diff --git a/bindings/java/src/net/hyperic/sigar/cmd/SigarCommandBase.java b/bindings/java/src/net/hyperic/sigar/cmd/SigarCommandBase.java
index 77f199df..4ea9f034 100644
--- a/bindings/java/src/net/hyperic/sigar/cmd/SigarCommandBase.java
+++ b/bindings/java/src/net/hyperic/sigar/cmd/SigarCommandBase.java
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@ package net.hyperic.sigar.cmd;
 
 import java.io.PrintStream;
 
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import net.hyperic.sigar.Sigar;
@@ -35,6 +37,7 @@ public abstract class SigarCommandBase
     private CollectionCompleter completer;
     private Collection completions = new ArrayList();
     private PrintfFormat formatter;
+    private ArrayList printfItems = new ArrayList();
 
     public SigarCommandBase(Shell shell) {
         this.shell = shell;
@@ -42,7 +45,6 @@ public abstract class SigarCommandBase
         this.err   = shell.getErrStream();
         this.sigar = shell.getSigar();
         this.proxy = shell.getSigarProxy();
-
         
         //provide simple way for handlers to implement tab completion
         this.completer = new CollectionCompleter(shell);
@@ -70,7 +72,14 @@ public abstract class SigarCommandBase
     }
 
     public void printf(Object[] items) {
-        println(getFormatter().sprintf(items));
+        PrintfFormat formatter = getFormatter();
+        if (formatter == null) {
+            //see flushPrintfItems
+            this.printfItems.add(items);
+        }
+        else {
+            println(formatter.sprintf(items));
+        }
     }
 
     public void printf(List items) {
@@ -86,7 +95,49 @@ public abstract class SigarCommandBase
         }
     }
 
+    private void flushPrintfItems() {
+        if (this.printfItems.size() == 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        //no format was specified, just line up the columns
+        int[] max = null;
+
+        for (Iterator it=this.printfItems.iterator();
+             it.hasNext();)
+        {
+            Object[] items = (Object[])it.next();
+            if (max == null) {
+                max = new int[items.length];
+                Arrays.fill(max, 0);
+            }
+            for (int i=0; i<items.length; i++) {
+                int len = items[i].toString().length();
+                if (len > max[i]) {
+                    max[i] = len;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        StringBuffer format = new StringBuffer();
+        for (int i=0; i<max.length; i++) {
+            format.append("%-" + max[i] + "s");
+            if (i < max.length-1) {
+                format.append("    ");
+            }
+        }
+
+        for (Iterator it=this.printfItems.iterator();
+             it.hasNext();)
+        {
+            printf(format.toString(), (Object[])it.next());
+        }
+        this.printfItems.clear();
+    }
+
     public void flush() {
+        flushPrintfItems();
+
         try {
             this.shell.performPaging(new StaticPageFetcher(this.output));
         } catch(PageFetchException e) {