diff --git a/src/controller.rs b/src/controller.rs
index 259a8a6f..e8b32bc8 100644
--- a/src/controller.rs
+++ b/src/controller.rs
@@ -98,7 +98,9 @@ impl<'b> Controller<'b> {
             };
             if let Err(error) = result {
                 match writer {
-                    OutputHandle::FmtWrite(writer) => todo!(),
+                    // It doesn't make much sense to send errors straight to stderr if the user
+                    // provided their own buffer, so we just return it.
+                    OutputHandle::FmtWrite(_) => return Err(error),
                     OutputHandle::IoWrite(ref mut writer) => {
                         if attached_to_pager {
                             handle_error(&error, writer);
diff --git a/src/printer.rs b/src/printer.rs
index deeebe49..a317bdcc 100644
--- a/src/printer.rs
+++ b/src/printer.rs
@@ -134,7 +134,16 @@ impl<'a> Printer for SimplePrinter<'a> {
             } else {
                 match handle {
                     OutputHandle::IoWrite(handle) => handle.write_all(line_buffer)?,
-                    OutputHandle::FmtWrite(handle) => todo!(),
+                    OutputHandle::FmtWrite(handle) => {
+                        write!(
+                            handle,
+                            "{}",
+                            std::str::from_utf8(line_buffer).map_err(|_| Error::Msg(
+                                "encountered invalid utf8 while printing to non-io buffer"
+                                    .to_string()
+                            ))?
+                        )?;
+                    }
                 }
             };
         }