cex.sub")
-        } else {
-          ## For "top!", the logic is slightly different: We don't expand the outer
-          ## margin b/c we need the legend to come underneath the main title. So
-          ## we rather expand the existing inner margin.
-          ooma[3] = ooma[3] + topmar_epsilon
-          par(oma = ooma)
-        }
-        par(mar = omar)
-        
-        # if (isTRUE(new_plot)) plot.new()
-        if (isTRUE(new_plot)) {
-          plot.new()
-          # Experimental: For themed + dynamic plots, we need to make sure the
-          # adjusted plot margins for the legend are reinstated (after being
-          # overwritten by the before.plot.new hook.
-          if (dynmar) {
-            omar = par("mar")
-            if (outer_bottom) {
-              # omar[1] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
-              omar[1] = theme_clean$mgp[1] + 1*par("cex.lab") ## bit of a hack
-              if (isTRUE(has_sub) && (is.null(.tpar[["side.sub"]]) || .tpar[["side.sub"]]==1)) omar[1] = omar[1] + 1*par("cex.sub")
-            } else {
-              ooma[3] = ooma[3] + topmar_epsilon
-              par(oma = ooma)
-            }
-            par(mar = omar)
-          }
-        }
-        
-        legend_args[["horiz"]] = TRUE
-        
-        # Catch for horizontal ribbon legend spacing
-        if (type=="ribbon" && isTRUE(legend_args[["horiz"]])) {
-          if (legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] == 1) {
-            legend_args[["x.intersp"]] = 1
+        # For themed + dynamic plots, we need to make sure the adjusted plot
+        # margins for the legend are reinstated (after being overwritten by
+        # the before.plot.new hook.
+        if (dynmar) {
+          omar = par("mar")
+          if (outer_bottom) {
+            # omar[1] = par("mgp")[1] + 1*par("cex.lab")
+            omar[1] = theme_clean$mgp[1] + 1*par("cex.lab") ## bit of a hack
+            if (has_sub && (is.null(.tpar[["side.sub"]]) || .tpar[["side.sub"]]==1)) omar[1] = omar[1] + 1*par("cex.sub")
           } else {
-            legend_args[["x.intersp"]] = 0.5
+            ooma[3] = ooma[3] + topmar_epsilon
+            par(oma = ooma)
           }
-        } else if (isTRUE(gradient) && isTRUE(legend_args[["horiz"]])) {
-          legend_args[["x.intersp"]] = 0.5
-        }
-        
-        # "draw" fake legend
-        fklgnd.args = modifyList(
-          legend_args,
-          list(plot = FALSE),
-          keep.null = TRUE
-        )
-        if (isTRUE(gradient)) {
-          lgnd_labs_tmp = na.omit(fklgnd.args[["legend"]])
-          if (length(lgnd_labs_tmp) < 5L) {
-            nmore = 5L - length(lgnd_labs_tmp)
-            lgnd_labs_tmp = c(lgnd_labs_tmp, rep("", nmore))
-          }
-          fklgnd.args = modifyList(
-            fklgnd.args,
-            list(legend = lgnd_labs_tmp, title = NULL),
-            keep.null = TRUE
-          )
-        }
-        fklgnd = do.call("legend", fklgnd.args)
-        
-        # calculate outer margin width in lines
-        soma = grconvertY(fklgnd$rect$h, to="lines") - grconvertY(0, to="lines")
-        # Add legend margins to outer margin
-        soma = soma + sum(lmar)
-        ## differing outer margin adjustments depending on side
-        if (outer_bottom) {
-          ooma[1] = soma
-        } else {
-          omar[3] = omar[3] + soma - topmar_epsilon
           par(mar = omar)
         }
-        par(oma = ooma)
-        
-        # determine legend inset
-        inset = grconvertY(lmar[1], from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="npc")
-        if (isTRUE(outer_bottom)) {
-          # extra space needed for "bottom!" b/c of lhs inner margin
-          inset_bump = grconvertY(par("mar")[1], from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="npc")
-          inset = inset + inset_bump
+      }
+
+      legend_args[["horiz"]] = TRUE
+
+      # Catch for horizontal ribbon legend spacing
+      if (type=="ribbon" && isTRUE(legend_args[["horiz"]])) {
+        if (legend_args[["pt.lwd"]] == 1) {
+          legend_args[["x.intersp"]] = 1
         } else {
-          epsilon_bump = grconvertY(topmar_epsilon, from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="npc")
-          inset = inset + epsilon_bump
+          legend_args[["x.intersp"]] = 0.5
         }
-        # GM: The legend inset spacing only works _exactly_ if we refresh the plot
-        # area. I'm not sure why (and it works properly if we use the same
-        # parameters manually while debugging), but this hack seems to work.
-        ## v0.3.0 update: Using (temporary) hook instead of direct par(new = TRUE)
-        ## assignment to play nice with tinytheme logic.
-        oldhook = getHook("before.plot.new")
-        setHook("before.plot.new", function() par(new = TRUE), action = "append")
-        setHook("before.plot.new", function() par(mar = omar), action = "append") ## experimental dynmar
-        plot.new()
-        setHook("before.plot.new", oldhook, action = "replace")
-        # Finally, set the inset as part of the legend args.
-        legend_args[["inset"]] = c(0, 1+inset)
-        
-      } else {
-        legend_args[["inset"]] = 0
-        if (isTRUE(new_plot)) plot.new()
+      } else if (gradient && isTRUE(legend_args[["horiz"]])) {
+        legend_args[["x.intersp"]] = 0.5
       }
       
