diff --git a/src/com/xeiam/swing/SwingHelper.java b/src/com/xeiam/swing/SwingHelper.java
index 09076b7626e86105e06b3ac01cc473edaf11a1ad..c87def482942363e951122f64b440979c6ebb601 100644
--- a/src/com/xeiam/swing/SwingHelper.java
+++ b/src/com/xeiam/swing/SwingHelper.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ public class SwingHelper {
     }
 
     public void displayChart() {
+
         // Schedule a job for the event-dispatching thread:
         // creating and showing this application's GUI.
         javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
diff --git a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTick.java b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTick.java
index 6a09f1931f83f9424531d8eea30008bca175911a..6259e36031c775de6e1667a5d8b5f38535d5f95a 100644
--- a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTick.java
+++ b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTick.java
@@ -38,15 +38,16 @@ public class AxisTick implements IChartPart {
 
     private int workingSpace;
 
-    // private double[] data;
-
-    // /** the default tick mark step hint */
+    /** the default tick mark step hint */
     private static final int DEFAULT_TICK_MARK_STEP_HINT = 64;
 
     protected final static int AXIS_TICK_PADDING = 4;
 
-    /** the format for tick labels */
-    private Format format = new DecimalFormat("#.###########");
+    /** the normal format for tick labels */
+    private Format normalFormat = new DecimalFormat("#.###########");
+
+    /** the scientific format for tick labels */
+    private Format scientificFormat = new DecimalFormat("0.###E0");
 
     /** the bounds */
     private Rectangle bounds = new Rectangle(); // default all-zero rectangle
@@ -226,7 +227,11 @@ public class AxisTick implements IChartPart {
 
     private String format(double value) {
 
-        return this.format.format(value);
+        if (Math.abs(value) < 9999 && Math.abs(value) > .0001) {
+            return this.normalFormat.format(value);
+        } else {
+            return this.scientificFormat.format(value);
+        }
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTickLabels.java b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTickLabels.java
index 9889408c1f0d6f1e60302efc4dbd6d738464fdf4..649e30fe960a3e8369ae903af77964b59e668fc4 100644
--- a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTickLabels.java
+++ b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/AxisTickLabels.java
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ public class AxisTickLabels implements IChartPart {
     protected AxisTickLabels(Axis axis, AxisTick axisTick) {
 
         this.axis = axis;
-
         this.axisTick = axisTick;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart3.java b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart3.java
index c78652b7f66c15cdf5f59564293168fe11484494..5abaf0b919df8a34587cc2febfad0625f0de54fd 100644
--- a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart3.java
+++ b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart3.java
@@ -55,13 +55,7 @@ public class SwingChart3 {
 
     public static void main(String[] args) {
 
-        // Schedule a job for the event-dispatching thread:
-        // creating and showing this application's GUI.
-        javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
-            @Override
-            public void run() {
-                createAndShowGUI();
-            }
-        });
+        createAndShowGUI();
+
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart4.java b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart4.java
index a294877c29283eacaff62e00e4ee8f9b3ae69ca7..6a0e966461b13b864f05d97e44c539fe4878ab3e 100644
--- a/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart4.java
+++ b/src/com/xeiam/xcharts/example/SwingChart4.java
@@ -54,13 +54,7 @@ public class SwingChart4 {
 
     public static void main(String[] args) {
 
-        // Schedule a job for the event-dispatching thread:
-        // creating and showing this application's GUI.
-        javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
-            @Override
-            public void run() {
-                createAndShowGUI();
-            }
-        });
+        createAndShowGUI();
+
     }
 }