diff --git a/lib/event_ds.dart b/lib/event_ds.dart
index 63237f6..a92a888 100644
--- a/lib/event_ds.dart
+++ b/lib/event_ds.dart
@@ -316,6 +316,7 @@ class EventData {
     
     String strToPrint = "";
     if(!topPost) {
+      strToPrint += "\n";
       strToPrint += getDepthSpaces(depth);
       strToPrint += " "; // in place of block for top posts
     } else {
diff --git a/lib/settings.dart b/lib/settings.dart
index dab86f0..72eefc8 100644
--- a/lib/settings.dart
+++ b/lib/settings.dart
@@ -100,9 +100,9 @@ const int gNameLengthInPost     = 12;
 // after depth of maxDepthAllowed the thread is re-aligned to left by leftShiftThreadBy
 const int  gMinimumDepthAllowed = 2;
 const int  gMaximumDepthAllowed = 12;
-const int  gDefaultMaxDepth     = 6;
+const int  gDefaultMaxDepth     = 5;
 int        maxDepthAllowed      = gDefaultMaxDepth;
-const int  leftShiftThreadsBy   = 4;
+const int  leftShiftThreadsBy   = 3;
 
 int gMaxLenUnbrokenWord = 8; // lines are broken if space is at end of line for this number of places
 
diff --git a/lib/tree_ds.dart b/lib/tree_ds.dart
index ed6cc35..e12a53b 100644
--- a/lib/tree_ds.dart
+++ b/lib/tree_ds.dart
@@ -246,8 +246,6 @@ class Tree {
   int printTree(int depth, DateTime newerThan, bool topPost) {
     int numPrinted = 0;
 
-    if( !topPost)
-      print("");
     event.printEvent(depth, topPost);
     numPrinted++;