diff --git a/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.cpp b/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.cpp
index 1f5ad172..34ee23c7 100644
--- a/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.cpp
+++ b/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.cpp
@@ -449,8 +449,6 @@ void JFJochDiffractionImage::addCustomOverlay() {
         DrawPredictions();
     if (show_saturation)
         DrawSaturation();
-
-    DrawResolutionText();
 }
 
 void JFJochDiffractionImage::DrawROIs() {
@@ -916,7 +914,7 @@ void JFJochDiffractionImage::loadImage(std::shared_ptr<const JFJochReaderImage>
             scene()->clear();
         resetScenePointers();
         hover_resolution = NAN;
-        hover_resolution_item = nullptr;
+        DrawResolutionText();
 
         CalcROI();
     }
@@ -1000,57 +998,56 @@ void JFJochDiffractionImage::setResolutionRingMode(RingMode mode) {
     updateOverlay();
 }
 
-void JFJochDiffractionImage::DrawResolutionText() {
-    auto scn = scene();
-    if (!scn) {
-        hover_resolution_item = nullptr; // scene gone
-        return;
-    }
-
-    // Hide item if no valid hover resolution
-    if (!image || !std::isfinite(hover_resolution) || hover_resolution <= 0.0f) {
-        if (hover_resolution_item)
-            hover_resolution_item->setVisible(false);
-        return;
-    }
-
-    const QRectF visibleRect = mapToScene(viewport()->geometry()).boundingRect();
-
-    // Fixed on-screen font size (no dependence on scale_factor)
+static QFont HoverResolutionFont() {
     QFont font("Arial");
-    font.setPixelSize(32);  // big, constant size on screen
+    font.setPixelSize(32);   // big, constant size on screen
+    return font;
+}
 
-    const QString label =
-        QString("d = %1 Å").arg(QString::number(hover_resolution, 'f', 2));
+QString JFJochDiffractionImage::HoverResolutionLabel() const {
+    if (!image || !std::isfinite(hover_resolution) || hover_resolution <= 0.0f)
+        return {};
+    return QString("d = %1 \u00C5").arg(QString::number(hover_resolution, 'f', 2));
+}
 
-    // Create the item if it does not exist yet; otherwise reuse it
-    // NOTE: hover_resolution_item is NOT tracked in overlay_items_ — it is persistent
-    if (!hover_resolution_item) {
-        hover_resolution_item = scn->addText(label, font);
-        hover_resolution_item->setZValue(10.0);
-        // Make the text ignore zooming / view transforms
-        hover_resolution_item->setFlag(QGraphicsItem::ItemIgnoresTransformations, true);
-    } else {
-        hover_resolution_item->setFont(font);
-        hover_resolution_item->setPlainText(label);
+void JFJochDiffractionImage::drawForeground(QPainter *painter, const QRectF &rect) {
+    JFJochImage::drawForeground(painter, rect);
+
+    const QString label = HoverResolutionLabel();
+    if (label.isEmpty())
+        return;
+
+    painter->save();
+    painter->resetTransform();          // lay the readout out in viewport pixels, not scene units
+    painter->setFont(HoverResolutionFont());
+    painter->setPen(feature_color);
+    painter->drawText(hover_text_rect_, Qt::AlignLeft | Qt::AlignTop, label);
+    painter->restore();
+}
+
+void JFJochDiffractionImage::DrawResolutionText() {
+    const QRect previous = hover_text_rect_;
+    const QString label = HoverResolutionLabel();
+
+    if (label.isEmpty())
+        hover_text_rect_ = QRect();
+    else {
+        constexpr int margin_px = 10;
+        const QFontMetrics fm(HoverResolutionFont());
+        hover_text_rect_ = QRect(QPoint(margin_px, margin_px), fm.size(0, label));
     }
 
-    hover_resolution_item->setDefaultTextColor(feature_color);
-
-    // Keep a roughly constant ~10 px margin by compensating with scale_factor
-    const qreal margin_px = 10.0;
-    const qreal margin_scene = margin_px / std::max(0.0001, scale_factor);
-
-    QPointF topLeft(visibleRect.left() + margin_scene,
-                    visibleRect.top() + margin_scene);
-    hover_resolution_item->setPos(topLeft);
-    hover_resolution_item->setVisible(true);
+    // Repaint just the readout. The previous version was a QGraphicsItem flagged
+    // ItemIgnoresTransformations, which makes Qt mark the whole viewport dirty every time the
+    // item moves or its text changes - and it moved on every mouse motion.
+    const QRect dirty = previous.united(hover_text_rect_).adjusted(-2, -2, 2, 2);
+    if (!dirty.isEmpty())
+        viewport()->update(dirty);
 }
 
 void JFJochDiffractionImage::beforeOverlayCleared() {
-    // hover_resolution_item is NOT in overlay_items_, so the selective clear won't touch it.
-    // However, if scene()->clear() is ever called (e.g. on loadImage(nullptr)),
-    // the caller must also set hover_resolution_item = nullptr separately.
+    // The resolution readout is painted in drawForeground(), not held as a scene item, so
+    // clearing the overlay (or the whole scene) cannot leave a dangling pointer behind.
 }
 
 void JFJochDiffractionImage::leaveEvent(QEvent *event) {
diff --git a/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.h b/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.h
index 1d9bc6c3..c9a3f847 100644
--- a/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.h
+++ b/viewer/image_viewer/JFJochDiffractionImage.h
@@ -21,7 +21,12 @@ Q_OBJECT
     QColor second_lattice_color = QColor(0xFA, 0x72, 0x68);   // coral, the viewer "finishing" accent
 
     float hover_resolution = NAN;
-    QGraphicsTextItem* hover_resolution_item = nullptr; // big text in top-left
+    // The "d = ... A" readout is painted in drawForeground() in viewport pixels rather than kept
+    // as a scene item, so updating it dirties only its own rect. hover_text_rect_ is where it
+    // currently sits, in viewport coordinates.
+    QRect hover_text_rect_;
+    [[nodiscard]] QString HoverResolutionLabel() const;
+    void drawForeground(QPainter *painter, const QRectF &rect) override;
 public:
     enum class RingMode {Auto, Estimation, Manual, None, IceRings};
     Q_ENUM(RingMode)