diff --git a/coreutils/printf.c b/coreutils/printf.c
index 053b01ee5..da5e46a58 100644
--- a/coreutils/printf.c
+++ b/coreutils/printf.c
@@ -58,68 +58,19 @@
 #include <assert.h>
 #include "busybox.h"
 
-
-#ifndef S_IFMT
-static const int S_IFMT = 0170000;
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISBLK) && defined(S_IFBLK)
-# define	S_ISBLK(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFBLK)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISCHR) && defined(S_IFCHR)
-# define	S_ISCHR(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFCHR)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISDIR) && defined(S_IFDIR)
-# define	S_ISDIR(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFDIR)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISREG) && defined(S_IFREG)
-# define	S_ISREG(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFREG)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISFIFO) && defined(S_IFIFO)
-# define	S_ISFIFO(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFIFO)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISLNK) && defined(S_IFLNK)
-# define	S_ISLNK(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFLNK)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISSOCK) && defined(S_IFSOCK)
-# define	S_ISSOCK(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFSOCK)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISMPB) && defined(S_IFMPB)	/* V7 */
-# define S_ISMPB(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFMPB)
-# define S_ISMPC(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFMPC)
-#endif
-#if !defined(S_ISNWK) && defined(S_IFNWK)	/* HP/UX */
-# define S_ISNWK(m) (((m) & S_IFMT) == S_IFNWK)
-#endif
-
-#define IN_CTYPE_DOMAIN(c) 1
-
-#define ISXDIGIT(c) (IN_CTYPE_DOMAIN (c) && isxdigit (c))
-#define ISDIGIT_LOCALE(c) (IN_CTYPE_DOMAIN (c) && isdigit (c))
-#define ISDIGIT(c) (((unsigned char) (c)) - '0' <= 9)
-
-#define isodigit(c) ((c) >= '0' && (c) <= '7')
-#define hextobin(c) ((c)>='a'&&(c)<='f' ? (c)-'a'+10 : (c)>='A'&&(c)<='F' ? (c)-'A'+10 : (c)-'0')
-#define octtobin(c) ((c) - '0')
-
 static double xstrtod __P((char *s));
-static int print_esc __P((char *escstart));
-static int print_formatted __P((char *format, int argc, char **argv));
 static long xstrtol __P((char *s));
 static unsigned long xstrtoul __P((char *s));
+static void print_esc_string __P((char *str));
+static int print_formatted __P((char *format, int argc, char **argv));
 static void print_direc __P( (char *start, size_t length,
 			int field_width, int precision, char *argument));
-static void print_esc_char __P((int c));
-static void print_esc_string __P((char *str));
-
-/* The value to return to the calling program.  */
-static int exit_status;
 
 int printf_main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	char *format;
 	int args_used;
 
-	exit_status = 0;
 	if (argc <= 1 || **(argv + 1) == '-') {
 		bb_show_usage();
 	}
@@ -140,7 +91,7 @@ int printf_main(int argc, char **argv)
     fprintf(stderr, "excess args ignored");
 */
 
-	return(exit_status);
+	return EXIT_SUCCESS;
 }
 
 /* Print the text in FORMAT, using ARGV (with ARGC elements) for
@@ -188,7 +139,7 @@ static int print_formatted(char *format, int argc, char **argv)
 				} else
 					field_width = 0;
 			} else
-				while (ISDIGIT(*f)) {
+				while (isdigit(*f)) {
 					++f;
 					++direc_length;
 				}
@@ -205,7 +156,7 @@ static int print_formatted(char *format, int argc, char **argv)
 					} else
 						precision = 0;
 				} else
-					while (ISDIGIT(*f)) {
+					while (isdigit(*f)) {
 						++f;
 						++direc_length;
 					}
@@ -230,7 +181,10 @@ static int print_formatted(char *format, int argc, char **argv)
 			break;
 
 		case '\\':
-			f += print_esc(f);
+			if (*++f == 'c')
+				exit(0);
+			putchar(bb_process_escape_sequence((const char **)&f));
+			f--;
 			break;
 
 		default:
@@ -241,84 +195,6 @@ static int print_formatted(char *format, int argc, char **argv)
 	return save_argc - argc;
 }
 
-/* Print a \ escape sequence starting at ESCSTART.
-   Return the number of characters in the escape sequence
-   besides the backslash. */
-
-static int print_esc(char *escstart)
-{
-	register char *p = escstart + 1;
-	int esc_value = 0;			/* Value of \nnn escape. */
-	int esc_length;				/* Length of \nnn escape. */
-
-	/* \0ooo and \xhhh escapes have maximum length of 3 chars. */
-	if (*p == 'x') {
-		for (esc_length = 0, ++p;
-			 esc_length < 3 && ISXDIGIT(*p); ++esc_length, ++p)
-			esc_value = esc_value * 16 + hextobin(*p);
-/*      if (esc_length == 0)
-	fprintf(stderr, "missing hex in esc");
-*/
-		putchar(esc_value);
-	} else if (*p == '0') {
-		for (esc_length = 0, ++p;
-			 esc_length < 3 && isodigit(*p); ++esc_length, ++p)
-			esc_value = esc_value * 8 + octtobin(*p);
-		putchar(esc_value);
-	} else if (strchr("\"\\abcfnrtv", *p))
-		print_esc_char(*p++);
-/*  else
-    fprintf(stderr, "\\%c: invalid esc", *p);
-*/
-	return p - escstart - 1;
-}
-
-/* Output a single-character \ escape.  */
-
-static void print_esc_char(int c)
-{
-	switch (c) {
-	case 'a':					/* Alert. */
-		putchar(7);
-		break;
-	case 'b':					/* Backspace. */
-		putchar(8);
-		break;
-	case 'c':					/* Cancel the rest of the output. */
-		exit(0);
-		break;
-	case 'f':					/* Form feed. */
-		putchar(12);
-		break;
-	case 'n':					/* New line. */
-		putchar(10);
-		break;
-	case 'r':					/* Carriage return. */
-		putchar(13);
-		break;
-	case 't':					/* Horizontal tab. */
-		putchar(9);
-		break;
-	case 'v':					/* Vertical tab. */
-		putchar(11);
-		break;
-	default:
-		putchar(c);
-		break;
-	}
-}
-
-/* Print string STR, evaluating \ escapes. */
-
-static void print_esc_string(char *str)
-{
-	for (; *str; str++)
-		if (*str == '\\')
-			str += print_esc(str);
-		else
-			putchar(*str);
-}
-
 static void
 print_direc(char *start, size_t length, int field_width, int precision,
 			char *argument)
@@ -426,3 +302,15 @@ static double xstrtod(char *arg)
 	return result;
 }
 
+static void print_esc_string(char *str)
+{
+	for (; *str; str++) {
+		if (*str == '\\') {
+			str++;
+			putchar(bb_process_escape_sequence((const char **)&str));
+		} else {
+			putchar(*str);
+		}
+
+	}
+}