diff --git a/bibtexparser/bwriter.py b/bibtexparser/bwriter.py
index 67190e6..3dd609b 100644
--- a/bibtexparser/bwriter.py
+++ b/bibtexparser/bwriter.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 import logging
 from enum import Enum, auto
-from typing import Dict, Callable, Iterable
+from typing import Dict, Callable, Iterable, Union
 from bibtexparser.bibdatabase import (BibDatabase, COMMON_STRINGS,
                                       BibDataString,
                                       BibDataStringExpression)
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 __all__ = ['BibTexWriter']
 
+# A list of entries that should not be included in the content (key = value) of a BibTex entry
+ENTRY_TO_BIBTEX_IGNORE_ENTRIES = ['ENTRYTYPE', 'ID']
+
 
 class SortingStrategy(Enum):
     """
@@ -89,9 +92,12 @@ class BibTexWriter(object):
         self.contents = ['comments', 'preambles', 'strings', 'entries']
         #: Character(s) for indenting BibTeX field-value pairs. Default: single space.
         self.indent = ' '
-        #: Align values. Determines the maximal number of characters used in any fieldname and aligns all values
-        #    according to that by filling up with single spaces. Default: False
-        self.align_values = False
+        #: Align values. Aligns all values according to a given length by padding with single spaces.
+        #    If align_values is true, the maximum number of characters used in any field name is used as the length.
+        #    If align_values is a number, the greater of the specified value or the number of characters used in the
+        #    field name is used as the length.
+        #    Default: False
+        self.align_values: Union[int, bool] = False
         #: Align multi-line values. Formats a multi-line value such that the text is aligned exactly
         #    on top of each other. Default: False
         self.align_multiline_values = False
@@ -112,7 +118,7 @@ class BibTexWriter(object):
         #: BibTeX syntax allows the comma to be optional at the end of the last field in an entry.
         #: Use this to enable writing this last comma in the bwriter output. Defaults: False.
         self.add_trailing_comma = False
-        #: internal variable used if self.align_values = True
+        #: internal variable used if self.align_values = True or self.align_values = <number>
         self._max_field_width = 0
         #: Whether common strings are written
         self.common_strings = write_common_strings
@@ -143,10 +149,13 @@ class BibTexWriter(object):
         else:
             entries = bib_database.entries
 
-        if self.align_values:
+        if self.align_values is True:
             # determine maximum field width to be used
-            widths = [max(map(len, entry.keys())) for entry in entries]
+            widths = [len(ele) for entry in entries for ele in entry if ele not in ENTRY_TO_BIBTEX_IGNORE_ENTRIES]
             self._max_field_width = max(widths)
+        elif type(self.align_values) == int:
+            # Use specified value
+            self._max_field_width = self.align_values
 
         return self.entry_separator.join(self._entry_to_bibtex(entry) for entry in entries)
 
@@ -165,7 +174,8 @@ class BibTexWriter(object):
         else:
             field_fmt = u",\n{indent}{field:<{field_max_w}} = {value}"
         # Write field = value lines
-        for field in [i for i in display_order if i not in ['ENTRYTYPE', 'ID']]:
+        for field in [i for i in display_order if i not in ENTRY_TO_BIBTEX_IGNORE_ENTRIES]:
+            max_field_width = max(len(field), self._max_field_width)
             try:
                 value = _str_or_expr_to_bibtex(entry[field])
 
@@ -176,12 +186,7 @@ class BibTexWriter(object):
                     #                      World}
                     # Calculate the indent of "World":
                     # Left of field (whitespaces before e.g. 'title')
-                    value_indent = len(self.indent)
-                    # Field itself (e.g. len('title'))
-                    if self._max_field_width > 0:
-                        value_indent += self._max_field_width
-                    else:
-                        value_indent += len(field)
+                    value_indent = len(self.indent) + max_field_width
                     # Right of field ' = ' (<- 3 chars) + '{' (<- 1 char)
                     value_indent += 3 + 1
 
