diff --git a/src/guide.jl b/src/guide.jl
index 5e13b7c4c..9ab06f29a 100644
--- a/src/guide.jl
+++ b/src/guide.jl
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ function render_discrete_color_key(colors::Vector{C},
         colrows = Array{Int}(undef, numcols)
         m = n
         for i in 1:numcols
-            colrows[i] = min(m, ceil(Integer, (n / numcols)))
+            colrows[i] = ceil(Int, m/(1+numcols-i))
             m -= colrows[i]
         end
 
diff --git a/src/guide/keys.jl b/src/guide/keys.jl
index ac3943033..90c85c57e 100644
--- a/src/guide/keys.jl
+++ b/src/guide/keys.jl
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ function render_discrete_key(labels::Vector{String}, title_ctx::Context, title_w
         colrows = Array{Int}(undef, numcols)
         m = n
         for i in 1:numcols
-            colrows[i] = min(m, ceil(Integer, (n / numcols)))
+            colrows[i] = ceil(Int, m/(1+numcols-i))
             m -= colrows[i]
         end
         
diff --git a/test/testscripts/key_columns.jl b/test/testscripts/key_columns.jl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5ceaf85c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/testscripts/key_columns.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+
+using Gadfly
+
+set_default_plot_size(14cm, 8cm)
+
+# Issue #1344
+
+datas = Gadfly.Data(color= ["D", "A", "C", "D", "A", "C", "D", "D", "A", "B"],
+        shape=["E", "F", "F", "E", "G", "E", "E", "G", "H"])
+scales = [Scale.color_discrete(levels=["A","B","C","D"]), Scale.shape_discrete(levels=["E","F","G","H"]) ]
+aes = Scale.apply_scales(scales, datas)
+theme1 = Theme(key_max_columns=4)
+guides = [render(g, theme1, aes[1])[1].ctxs  for g in (Guide.colorkey(), Guide.shapekey())] 
+
+gridstack([guides[i][j] for i in 1:2, j in 1:4])