diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
index 6dcbce194..c8b465cdf 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
@@ -73,10 +73,18 @@ ppShow = show
 lowercase = map toLower
 uppercase = map toUpper
 
+-- | Remove leading and trailing whitespace.
 strip = lstrip . rstrip
-lstrip = dropWhile (`elem` " \t") :: String -> String
+
+-- | Remove leading whitespace.
+lstrip = dropWhile (`elem` " \t") :: String -> String -- XXX isSpace ?
+
+-- | Remove trailing whitespace.
 rstrip = reverse . lstrip . reverse
 
+-- | Remove trailing newlines/carriage returns.
+chomp = reverse . dropWhile (`elem` "\r\n") . reverse
+
 stripbrackets = dropWhile (`elem` "([") . reverse . dropWhile (`elem` "])") . reverse :: String -> String
 
 elideLeft width s =
diff --git a/hledger-web/Handler/Utils.hs b/hledger-web/Handler/Utils.hs
index 6226e52aa..e6b62b224 100644
--- a/hledger-web/Handler/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger-web/Handler/Utils.hs
@@ -16,7 +16,3 @@ numbered = zip [1..]
 dayToJsTimestamp :: Day -> Integer
 dayToJsTimestamp d = read (formatTime defaultTimeLocale "%s" t) * 1000 -- XXX read
                      where t = UTCTime d (secondsToDiffTime 0)
-
-chomp :: String -> String
-chomp = reverse . dropWhile (`elem` "\r\n") . reverse
-
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Balance.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Balance.hs
index 98255810b..7a94a12b2 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Balance.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Balance.hs
@@ -247,6 +247,8 @@ import Data.Maybe
 -- import System.Console.CmdArgs
 import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit as C
 -- import System.Console.CmdArgs.Text
+import System.FilePath
+import Text.CSV
 import Test.HUnit
 import Text.Printf (printf)
 import Text.Tabular as T
@@ -272,6 +274,7 @@ balancemode = (defCommandMode $ ["balance"] ++ aliases) { -- also accept but don
      ,flagNone ["no-total"] (\opts -> setboolopt "no-total" opts) "don't show the final total"
      ,flagNone ["cumulative"] (\opts -> setboolopt "cumulative" opts) "multicolumn mode: show accumulated ending balances"
      ,flagNone ["historical","H"] (\opts -> setboolopt "historical" opts) "multicolumn mode: show historical ending balances"
+     ,flagReq  ["output","o"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "output" s opts) "[FILE][.FMT]" "write output to FILE (- or nothing means stdout). With a recognised FMT suffix, write that format (txt, csv)."
      ]
     ,groupHidden = []
     ,groupNamed = [generalflagsgroup1]
@@ -281,20 +284,41 @@ balancemode = (defCommandMode $ ["balance"] ++ aliases) { -- also accept but don
 
 -- | The balance command, prints a balance report.
 balance :: CliOpts -> Journal -> IO ()
-balance CliOpts{reportopts_=ropts} j = do
+balance opts@CliOpts{reportopts_=ropts} j = do
   d <- getCurrentDay
-  let output =
-       case lineFormatFromOpts ropts of
-         Left err -> [err]
-         Right _ ->
-          case (intervalFromOpts ropts, balancetype_ ropts) of
-            (NoInterval,_)        -> balanceReportAsText           ropts  $ balanceReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
-            (_,PeriodBalance)     -> periodBalanceReportAsText     ropts $ multiBalanceReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
-            (_,CumulativeBalance) -> cumulativeBalanceReportAsText ropts $ multiBalanceReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
-            (_,HistoricalBalance) -> historicalBalanceReportAsText ropts $ multiBalanceReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
-  putStr $ unlines output
+  case lineFormatFromOpts ropts of
+    Left err -> putStr $ unlines [err]
+    Right _ -> do
+      (path, ext) <- outputFilePathAndExtensionFromOpts opts
+      let filename = fst $ splitExtension $ snd $ splitFileName path
+      case intervalFromOpts ropts of
 
--- | Render an old-style single-column balance report as plain text.
+        NoInterval -> do
+          let render | ext=="csv" = \_ r -> printCSV (balanceReportAsCsv ropts r) ++ "\n"
+                     | otherwise  = \ropts r -> unlines $ balanceReportAsText ropts r
+              write  | filename `elem` ["","-"] && ext `elem` ["","csv","txt"] = putStr
+                     | otherwise                                               = writeFile path
+          write $ render ropts $ balanceReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
+
+        _ ->
+          if ext=="csv"
+          then error' "Sorry, CSV output with a report period is not supported yet"
+          else do
+            let render = case balancetype_ ropts of
+                  PeriodBalance     -> periodBalanceReportAsText
+                  CumulativeBalance -> cumulativeBalanceReportAsText
+                  HistoricalBalance -> historicalBalanceReportAsText
+                write | filename `elem` ["","-"] && ext `elem` ["","txt"] = putStr . unlines
+                      | otherwise                                         = writeFile path . unlines
+            write $ render ropts $ multiBalanceReport ropts (queryFromOpts d ropts) j
+
+-- | Render a single-column balance report as CSV.
+balanceReportAsCsv :: ReportOpts -> BalanceReport -> CSV
+balanceReportAsCsv _ (items,_) =
+  ["account","balance"] :
+  [[a, showMixedAmountWithoutPrice b] | ((a, _, _), b) <- items]
+
+-- | Render a single-column balance report as plain text.
 balanceReportAsText :: ReportOpts -> BalanceReport -> [String]
 balanceReportAsText opts ((items, total)) = concat lines ++ t
   where
@@ -367,11 +391,6 @@ formatField opts accountName depth total ljust min max field = case field of
         TotalField       -> formatValue ljust min max $ showAmountWithoutPrice total
         _                  -> ""
 
