diff --git a/lib/cli.js b/lib/cli.js
index db28e62e4..0b389dc85 100644
--- a/lib/cli.js
+++ b/lib/cli.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ function cli(options) {
           help: 'h'
         , png: 'p'
         , outputDir: 'o'
+        , outputSuffix: 'O'
         , svg: 's'
         , verbose: 'v'
         , phantomPath: 'e'
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ function cli(options) {
         , width: 'w'
       }
     , 'boolean': ['help', 'png', 'svg', 'verbose']
-    , 'string': ['outputDir']
+    , 'string': ['outputDir', 'outputSuffix']
   }
 
   this.errors = []
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ function cli(options) {
     , "  -s --svg             Output SVG instead of PNG (experimental)"
     , "  -p --png             If SVG was selected, and you also want PNG, set this flag"
     , "  -o --outputDir       Directory to save files, will be created automatically, defaults to `cwd`"
+    , "  -O --outputSuffix    Suffix to output filenames in front of '.svg' or '.png', defaults to ''"
     , "  -e --phantomPath     Specify the path to the phantomjs executable"
     , "  -t --css             Specify the path to a CSS file to be included when processing output"
     , "  -c --sequenceConfig  Specify the path to the file with the configuration to be applied in the sequence diagram"
@@ -79,7 +81,7 @@ cli.prototype.parse = function(argv, next) {
     }
 
     // ensure that parameter-expecting options have parameters
-    ;['outputDir', 'phantomPath', 'sequenceConfig', 'ganttConfig', 'css'].forEach(function(i) {
+    ;['outputDir', 'outputSuffix', 'phantomPath', 'sequenceConfig', 'ganttConfig', 'css'].forEach(function(i) {
       if(typeof options[i] !== 'undefined') {
         if (typeof options[i] !== 'string' || options[i].length < 1) {
           this.errors.push(new Error(i + " expects a value."))
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index 5da3683b2..540ccff96 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ module.exports = { process: processMermaid }
 function processMermaid(files, _options, _next) {
   var options = _options || {}
     , outputDir = options.outputDir || process.cwd()
+    , outputSuffix = options.outputSuffix || ""
     , next = _next || function() {}
     , phantomArgs = [
           phantomscript
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ function processMermaid(files, _options, _next) {
         , options.ganttConfig
         , options.verbose
         , options.width
+        , outputSuffix
       ];
 
   files.forEach(function(file) {
diff --git a/lib/phantomscript.js b/lib/phantomscript.js
index 1e0edf1f0..12a73c625 100644
--- a/lib/phantomscript.js
+++ b/lib/phantomscript.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ var system = require('system')
   , webpage = require('webpage')
 
 var page = webpage.create()
-  , files = system.args.slice(9, system.args.length)
+  , files = system.args.slice(10, system.args.length)
   , width = system.args[8]
 
 if(typeof width === 'undefined' || width==='undefined'){
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ var options = {
       , ganttConfig: system.args[6] !== 'null' ? JSON.parse(fs.read(system.args[6])) : {}
       , verbose: system.args[7] === 'true' ? true : false
       , width: width
+      , outputSuffix: system.args[9]
     }
   , log = logger(options.verbose)
 options.sequenceConfig.useMaxWidth = false;
@@ -98,21 +99,21 @@ files.forEach(function(file) {
   for (var i = 0, len = allElements.length; i < len; i++) {
     resolveForeignObjects(allElements[i])
   }
-
+  
+  var outputPath=options.outputDir + fs.separator + filename + options.outputSuffix;
   if (options.png) {
     page.viewportSize = {
         width: ~~oDOM.documentElement.attributes.getNamedItem('width').value
       , height: ~~oDOM.documentElement.attributes.getNamedItem('height').value
     }
 