-      # Finally, plot the legend
-      if (isTRUE(gradient)) {
-        if (!more_than_n_unique(legend_args[["col"]], 1)) {
-          if (!is.null(legend_args[["pt.bg"]]) && length(legend_args[["pt.bg"]])==100) {
-            legend_args[["col"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]]
-          }
-        }
-        gradient_legend(legend_args = legend_args, lmar = lmar, outer_right = outer_right, outer_bottom = outer_bottom)
-      } else {
-        do.call("legend", legend_args)
-      }
+    } else {
       
-    },
+      legend_args[["inset"]] = 0
+      if (new_plot && draw) plot.new()
+      
+    }
     
-    list = list(
-      legend = legend,
-      legend_args = legend_args,
-      by_dep = by_dep,
-      lgnd_labs = lgnd_labs,
-      type = type,
-      pch = pch,
-      lty = lty,
-      lwd = lwd,
-      col = col,
-      bg = bg,
-      cex = cex,
-      gradient = gradient,
-      lmar = lmar,
-      has_sub = has_sub,
-      new_plot = new_plot
-    ),
+    #
+    ## draw the legend ----
     
-    getNamespace("tinyplot")
-  
-  )
+    # Legend drawing is handled by the internal `tinylegend()` function, which:
+    #   1. calculates appropriate insets for "outer" legend placement
+    #   2. can draw gradient legends (via `gradient_legend()` below)
+    #
+    # Note: We wrap everything in `recordGraphics()` to preserve legend spacing
+    # if the plot is resized (also necessary for Positron graphics logic regardless)
+      recordGraphics(
+        tinylegend(
+          legend_args = legend_args,
+          ooma = ooma,
+          omar = omar,
+          lmar = lmar,
+          topmar_epsilon = topmar_epsilon,
+          outer_side = outer_side,
+          outer_right = outer_right,
+          outer_end = outer_end,
+          outer_bottom = outer_bottom,
+          gradient = gradient,
+          draw = draw
+        ),
+        list = list(
+          legend_args = legend_args,
+          ooma = ooma,
+          omar = omar,
+          lmar = lmar,
+          topmar_epsilon = topmar_epsilon,
+          outer_side = outer_side,
+          outer_right = outer_right,
+          outer_end = outer_end,
+          outer_bottom = outer_bottom,
+          gradient = gradient,
+          draw = draw
+        ),
+        env = getNamespace("tinyplot")
+      )
   
 }
 
 
+# tinylegend ----
 
+## Internal workhorse function that draws the legend, given a set of legend
+## arguments and other graphical parameters. It does this in three steps:
+## 1) draw a fake legend, 2) calculate the associated inset and adjust the plot
+## margins accordingly, 3) draw the real legend
 