--- | Figure out the overall date span of a multicolumn balance report.
-multiBalanceReportSpan :: MultiBalanceReport -> DateSpan
-multiBalanceReportSpan (MultiBalanceReport ([], _, _))       = DateSpan Nothing Nothing
-multiBalanceReportSpan (MultiBalanceReport (colspans, _, _)) = DateSpan (spanStart $ head colspans) (spanEnd $ last colspans)
-
 -- | Render a multi-column period balance report as plain text suitable for console output.
 periodBalanceReportAsText :: ReportOpts -> MultiBalanceReport -> [String]
 periodBalanceReportAsText opts r@(MultiBalanceReport (colspans, items, coltotals)) =
@@ -441,6 +460,11 @@ historicalBalanceReportAsText opts r@(MultiBalanceReport (colspans, items, colto
     addtotalrow | no_total_ opts = id
                 | otherwise      = (+----+ row "" coltotals)
 
+-- | Figure out the overall date span of a multicolumn balance report.
+multiBalanceReportSpan :: MultiBalanceReport -> DateSpan
+multiBalanceReportSpan (MultiBalanceReport ([], _, _))       = DateSpan Nothing Nothing
+multiBalanceReportSpan (MultiBalanceReport (colspans, _, _)) = DateSpan (spanStart $ head colspans) (spanEnd $ last colspans)
+
 
 tests_Hledger_Cli_Balance = TestList
   tests_balanceReportAsText
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Print.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Print.hs
index 596695937..002a694ca 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Print.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Print.hs
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ where
 
 import Data.List
 import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit
+import System.FilePath
 import Test.HUnit
+import Text.CSV
 
 import Hledger
 import Prelude hiding (putStr)
@@ -24,7 +26,9 @@ import Hledger.Cli.Options
 printmode = (defCommandMode $ ["print"] ++ aliases) {
   modeHelp = "show transaction entries" `withAliases` aliases
  ,modeGroupFlags = Group {
-     groupUnnamed = []
+     groupUnnamed = [
+         flagReq  ["output","o"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "output" s opts) "[FILE][.FMT]" "write output to FILE (- or nothing means stdout). With a recognised FMT suffix, write that format (txt, csv)."
+        ]
     ,groupHidden = []
     ,groupNamed = [generalflagsgroup1]
     }
@@ -33,13 +37,20 @@ printmode = (defCommandMode $ ["print"] ++ aliases) {
 
 -- | Print journal transactions in standard format.
 print' :: CliOpts -> Journal -> IO ()
-print' CliOpts{reportopts_=ropts} j = do
+print' opts@CliOpts{reportopts_=ropts} j = do
   d <- getCurrentDay
   let q = queryFromOpts d ropts
-  putStr $ entriesReportAsText ropts q $ entriesReport ropts q j
+  (path, ext) <- outputFilePathAndExtensionFromOpts opts
+  let filename = fst $ splitExtension $ snd $ splitFileName path
+      write  | filename `elem` ["","-"] && ext `elem` ["","csv","txt"] = putStr
+             | otherwise                                               = writeFile path
+      (render,ropts') | ext=="csv" = ((++"\n") . printCSV . entriesReportAsCsv, ropts{flat_=True})
+                      | otherwise  = (entriesReportAsText, ropts)
 
-entriesReportAsText :: ReportOpts -> Query -> EntriesReport -> String
-entriesReportAsText _ _ items = concatMap showTransactionUnelided items
+  write $ render $ entriesReport ropts' q j
+
+entriesReportAsText :: EntriesReport -> String
+entriesReportAsText items = concatMap showTransactionUnelided items
 
 -- XXX
 -- tests_showTransactions = [
@@ -82,5 +93,39 @@ entriesReportAsText _ _ items = concatMap showTransactionUnelided items
 --       ]
 --  ]
 
+entriesReportAsCsv :: EntriesReport -> CSV
+entriesReportAsCsv items =
+  concat $
+  ([["nth","date","date2","status","code","description","comment","account","amount","commodity","credit","debit","status","posting-comment"]]:).snd $
+  mapAccumL (\n e -> (n + 1, transactionToCSV n e)) 0 items
+
+transactionToCSV :: Integer -> Transaction -> CSV
+transactionToCSV n t =
+	map (\p -> show n:date:date2:status:code:description:comment:p)
+	 (concatMap postingToCSV $ tpostings t)
+	where
+		description = tdescription t
+		date = showDate (tdate t)
+		date2 = maybe "" showDate (tdate2 t)
+		status = if tstatus t then "*" else ""
+		code = tcode t
+		comment = chomp $ strip $ tcomment t
+
+postingToCSV :: Posting -> CSV
+postingToCSV p =
+	map (\(a@(Amount {aquantity=q,acommodity=c})) ->
+		let a_ = a{acommodity=""} in
+		let amount = showAmount a_ in
+		let commodity = c in
+		let credit = if q < 0 then showAmount $ negate a_ else "" in
+		let debit  = if q > 0 then showAmount a_ else "" in
+		account:amount:commodity:credit:debit:status:comment:[])
+	 amounts
+	where
+		Mixed amounts = pamount p
+		status = if pstatus p then "*" else ""
+		account = showAccountName Nothing (ptype p) (paccount p)
+		comment = chomp $ strip $ pcomment p
+
 tests_Hledger_Cli_Print = TestList []
   -- tests_showTransactions