diff --git a/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/CustomizableHighlightingColorizer.cs b/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/CustomizableHighlightingColorizer.cs
index c9b2d46eb9..dfeb428798 100644
--- a/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/CustomizableHighlightingColorizer.cs
+++ b/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/CustomizableHighlightingColorizer.cs
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.AddIn
 			textEditor.TextArea.TextView.ClearValue(TextView.NonPrintableCharacterBrushProperty);
 			textEditor.TextArea.TextView.ClearValue(TextView.LinkTextForegroundBrushProperty);
 			textEditor.TextArea.TextView.ClearValue(TextView.LinkTextBackgroundBrushProperty);
+			textEditor.TextArea.TextView.ClearValue(TextView.ColumnRulerBrushProperty);
 			
 			// 'assigned' flags are used so that the first matching customization wins.
 			// This is necessary because more specific customizations come first in the list
@@ -51,6 +52,8 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.AddIn
 			bool assignedNonPrintableCharacter = false;
 			bool assignedLineNumbers = false;
 			bool assignedLinkText = false;
+			bool assignedColumnRulerColor = false;
+			
 			foreach (CustomizedHighlightingColor color in customizations) {
 				switch (color.Name) {
 					case DefaultTextAndBackground:
@@ -106,6 +109,13 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.AddIn
 						if (color.Background != null)
 							textEditor.TextArea.TextView.LinkTextBackgroundBrush = CreateFrozenBrush(color.Background.Value);
 						break;
+					case ColumnRulerRenderer.Name:
+						if (assignedColumnRulerColor)
+							continue;
+						assignedColumnRulerColor = true;
+						if (color.Foreground != null)
+							textEditor.TextArea.TextView.ColumnRulerBrush = CreateFrozenBrush(color.Foreground.Value); 
+						break;
 				}
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/CodeEditorOptions.cs b/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/CodeEditorOptions.cs
index 547217bb2d..70f3ea8cde 100644
--- a/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/CodeEditorOptions.cs
+++ b/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/CodeEditorOptions.cs
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.AddIn.Options
 		}
 		
 		int ITextEditorOptions.VerticalRulerColumn {
-			get { return 120; }
+			get { return ColumnRulerPosition; }
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/HighlightingOptions.xaml.cs b/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/HighlightingOptions.xaml.cs
index d40ebf0dc7..62eeb9d398 100644
--- a/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/HighlightingOptions.xaml.cs
+++ b/src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/AvalonEdit.AddIn/Src/Options/HighlightingOptions.xaml.cs
@@ -39,10 +39,10 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.AddIn.Options
 			
 			InitializeComponent();
 			textEditor.Document.UndoStack.SizeLimit = 0;
-			textEditor.Options = CodeEditorOptions.Instance;
+			CodeEditorOptions.Instance.BindToTextEditor(textEditor);
+			textEditor.Options = new TextEditorOptions(CodeEditorOptions.Instance);
 			bracketHighlighter = new BracketHighlightRenderer(textEditor.TextArea.TextView);
 			foldingManager = FoldingManager.Install(textEditor.TextArea);
-			CodeEditorOptions.Instance.BindToTextEditor(textEditor);
 			textMarkerService = new TextMarkerService(textEditor.Document);
 			textEditor.TextArea.TextView.BackgroundRenderers.Add(textMarkerService);
 			textEditor.TextArea.TextView.LineTransformers.Add(textMarkerService);
@@ -429,6 +429,20 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.AddIn.Options
 			currentStatementMarker = new CustomizedHighlightingItem(customizationList, currentStatementMarker, language, canSetFont: false);
 			currentStatementMarker.PropertyChanged += item_PropertyChanged;
 			items.Add(currentStatementMarker);
+			
+			IHighlightingItem columnRuler = new SimpleHighlightingItem(
+				ColumnRulerRenderer.Name,
+				ta => {
+					ta.Document.Text = "some line with a lot of text";
+					ta.TextView.Options.ColumnRulerPosition = 15;
+					ta.TextView.Options.ShowColumnRuler = true;
+				})
+			{
+				Foreground = ColumnRulerRenderer.DefaultForeground
+			};
+			columnRuler = new CustomizedHighlightingItem(customizationList, columnRuler, language, canSetFont: false, canSetBackground: false);
+			columnRuler.PropertyChanged += item_PropertyChanged;
+			items.Add(columnRuler);
 		}
 
 		void item_PropertyChanged(object sender, System.ComponentModel.PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
diff --git a/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/ColumnRulerRenderer.cs b/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/ColumnRulerRenderer.cs
index 522e45a23a..f809b57de4 100644
--- a/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/ColumnRulerRenderer.cs
+++ b/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/ColumnRulerRenderer.cs
@@ -4,36 +4,37 @@
 using System;
 using System.Windows;
 using System.Windows.Media;
+
 using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Rendering;
 using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Utils;
 
 namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit
 {
 	/// <summary>
-	/// Redners a ruler at a certain colum
+	/// Renders a ruler at a certain column.
 	/// </summary>
 	public class ColumnRulerRenderer : IBackgroundRenderer
 	{
-		
 		Pen pen;
 		int column;
 		TextView textView;
 		
+		public const string Name = "Column ruler";
+		public static readonly Color DefaultForeground = Colors.LightGray;
+		
 		public ColumnRulerRenderer(TextView textView)
 		{
 			if (textView == null)
 				throw new ArgumentNullException("textView");
 			
-			this.pen = new Pen(Brushes.LightGray, 1);
+			this.pen = new Pen(new SolidColorBrush(DefaultForeground), 1);
 			this.pen.Freeze();
 			this.textView = textView;
 			this.textView.BackgroundRenderers.Add(this);
 		}
 		
 		public KnownLayer Layer {
-			get {
-				return KnownLayer.Background;
-			}
+			get { return KnownLayer.Background; }
 		}
 		
 		public void SetRuler(int column, Brush brush)
@@ -51,11 +52,9 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit
 		
 		public void Draw(TextView textView, System.Windows.Media.DrawingContext drawingContext)
 		{
-			if(column < 1)
-				return;
-			
+			if (column < 1) return;
 			double offset = textView.WideSpaceWidth * column;
-			System.Windows.Size pixelSize = PixelSnapHelpers.GetPixelSize(textView);
+			Size pixelSize = PixelSnapHelpers.GetPixelSize(textView);
 			double markerXPos = PixelSnapHelpers.PixelAlign(offset, pixelSize.Width);
 			Point start = new Point(markerXPos, 0);
 			Point end = new Point(markerXPos, Math.Max(textView.DocumentHeight, textView.ActualHeight));
diff --git a/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/TextView.cs b/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/TextView.cs
index 232200fbd3..50db99f9df 100644
--- a/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/TextView.cs
+++ b/src/Libraries/AvalonEdit/ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit/Rendering/TextView.cs
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Rendering
 			                            new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(OnOptionsChanged));
 		
 		/// <summary>
-		/// Gets/Sets the document displayed by the text editor.
+		/// Gets/Sets the options used by the text editor.
 		/// </summary>
 		public TextEditorOptions Options {
 			get { return (TextEditorOptions)GetValue(OptionsProperty); }