+tinylegend = function(
+    legend_args,
+    ooma, omar, lmar, topmar_epsilon,
+    outer_side, outer_right, outer_end, outer_bottom,
+    gradient,
+    draw
+) {
+  
+  #
+  ## Step 1: "draw" fake legend
+  
+  fklgnd.args = modifyList(
+    legend_args,
+    list(plot = FALSE),
+    keep.null = TRUE
+  )
+  
+  if (gradient) {
+    lgnd_labs_tmp = na.omit(fklgnd.args[["legend"]])
+    if (length(lgnd_labs_tmp) < 5L) {
+      nmore = 5L - length(lgnd_labs_tmp)
+      lgnd_labs_tmp = c(lgnd_labs_tmp, rep("", nmore))
+    }
+    fklgnd.args = modifyList(
+      fklgnd.args,
+      list(legend = lgnd_labs_tmp),
+      keep.null = TRUE
+    )
+    if (outer_end) fklgnd.args = modifyList(fklgnd.args, list(title = NULL), keep.null = TRUE)
+  }
+  
+  if (draw) {
+    fklgnd = do.call("legend", fklgnd.args)
+  } else {
+    plot.new()
+    fklgnd = do.call("legend", fklgnd.args)
+    return(fklgnd)
+  }
+  
+  #
+  ## Step 2: Calculate legend inset (for outer placement in plot region)
+  
+  # calculate outer margin width in lines
+  soma = 0
+  if (outer_side) {
+    soma = grconvertX(fklgnd$rect$w, to="lines") - grconvertX(0, to="lines")
+  } else if (outer_end) {
+    soma = grconvertY(fklgnd$rect$h, to="lines") - grconvertY(0, to="lines")
+  }
+  # Add legend margins to the outer margin
+  soma = soma + sum(lmar)
+  
+  ## differing outer margin adjustments depending on side
+  if (outer_side) {
+    if (outer_right) {
+      ooma[4] = soma
+    } else {
+      ooma[2] = soma
+    }
+  } else if (outer_end) {
+    if (outer_bottom) {
+      ooma[1] = soma
+    } else {
+      omar[3] = omar[3] + soma - topmar_epsilon
+      par(mar = omar)
+    }
+  }
+  par(oma = ooma)
+  
+  # determine legend inset
+  inset = 0
+  if (outer_side) {
+    inset = grconvertX(lmar[1], from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertX(0, from = "lines", to = "npc")
+    # extra space needed for "left!" b/c of lhs inner margin
+    if (!outer_right) {
+      inset_bump = grconvertX(par("mar")[2], from = "lines", to = "npc") - grconvertX(0, from = "lines", to = "npc")
+      inset = inset + inset_bump
+    }
+    inset = c(1+inset, 0)
+  } else if (outer_end) {
+    inset = grconvertY(lmar[1], from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="npc")
+    if (outer_bottom) {
+      # extra space needed for "bottom!" b/c of lhs inner margin
+      inset_bump = grconvertY(par("mar")[1], from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="npc")
+      inset = inset + inset_bump
+    } else {
+      epsilon_bump = grconvertY(topmar_epsilon, from="lines", to="npc") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="npc")
+      inset = inset + epsilon_bump
+    }
+    inset = c(0, 1+inset)
+  }
+  
+  # GM: The legend inset spacing only works _exactly_ if we refresh the plot
+  # area. I'm not sure why (and it works properly if we use the same
+  # parameters manually while debugging), but this hack seems to work.
+  ## v0.3.0 update: Using (temporary) hook instead of direct par(new = TRUE)
+  ## assignment to play nice with tinytheme logic.
+  oldhook = getHook("before.plot.new")
+  setHook("before.plot.new", function() par(new = TRUE), action = "append")
+  setHook("before.plot.new", function() par(mar = omar), action = "append")
+  plot.new()
+  setHook("before.plot.new", oldhook, action = "replace")
+  
+  # Finally, set the inset as part of the legend args.
+  legend_args[["inset"]] = inset
+  
+  #
+  ## Step 3: Draw the legend
+
+  if (gradient) {
+    if (!more_than_n_unique(legend_args[["col"]], 1)) {
+      if (!is.null(legend_args[["pt.bg"]]) && length(legend_args[["pt.bg"]])==100) {
+        legend_args[["col"]] = legend_args[["pt.bg"]]
+      }
+    }
+    gradient_legend(
+      legend_args = legend_args,
+      fklgnd = fklgnd,
+      lmar = lmar,
+      outer_side = outer_side,
+      outer_end = outer_end,
+      outer_right = outer_right,
+      outer_bottom = outer_bottom
+    )
+  } else {
+    do.call("legend", legend_args)
+  }
+  
+}
+
+
+# gradient legend ----
 
