diff --git a/quad/quadwriter/core.rkt b/quad/quadwriter/core.rkt
index 42867c4e..4cdfdf10 100644
--- a/quad/quadwriter/core.rkt
+++ b/quad/quadwriter/core.rkt
@@ -606,7 +606,8 @@
   (define qs (let* ([qx qx-arg]
                     [qx (replace-breaks qx)]
                     [qx (qexpr->quad  `(q ((font-family ,default-font-family)
-                                           (font-size ,(number->string default-font-size))) ,qx))])
+                                           (font-size ,(number->string default-font-size))
+                                           (line-height ,(number->string (floor (* 1.42 default-font-size))))) ,qx))])
                (setup-font-path-table! pdf-path)
                (parameterize ([current-missing-glyph-action 'fallback])
                  (time-name atomize (atomize qx #:attrs-proc handle-cascading-attrs
diff --git a/quad/quadwriter/tags.rkt b/quad/quadwriter/tags.rkt
index 5178760d..b9abe72e 100644
--- a/quad/quadwriter/tags.rkt
+++ b/quad/quadwriter/tags.rkt
@@ -11,16 +11,8 @@
 (provide (all-defined-out))
 
 (define (root attrs exprs)
-  (qexpr (append `(#;(first-line-indent "12")
-                   #;(line-align "center")
-                   #;(line-wrap "kp")
-                   (page-margin-left "120") ; by default, is mirrored to right
-                   #;(page-margin-right "200")
-                   (page-margin-top "80")
-                   (page-margin-bottom "120")
-                   (font-family "default-serif")
-                   (line-height "17")
-                   #;(line-align-last "center")) attrs) exprs))
+  ;; don't put any attributes in root, so they can be overriden by top-level attributes in source
+  (qexpr attrs exprs))
 
 (define-tag-function (p attrs exprs)
   ;; no font-family so that it adopts whatever the surrounding family is