@@ -190,7 +195,7 @@ class BibTexWriter(object):
                 bibtex += field_fmt.format(
                     indent=self.indent,
                     field=field,
-                    field_max_w=self._max_field_width,
+                    field_max_w=max_field_width,
                     value=value)
             except TypeError:
                 raise TypeError(u"The field %s in entry %s must be a string"

diff --git a/bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py b/bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py
index 1c875fe..256bbea 100644
--- a/bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py
+++ b/bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ class TestBibTexWriter(unittest.TestCase):
 """
         self.assertEqual(result, expected)
 
-    def test_align(self):
+    def test_align_bool(self):
         bib_database = BibDatabase()
         bib_database.entries = [{'ID': 'abc123',
                                  'ENTRYTYPE': 'book',
@@ -87,6 +87,22 @@ class TestBibTexWriter(unittest.TestCase):
 """
         self.assertEqual(result, expected)
 
+        bib_database = BibDatabase()
+        bib_database.entries = [{'ID': 'veryveryverylongID',
+                                 'ENTRYTYPE': 'book',
+                                 'a': 'test',
+                                 'bb': 'longvalue'}]
+        writer = BibTexWriter()
+        writer.align_values = True
+        result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
+        expected = \
+"""@book{veryveryverylongID,
+ a  = {test},
+ bb = {longvalue}
+}
+"""
+        self.assertEqual(result, expected)
+
         with open('bibtexparser/tests/data/multiple_entries_and_comments.bib') as bibtex_file:
             bib_database = bibtexparser.load(bibtex_file)
         writer = BibTexWriter()
@@ -121,6 +137,70 @@ class TestBibTexWriter(unittest.TestCase):
 """
         self.assertEqual(result, expected)
 
+    def test_align_int(self):
+        bib_database = BibDatabase()
+        bib_database.entries = [{'ID': 'abc123',
+                                 'ENTRYTYPE': 'book',
+                                 'author': 'test',
+                                 'thisisaverylongkey': 'longvalue'}]
+        # Negative value should have no effect
+        writer = BibTexWriter()
+        writer.align_values = -20
+        result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
+        expected = \
+"""@book{abc123,
+ author = {test},
+ thisisaverylongkey = {longvalue}
+}
+"""
+        self.assertEqual(result, expected)
+
+        # Value smaller than longest field name should only impact the "short" field names
+        writer = BibTexWriter()
+        writer.align_values = 10
+        result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
+        expected = \
+"""@book{abc123,
+ author     = {test},
+ thisisaverylongkey = {longvalue}
+}
+"""
+        self.assertEqual(result, expected)
+
+
+        with open('bibtexparser/tests/data/multiple_entries_and_comments.bib') as bibtex_file:
+            bib_database = bibtexparser.load(bibtex_file)
+        writer = BibTexWriter()
+        writer.contents = ['entries']
+        writer.align_values = 15
+        result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
+        expected = \
+"""@book{Toto3000,
+ author          = {Toto, A and Titi, B},
+ title           = {A title}
+}
+
+@article{Wigner1938,
+ author          = {Wigner, E.},
+ doi             = {10.1039/TF9383400029},
+ issn            = {0014-7672},
+ journal         = {Trans. Faraday Soc.},
+ owner           = {fr},
+ pages           = {29--41},
+ publisher       = {The Royal Society of Chemistry},
+ title           = {The transition state method},
+ volume          = {34},
+ year            = {1938}
+}
+
+@book{Yablon2005,
+ author          = {Yablon, A.D.},
+ publisher       = {Springer},
+ title           = {Optical fiber fusion slicing},
+ year            = {2005}
+}
+"""
+        self.assertEqual(result, expected)
 