 # For gradient (i.e., continuous color) legends, we'll role our own bespoke
 # legend function based on grDevices::as.raster
-gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_bottom = NULL) {
-  if (is.null(lmar)) lmar = .tpar[["lmar"]]
+
+gradient_legend = function(legend_args, fklgnd, lmar, outer_side, outer_end, outer_right, outer_bottom) {
   pal = legend_args[["col"]]
   lgnd_labs = legend_args[["legend"]]
   if (!is.null(legend_args[["horiz"]])) horiz = legend_args[["horiz"]] else horiz = FALSE
@@ -509,11 +548,9 @@ gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_b
   corners = par("usr")
   rasterbox = rep(NA_real_, 4)
   
-  # catch for "inner" legends
-  inner = FALSE
-  inner_right = inner_bottom = NULL
-  if (is.null(outer_right) && is.null(outer_bottom)) {
-    inner = TRUE
+  inner = !any(c(outer_side, outer_end))
+  inner_right = inner_bottom = FALSE
+  if (inner) {
     if (!is.null(legend_args[["x"]]) && grepl("left$|right$", legend_args[["x"]])) {
       inner_right = grepl("right$", legend_args[["x"]])
     }
@@ -522,7 +559,17 @@ gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_b
     }
   }
  
- if (!is.null(outer_right)) {
+  if (inner) {
+    
+    fklgnd$rect$h = fklgnd$rect$h - (grconvertY(1.5 + 0.4, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user"))
+    
+    rasterbox[1] = fklgnd$rect$left
+    if (isFALSE(inner_right)) rasterbox[1] = rasterbox[1] + (grconvertX(0.2, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user"))
+    rasterbox[2] = fklgnd$rect$top - fklgnd$rect$h - (grconvertY(1.5 + 0.2, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user"))
+    rasterbox[3] = rasterbox[1] + (grconvertX(1.25, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user"))
+    rasterbox[4] = rasterbox[2] + fklgnd$rect$h
+    
+  } else if (outer_side) {
    
    rb1_adj = grconvertX(lmar[1] + 0.2, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user")
    rb3_adj = grconvertX(1.25, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user")
@@ -538,12 +585,12 @@ gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_b
    }
    rb4_adj = grconvertY(5+1, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user")
    
-   if (isTRUE(outer_right)) {
+   if (outer_right) {
      rasterbox[1] = corners[2] + rb1_adj
      rasterbox[2] = rb2_adj 
      rasterbox[3] = rasterbox[1] + rb3_adj
      rasterbox[4] = rasterbox[2] + rb4_adj
-   } else if (isFALSE(outer_right)) {
+   } else {
      rb1_adj = rb1_adj + grconvertX(par("mar")[2] + 1, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user")
      rasterbox[1] = corners[1] - rb1_adj
      rasterbox[2] = rb2_adj 
@@ -551,14 +598,14 @@ gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_b
      rasterbox[4] = rasterbox[2] + rb4_adj
    }
     
-  } else if (!is.null(outer_bottom)) {
+  } else if (outer_end) {
     
     rb1_adj = (corners[2] - corners[1] - (grconvertX(5+1, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user"))) / 2
     rb3_adj = grconvertX(5+1, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user")
     rb2_adj = grconvertY(lmar[1], from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user")
     rb4_adj = grconvertY(1.25, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user")
     
-    if (isTRUE(outer_bottom)) {
+    if (outer_bottom) {
       rb2_adj = rb2_adj + grconvertY(par("mar")[2], from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user")
       rasterbox[1] = rb1_adj
       rasterbox[2] = corners[3] - rb2_adj 
@@ -572,30 +619,11 @@ gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_b
       rasterbox[4] = rasterbox[2] - rb4_adj
     }
     
