diff --git a/go-core.bash b/go-core.bash
index 475e0d5..49312ec 100755
--- a/go-core.bash
+++ b/go-core.bash
@@ -124,26 +124,36 @@ declare _GO_PLUGINS_PATHS=()
 # initialized, _GO_PLUGINS_PATHS and _GO_SCRIPTS_DIR will be added.
 declare _GO_SEARCH_PATHS=("$_GO_CORE_DIR/libexec")
 
-# Invokes printf builtin, then folds output to $COLUMNS width if 'fold' exists.
-#
-# Should be used as the last step to print to standard output or error, as that
-# is more efficient than calling this multiple times due to the pipe to 'fold'.
+# Invokes printf builtin, then folds output to $COLUMNS width
 #
 # Arguments:
 #   everything accepted by the printf builtin except the '-v varname' option
 @go.printf() {
   local format="$1"
   shift
+  local result
+  local line
+  local prefix
 
   if [[ "$#" -eq 0 ]]; then
     format="${format//\%/%%}"
   fi
-
-  if command -v fold >/dev/null; then
-    printf "$format" "$@" | fold -s -w "$COLUMNS"
-  else
-    printf "$format" "$@"
-  fi
+  # If `format` ends with a newline, chomp it, since the loop will add one.
+  printf -v result "${format%\\n}" "$@"
+
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    line="${line%$'\r'}"
+
+    while [[ "${#line}" -gt "$COLUMNS" ]]; do
+      prefix="${line:0:$COLUMNS}"
+      prefix="${prefix% *}"
+      printf '%s\n' "$prefix"
+      line="${line#$prefix}"
+      line="${line#* }"
+    done
+
+    printf '%s\n' "$line"
+  done <<<"$result"
 }
 
 # Prints the stack trace at the point of the call.
diff --git a/tests/core.bats b/tests/core.bats
index 259a868..4dbe174 100644
--- a/tests/core.bats
+++ b/tests/core.bats
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ load environment
 
 @test "$SUITE: produce error on cd" {
   local expected
-  expected+='cd is only available after using "./go env" to set up your '$'\n'
+  expected+=$'cd is only available after using "./go env" to set up your\n'
   expected+='shell environment.'
 
   COLUMNS=60
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ load environment
 
 @test "$SUITE: produce error on pushd" {
   local expected
-  expected+='pushd is only available after using "./go env" to set up '$'\n'
+  expected+=$'pushd is only available after using "./go env" to set up\n'
   expected+='your shell environment.'
 
   COLUMNS=60
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ load environment
 
 @test "$SUITE: produce error on unenv" {
   local expected
-  expected+='unenv is only available after using "./go env" to set up '$'\n'
+  expected+=$'unenv is only available after using "./go env" to set up\n'
   expected+='your shell environment.'
 
   COLUMNS=60
diff --git a/tests/core/printf.bats b/tests/core/printf.bats
index f3f473c..e3f4720 100644
--- a/tests/core/printf.bats
+++ b/tests/core/printf.bats
@@ -2,29 +2,14 @@
 
 load ../environment
 
-TEST_TEXT='1234567890 1234567890 1234567890'
-
-setup() {
-  create_test_go_script '@go.printf "%s" "$@"'
-}
-
 teardown() {
   remove_test_go_rootdir
 }
 
-@test "$SUITE: wrap text according to COLUMNS if fold command is available" {
-  run env COLUMNS=11 "$TEST_GO_SCRIPT" "$TEST_TEXT"
-  assert_success
-  assert_equal '3' "${#lines[@]}" 'number of output lines'
-  assert_line_equals 0 '1234567890 '
-  assert_line_equals 1 '1234567890 '
-  assert_line_equals 2 '1234567890'
-}
-
-@test "$SUITE: don't wrap text if fold command isn't available" {
-  run env PATH= COLUMNS=11 "$BASH" "$TEST_GO_SCRIPT" "$TEST_TEXT"
-  assert_success "$TEST_TEXT"
-  assert_equal '1' "${#lines[@]}" 'number of output lines'
+@test "$SUITE: wrap text according to COLUMNS" {
+  create_test_go_script '@go.printf "%s" "1234567890 1234567890 1234567890"'
+  COLUMNS=25 run "$TEST_GO_SCRIPT"
+  assert_success $'1234567890 1234567890\n1234567890'
 }
 
 @test "$SUITE: escape percent signs if only one argument" {
@@ -33,3 +18,18 @@ teardown() {
   run "$TEST_GO_SCRIPT" "$test_text"
   assert_success "$test_text"
 }
+
+@test "$SUITE: preserve blank lines" {
+  local test_string=$'1234567890\n\n1234567890\n\n1234567890'
+  create_test_go_script "@go.printf '%s' '$test_string'"
+  COLUMNS=15 run "$TEST_GO_SCRIPT"
+  assert_success "$test_string"
+}
+
+@test "$SUITE: don't add extra newline if format ends with one" {
+  local test_string='1234567890'
+  create_test_go_script "@go.printf '%s\n' '$test_string'" \
+    "@go.printf '%s\n' '$test_string'"
+  COLUMNS=15 run "$TEST_GO_SCRIPT"
+  assert_success "$test_string"$'\n'"$test_string"
+}