     def test_entry_separator(self):
         bib_database = BibDatabase()
@@ -206,17 +286,17 @@ class TestBibTexWriter(unittest.TestCase):
         result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
         expected = \
 """@article{Cesar2013,
- author    = {Jean César},
- title     = {A mutline line title is very amazing. It should be
-              long enough to test multilines... with two lines or should we
-              even test three lines... What an amazing title.},
- year      = {2013},
- journal   = {Nice Journal},
- abstract  = {This is an abstract. This line should be long enough to test
-              multilines... and with a french érudit word},
- comments  = {A comment},
- keyword   = {keyword1, keyword2,
-              multiline-keyword1, multiline-keyword2}
+ author   = {Jean César},
+ title    = {A mutline line title is very amazing. It should be
+             long enough to test multilines... with two lines or should we
+             even test three lines... What an amazing title.},
+ year     = {2013},
+ journal  = {Nice Journal},
+ abstract = {This is an abstract. This line should be long enough to test
+             multilines... and with a french érudit word},
+ comments = {A comment},
+ keyword  = {keyword1, keyword2,
+             multiline-keyword1, multiline-keyword2}
 }
 """
         self.assertEqual(result, expected)
@@ -331,17 +411,17 @@ class TestBibTexWriter(unittest.TestCase):
         result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
         expected = \
 """@article{Cesar2013,
-   author    = {Jean César},
-   title     = {A mutline line title is very amazing. It should be
-                long enough to test multilines... with two lines or should we
-                even test three lines... What an amazing title.},
-   year      = {2013},
-   journal   = {Nice Journal},
-   abstract  = {This is an abstract. This line should be long enough to test
-                multilines... and with a french érudit word},
-   comments  = {A comment},
-   keyword   = {keyword1, keyword2,
-                multiline-keyword1, multiline-keyword2}
+   author   = {Jean César},
+   title    = {A mutline line title is very amazing. It should be
+               long enough to test multilines... with two lines or should we
+               even test three lines... What an amazing title.},
+   year     = {2013},
+   journal  = {Nice Journal},
+   abstract = {This is an abstract. This line should be long enough to test
+               multilines... and with a french érudit word},
+   comments = {A comment},
+   keyword  = {keyword1, keyword2,
+               multiline-keyword1, multiline-keyword2}
 }
 """
         self.assertEqual(result, expected)

`align_values` has minimum `_max_field_width ` due to `ENTRYPOINT` pseudo field.
When using `align_values`, the minimum `_max_field_width` is always 9 as `ENTRYPOINT` (9 chars) is in the list of `entries`:
https://github.com/sciunto-org/python-bibtexparser/blob/006f463a8601dc8065f02f3199210c70f24ac4f9/bibtexparser/bwriter.py#L108

Therefore, this tests works fine:

```
    def test_align2(self):
        bib_database = BibDatabase()
        bib_database.entries = [{'ID': 'abc123',
                                 'ENTRYTYPE': 'book',
                                 'abc': 'test'}]
        writer = BibTexWriter()
        writer.align_values = True
        result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
        expected = \
"""@book{abc123,
 abc       = {test}
}
"""
        self.assertEqual(result, expected)
```

Shouldn't the result be:

```
    def test_align2(self):
        bib_database = BibDatabase()
        bib_database.entries = [{'ID': 'abc123',
                                 'ENTRYTYPE': 'book',
                                 'abc': 'test'}]
        writer = BibTexWriter()
        writer.align_values = True
        result = bibtexparser.dumps(bib_database, writer)
        expected = \
"""@book{abc123,
 abc = {test}
}
"""
        self.assertEqual(result, expected)
```

This is also the behavior when having multiple short named keys.
bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_align_bool bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_align_int bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_align_multiline_values_with_align bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_align_multiline_values_with_align_with_indent
bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_align_multiline_values bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_align_multiline_values_with_indent bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_content_comment_only bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_content_entries_only bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_display_order bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_display_order_sorting bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_entry_separator bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestBibTexWriter::test_indent bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestEntrySorting::test_sort_default bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestEntrySorting::test_sort_id bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestEntrySorting::test_sort_missing_field bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestEntrySorting::test_sort_none bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestEntrySorting::test_sort_type bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestEntrySorting::test_sort_type_id bibtexparser/tests/test_bibtexwriter.py::TestEntrySorting::test_unicode_problems