-    page.render(options.outputDir + fs.separator + filename + '.png')
+    page.render(outputPath+'.png')
     console.log('saved png: ' + filename + '.png')
   }
 
   if (options.svg) {
     var serialize = new XMLSerializer();
-    fs.write(
-        options.outputDir + fs.separator + filename + '.svg'
+    fs.write(outputPath+'.svg'
       , serialize.serializeToString(oDOM)+'\n'
       , 'w'
     )
diff --git a/test/cli_test-output.js b/test/cli_test-output.js
index 9236cd95b..f57d8be60 100644
--- a/test/cli_test-output.js
+++ b/test/cli_test-output.js
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ function verifyFiles(expected, dir, t) {
       }
     , function(err) {
         t.notOk(err, 'all files passed')
-        var delete_tmps = false
+        var delete_tmps = true
         var _rimraf=delete_tmps ? rimraf : function(dir, f) { f(0); }
         _rimraf(dir, function(rmerr) {
           t.notOk(rmerr, 'cleaned up')
diff --git a/test/cli_test-run-samples.js b/test/cli_test-run-samples.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5ac8f5351
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cli_test-run-samples.js
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+'use strict';
+var exec = require('child_process').exec;
+var fs = require('fs')
+  , path = require('path')
+
+  var test = require('tape')
+  , async = require('async')
+  , clone = require('clone')
+  , rimraf = require('rimraf')
+
+var test_dir = "test/fixtures/samples/"
+
+function exec_mermaid(args, verify) {
+  exec('bin/mermaid.js ' + args, 
+    {env: {PATH: "./node_modules/.bin"+path.delimiter+process.env.PATH}}, 
+    function(error, stdout, stderr) {
+      console.log('error:',error,'\nstdout:\n',stdout,'\nstderr:\n',stderr);
+      verify(error, stdout, stderr);
+    });
+}
+
+test('mermaid cli help', function(t) {
+  t.plan(1);
+  var args = [ "--help", ]
+  exec_mermaid(args.join(" "),
+    function(error, stdout, stderr) {
+      t.notOk(error, 'no error code')
+      t.end()
+    });
+});
+
+test('sequence (actor) text default svg', function(t) {
+  t.plan(1);
+  var args = [ "--svg",
+    "--outputDir=" + test_dir,
+    test_dir+"sequence_text.mmd",
+  ]
+  exec_mermaid(args.join(" "),
+    function(error, stdout, stderr) {
+      t.notOk(error, 'no error code')
+      t.end()
+    });
+});
+
+['fo', 'tspan', 'old'].forEach(function(textPlacement) {
+  test('sequence svg text placelment: '+textPlacement, function(t) {
+    t.plan(1);
+    var args = [ "--svg",
+      "--outputDir=" + test_dir,
+      "--outputSuffix=_"+textPlacement,
+      "--sequenceConfig="+test_dir+path.sep+"sequence_text_"+textPlacement+".cfg",  
+      test_dir+"sequence_text.mmd",
+    ]
+    exec_mermaid(args.join(" "),
+      function(error, stdout, stderr) {
+        t.notOk(error, 'no error code')
+        t.end()
+      });
+  })
+});
+
+
diff --git a/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text.mmd b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text.mmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c36663fd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text.mmd
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant A as actor 
+    participant B as very very very long long long long-long-long text
+    A->>B: hi 
+    B-->A: 
+    B->>A: hello
diff --git a/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_fo.cfg b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_fo.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f4667e30f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_fo.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "textPlacement": "fo"
+}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_old.cfg b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_old.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f95a87978
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_old.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "textPlacement": "old"
+}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_tspan.cfg b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_tspan.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..10fa0ec4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/samples/sequence_text_tspan.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "textPlacement": "tspan"
+}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/sequence.mermaid b/test/fixtures/sequence.mermaid
index e0f8a5b57..9774e6551 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/sequence.mermaid
+++ b/test/fixtures/sequence.mermaid
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 sequenceDiagram
-  Alice->Bob: Hello Bob, how are you?
+  Alice->>Bob: Hello Bob, how are you?
   Note right of Bob: Bob thinks
-  Bob-->Alice: I am good thanks!
-  Bob-->John the Long: How about you John?
-  Bob-->Alice: Checking with John...
-  Alice->John the Long: Yes... John, how are you?
+  Bob-->>Alice: I am good thanks!
+  Bob-->>John the Long: How about you John?
+  Bob-->>Alice: Checking with John...
+  Alice->>John the Long: Yes... John, how are you?
   John the Long-->Alice: Better than you!