diff --git a/degesch.c b/degesch.c
index f417e0b..4ac12a6 100644
--- a/degesch.c
+++ b/degesch.c
@@ -2794,15 +2794,13 @@ enum
 
 struct attribute_printer
 {
-	struct app_context *ctx;            ///< Application context
+	char **attrs;                       ///< Named attributes
 	FILE *stream;                       ///< Output stream
 	bool dirty;                         ///< Attributes are set
-
-	int want;                           ///< Desired attributes
-	int want_foreground;                ///< Desired foreground color
-	int want_background;                ///< Desired background color
 };
 
+#define ATTRIBUTE_PRINTER_INIT(ctx, stream) { ctx->attrs, stream, true }
+
 static void
 attribute_printer_tputs (struct attribute_printer *self, const char *attr)
 {
@@ -2819,31 +2817,18 @@ static void
 attribute_printer_reset (struct attribute_printer *self)
 {
 	if (self->dirty)
-		attribute_printer_tputs (self, self->ctx->attrs[ATTR_RESET]);
+		attribute_printer_tputs (self, self->attrs[ATTR_RESET]);
 
 	self->dirty = false;
 }
 
 static void
-attribute_printer_init (struct attribute_printer *self,
-	struct app_context *ctx, FILE *stream)
-{
-	self->ctx = ctx;
-	self->stream = stream;
-	self->dirty = true;
-
-	self->want = 0;
-	self->want_foreground = -1;
-	self->want_background = -1;
-}
-
-static void
-attribute_printer_apply (struct attribute_printer *self, int attribute)
+attribute_printer_apply_named (struct attribute_printer *self, int attribute)
 {
 	attribute_printer_reset (self);
 	if (attribute != ATTR_RESET)
 	{
-		attribute_printer_tputs (self, self->ctx->attrs[attribute]);
+		attribute_printer_tputs (self, self->attrs[attribute]);
 		self->dirty = true;
 	}
 }
@@ -2905,16 +2890,14 @@ attribute_printer_decode_color (int color, bool *is_bright)
 }
 
 static void
-attribute_printer_update (struct attribute_printer *self)
+attribute_printer_apply (struct attribute_printer *self,
+	int attributes, int want_fg, int want_bg)
 {
 	bool fg_is_bright;
-	int fg = attribute_printer_decode_color
-		(self->want_foreground, &fg_is_bright);
+	int fg = attribute_printer_decode_color (want_fg, &fg_is_bright);
 	bool bg_is_bright;
-	int bg = attribute_printer_decode_color
-		(self->want_background, &bg_is_bright);
+	int bg = attribute_printer_decode_color (want_bg, &bg_is_bright);
 
-	int attributes = self->want;
 	bool have_inverse = !!(attributes & ATTRIBUTE_INVERSE);
 	if (have_inverse)
 	{
@@ -3720,14 +3703,8 @@ formatter_flush (struct formatter *self, FILE *stream, int flush_opts)
 	if (self->ctx->word_wrapping && !(flush_opts & FLUSH_OPT_NOWRAP))
 		line = line_wrap (line, g_terminal.columns);
 
-	// TODO: rewrite the sloppily hacked mess around attribute_printer;
-	//   so far I just didn't want to break everything at once
-	struct attribute_printer state;
-	attribute_printer_init (&state, self->ctx, stream);
-	attribute_printer_reset (&state);
-
-	struct line_char_attrs attrs =
-		{ .fg = -1, .bg = -1, .named = ATTR_RESET, .text = 0 };
+	struct attribute_printer state = ATTRIBUTE_PRINTER_INIT (self->ctx, stream);
+	struct line_char_attrs attrs = {};  // Won't compare equal to anything
 	LIST_FOR_EACH (struct line_char, c, line)
 	{
 		if (attrs.fg    != c->attrs.fg
@@ -3735,17 +3712,12 @@ formatter_flush (struct formatter *self, FILE *stream, int flush_opts)
 		 || attrs.named != c->attrs.named
 		 || attrs.text  != c->attrs.text)
 		{
-			if (c->attrs.named != -1)
-				attribute_printer_apply (&state, c->attrs.named);
-			else
-			{
-				state.want            = c->attrs.text;
-				state.want_foreground = c->attrs.fg;
-				state.want_background = c->attrs.bg;
-				attribute_printer_reset (&state);
-				attribute_printer_update (&state);
-			}
 			attrs = c->attrs;
+			if (attrs.named != -1)
+				attribute_printer_apply_named (&state, attrs.named);
+			else
+				attribute_printer_apply (&state,
+					attrs.text, attrs.fg, attrs.bg);
 		}
 
 		fwrite (c->bytes, c->len, 1, stream);