diff --git a/lib/program.js b/lib/program.js
index 56b8c63..369b270 100644
--- a/lib/program.js
+++ b/lib/program.js
@@ -44,13 +44,19 @@ function Program(options) {
   this.terminal = process.env.TERM || 'xterm';
 
   if (options.tput) {
-    this.tput = new Tput(this.terminal);
+    this.tput = new Tput({
+      term: this.terminal,
+      extended: options.extended || false,
+      printf: options.printf || false
+    });
+
     this.put = function() {
       var args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments)
         , cap = args.shift();
       if (!this.tput[cap]) return;
       return this.write(this.tput[cap].apply(this.tput, args));
     };
+
     Object.keys(this.tput).forEach(function(key) {
       if (typeof self.tput[key] !== 'function') {
         self.put[key] = self.tput[key];
diff --git a/lib/tput.js b/lib/tput.js
index 6275f88..67d2d16 100644
--- a/lib/tput.js
+++ b/lib/tput.js
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ function Tput(options) {
   this.debug = options.debug;
   this.padding = options.padding;
   this.extended = options.extended;
+  this.printf = options.printf;
 
   this.readTerminfo();
   this.compile();
@@ -636,16 +637,22 @@ Tput.prototype._compile = function(val) {
     //   next character to be a `-' flag, avoiding interpreting "%-" as an
     //   operator.
     if (read(/^%((?::-|[+# ]){1,4})?(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)?([doxXs])/)) {
-      // echo('sprintf("'+ cap[0].replace(':-', '-') + '", stack.pop())');
-      echo('stack.pop()');
+      if (this.printf) {
+        echo('sprintf("'+ cap[0].replace(':-', '-') + '", stack.pop())');
+      } else {
+        echo('stack.pop()');
+      }
       continue;
     }
 
     // %c   print pop() like %c in printf
     if (read(/^%c/)) {
-      // echo('sprintf("%c", stack.pop())');
-      // echo('stack.pop()');
-      echo('String.fromCharCode(stack.pop())');
+      if (this.printf) {
+        echo('sprintf("%c", stack.pop())');
+      } else {
+        // echo('stack.pop()'); // TODO: check screen terminfo for an example
+        echo('String.fromCharCode(stack.pop())');
+      }
       continue;
     }
 
@@ -857,8 +864,9 @@ Tput.prototype._compile = function(val) {
   }
 
   try {
-    return new Function('params', code);
-    // return new Function('sprintf, params', code).bind(null, sprintf);
+    return this.printf
+      ? new Function('sprintf, params', code).bind(null, sprintf)
+      : new Function('params', code);
   } catch (e) {
     e.stack = e.stack.replace(/\x1b/g, '\\x1b');
     throw e;