diff --git a/py/modbuiltins.c b/py/modbuiltins.c
index f080f457b635174d48f724a1161ebcd704dd4e8d..f001d7057ff1826a44c44874faec8615d3ec4203 100644
--- a/py/modbuiltins.c
+++ b/py/modbuiltins.c
@@ -440,9 +440,8 @@ MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_KW(mp_builtin_print_obj, 0, mp_builtin_print);
 STATIC mp_obj_t mp_builtin___repl_print__(mp_obj_t o) {
     if (o != mp_const_none) {
         #if MICROPY_PY_IO
-        mp_print_t print = {&mp_sys_stdout_obj, (mp_print_strn_t)mp_stream_write};
-        mp_obj_print_helper(&print, o, PRINT_REPR);
-        mp_stream_write(&mp_sys_stdout_obj, "\n", 1);
+        mp_obj_print_helper(&mp_sys_stdout_print, o, PRINT_REPR);
+        mp_print_str(&mp_sys_stdout_print, "\n");
         #else
         mp_obj_print(o, PRINT_REPR);
         printf("\n");
diff --git a/py/modsys.c b/py/modsys.c
index 09e72e98adb3ac0c51ac443e00b303acf8015fb8..537befd07e07c97a6e55a70e1acca10f9f10bbee 100644
--- a/py/modsys.c
+++ b/py/modsys.c
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ extern struct _mp_dummy_t mp_sys_stdin_obj;
 extern struct _mp_dummy_t mp_sys_stdout_obj;
 extern struct _mp_dummy_t mp_sys_stderr_obj;
 
+#if MICROPY_PY_IO
+const mp_print_t mp_sys_stdout_print = {&mp_sys_stdout_obj, (mp_print_strn_t)mp_stream_write};
+#endif
+
 /// \constant version - Python language version that this implementation conforms to, as a string
 STATIC const MP_DEFINE_STR_OBJ(version_obj, "3.4.0");
 
diff --git a/py/mpprint.h b/py/mpprint.h
index 60fa18acf9590edf33a9fd4b2628ae77fe12cbcd..de497ce90ff10acb1ce377b97a0c08c0da80817f 100644
--- a/py/mpprint.h
+++ b/py/mpprint.h
@@ -47,10 +47,13 @@ typedef struct _mp_print_t {
     mp_print_strn_t print_strn;
 } mp_print_t;
 
-// Wrapper for platform print function, which wraps MP_PLAT_PRINT_STRN.
-// All (non-debug) prints go through this interface (except some which
-// go through mp_sys_stdout_obj if MICROPY_PY_IO is defined).
+// All (non-debug) prints go through one of the two interfaces below.
+// 1) Wrapper for platform print function, which wraps MP_PLAT_PRINT_STRN.
 extern const mp_print_t mp_plat_print;
+#if MICROPY_PY_IO
+// 2) Wrapper for printing to sys.stdout.
+extern const mp_print_t mp_sys_stdout_print;
+#endif
 
 int mp_print_str(const mp_print_t *print, const char *str);
 int mp_print_strn(const mp_print_t *print, const char *str, mp_uint_t len, int flags, char fill, int width);
diff --git a/py/obj.c b/py/obj.c
index 0d318fa14d37d018441543f5c79a455b08a01d3d..eb9af9ea81cacabbefeb4afa8b5aa753fb1ffc0f 100644
--- a/py/obj.c
+++ b/py/obj.c
@@ -73,12 +73,7 @@ void mp_obj_print_helper(const mp_print_t *print, mp_obj_t o_in, mp_print_kind_t
 
 void mp_obj_print(mp_obj_t o_in, mp_print_kind_t kind) {
 #if MICROPY_PY_IO
-    // defined per port; type of these is irrelevant, just need pointer
-    extern struct _mp_dummy_t mp_sys_stdout_obj;
-    mp_print_t print;
-    print.data = &mp_sys_stdout_obj;
-    print.print_strn = (mp_print_strn_t)mp_stream_write;
-    mp_obj_print_helper(&print, o_in, kind);
+    mp_obj_print_helper(&mp_sys_stdout_print, o_in, kind);
 #else
     mp_obj_print_helper(&mp_plat_print, o_in, kind);
 #endif