-  } else if (isTRUE(inner)) {
-    
-    # "draw" fake legend
-    lgnd_labs_tmp = na.omit(legend_args[["legend"]])
-    if (length(lgnd_labs_tmp) < 5L) {
-      nmore = 5L - length(lgnd_labs_tmp)
-      lgnd_labs_tmp = c(lgnd_labs_tmp, rep("", nmore))
-    }
-    fklgnd.args = modifyList(
-      legend_args,
-      list(plot = FALSE, legend = lgnd_labs_tmp),
-      keep.null = TRUE
-    )
-    fklgnd = do.call("legend", fklgnd.args)
-    fklgnd$rect$h = fklgnd$rect$h - (grconvertY(1.5 + 0.4, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user"))
-    
-    rasterbox[1] = fklgnd$rect$left
-    if (isFALSE(inner_right)) rasterbox[1] = rasterbox[1] + (grconvertX(0.2, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user"))
-    rasterbox[2] = fklgnd$rect$top - fklgnd$rect$h - (grconvertY(1.5 + 0.2, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertY(0, from="lines", to="user"))
-    rasterbox[3] = rasterbox[1] + (grconvertX(1.25, from="lines", to="user") - grconvertX(0, from="lines", to="user"))
-    rasterbox[4] = rasterbox[2] + fklgnd$rect$h
-    
   }
   
+  #
+  ## Draw the gradient swatch
+  
   rasterImage(
     rasterlgd,
     rasterbox[1], #x1
@@ -605,6 +633,9 @@ gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_b
     xpd = NA
   ) 
   
+  #
+  ## Add the labels, tick marks, and title 
+  
   if (isFALSE(horiz)) {
     labs_idx = !is.na(lgnd_labs)
     lgnd_labs[labs_idx] = paste0(" ", format(lgnd_labs[labs_idx]))
@@ -613,7 +644,7 @@ gradient_legend = function(legend_args, lmar = NULL, outer_right = NULL, outer_b
     lbl_adj = c(0, 0.5)
     tck_adj = c(1, 0.5)
     ttl_adj = c(0, 0)
-    if (isFALSE(outer_right)) {
+    if (!inner && !outer_right) {
       lbl_x_anchor = rasterbox[1]
       ttl_x_anchor = ttl_x_anchor + max(strwidth(lgnd_labs[labs_idx]))
       ttl_adj = c(1, 0)
diff --git a/R/tinyplot.R b/R/tinyplot.R
index 1b5fb3eb..c896bfc6 100644
--- a/R/tinyplot.R
+++ b/R/tinyplot.R
@@ -1167,7 +1167,7 @@ tinyplot.default = function(
       y = y, ymax = ymax, ymin = ymin
     ),
     list = list(
-      add = add, 
+      add = add,
       cex_fct_adj = cex_fct_adj,
       facet.args = facet.args,
       facet_newlines = facet_newlines, facet_font = facet_font,
@@ -1322,7 +1322,8 @@ tinyplot.default = function(
           ngrps = ngrps,
           flip = flip,
           type_info = type_info,
-          facet_window_args = facet_window_args)
+          facet_window_args = facet_window_args
+        )
       }
     }
   }
@@ -1330,6 +1331,7 @@ tinyplot.default = function(
   # save end pars for possible recall later
   apar = par(no.readonly = TRUE)
   set_saved_par(when = "after", apar)
+
 }
 
 
diff --git a/man/draw_legend.Rd b/man/draw_legend.Rd
index 4cd50a94..f4a4d64a 100644
--- a/man/draw_legend.Rd
+++ b/man/draw_legend.Rd
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ draw_legend(
   gradient = FALSE,
   lmar = NULL,
   has_sub = FALSE,
-  new_plot = TRUE
+  new_plot = TRUE,
+  draw = TRUE
 )
 }
 \arguments{
@@ -61,6 +62,10 @@ keyword position is "bottom!", in which case we need to bump the legend
 margin a bit further.}
 
 \item{new_plot}{Logical. Should we be calling plot.new internally?}
+
+\item{draw}{Logical. If \code{FALSE}, no legend is drawn but the sizes are
+returned. Note that a new (blank) plot frame will still need to be started
+in order to perform the calculations.}
 }
 \value{
 No return value, called for side effect of producing a(n empty) plot