diff --git a/src/frontend/diff.c b/src/frontend/diff.c
index 6a50d1d88..1109ede24 100644
--- a/src/frontend/diff.c
+++ b/src/frontend/diff.c
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 /**********
 Copyright 1990 Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
 Author: 1985 Wayne A. Christopher, U. C. Berkeley CAD Group
+Modified: 2001 Paolo Nenzi (printnum)
 **********/
 
 /*
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ static bool
 nameeq(char *n1, char *n2)
 {
     char buf1[BSIZE_SP], buf2[BSIZE_SP];
+    
     int i;
 
     if (eq(n1, n2))
@@ -51,8 +53,9 @@ com_diff(wordlist *wl)
     struct dvec *v1, *v2;
     double d1, d2;
     complex c1, c2, c3;
-    register int i, j;
+    int i, j;
     wordlist *tw;
+    char numbuf[BSIZE_SP],numbuf2[BSIZE_SP] ,numbuf3[BSIZE_SP], numbuf4[BSIZE_SP]; /* For printnum */
 
     if (!cp_getvar("diff_vntol", VT_REAL, (char *) &vntol))
         vntol = 1.0e-6;
@@ -204,14 +207,16 @@ com_diff(wordlist *wl)
                     d2 = v2->v_realdata[i];
                     if (MAX(fabs(d1), fabs(d2)) * reltol +
                             tol < fabs(d1 - d2)) {
+                            	printnum(numbuf, d1);
                         fprintf(cp_out,
                             "%s.%s[%d] = %-15s ",
                         p1->pl_typename, v1->v_name, i,
-                        printnum(d1));
+                        numbuf);
+                        printnum(numbuf, d2);
                         fprintf(cp_out,
                             "%s.%s[%d] = %s\n",
                         p2->pl_typename, v2->v_name, i,
-                        printnum(d2));
+                        numbuf);
                     }
                 } else {
                     c1 = v1->v_compdata[i];
@@ -224,14 +229,20 @@ com_diff(wordlist *wl)
                     cmax = MAX(cm1, cm2);
                     if (cmax * reltol +
                             tol < cmag(&c3)) {
+                        
+                        printnum(numbuf,  realpart(&c1));
+                        printnum(numbuf2, imagpart(&c1));
+                        printnum(numbuf3, realpart(&c2));
+                        printnum(numbuf4, imagpart(&c2));
+                            	
                         fprintf(cp_out,
             "%s.%s[%d] = %-10s, %-10s %s.%s[%d] = %-10s, %s\n",
                         p1->pl_typename, v1->v_name, i,
-                        copy(printnum(realpart(&c1))),
-                        copy(printnum(imagpart(&c1))),
+                        numbuf,
+                        numbuf2,
                         p2->pl_typename, v2->v_name, i,
-                        copy(printnum(realpart(&c2))),
-                        copy(printnum(imagpart(&c2))));
+                        numbuf3,
+                        numbuf4);
                     }
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/frontend/dotcards.c b/src/frontend/dotcards.c
index 6e41873d8..620af5462 100644
--- a/src/frontend/dotcards.c
+++ b/src/frontend/dotcards.c
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ ft_cktcoms(bool terse)
     static wordlist twl = { "col", NULL, NULL } ;
     struct plot *pl;
     int i, found;
+    char numbuf[BSIZE_SP]; /* For printnum*/
 
     all.wl_next = NULL;
     all.wl_word = "all";
@@ -207,16 +208,18 @@ ft_cktcoms(bool terse)
 				v->v_name);
 			continue;
 		    }
-		    if ((v->v_type == SV_VOLTAGE) && (*(v->v_name)!='@'))
-			fprintf(cp_out, "\t%-30s%15s\n", v->v_name,
-				printnum(v->v_realdata[0]));
+		    if ((v->v_type == SV_VOLTAGE) && (*(v->v_name)!='@')) {
+			printnum(numbuf, v->v_realdata[0]);
+			fprintf(cp_out, "\t%-30s%15s\n", v->v_name, numbuf);
+				}
 		}
 		fprintf(cp_out, "\n\tSource\tCurrent\n");
 		fprintf(cp_out, "\t------\t-------\n\n");
 		for (v = plot_cur->pl_dvecs; v; v = v->v_next)
-		    if (v->v_type == SV_CURRENT)
-			fprintf(cp_out, "\t%-30s%15s\n", v->v_name,
-				printnum(v->v_realdata[0]));
+		    if (v->v_type == SV_CURRENT) {
+			printnum(numbuf, v->v_realdata[0]);
+			fprintf(cp_out, "\t%-30s%15s\n", v->v_name, numbuf);
+			}
 		fprintf(cp_out, "\n");
 
 		if (!ft_nomod)
@@ -378,6 +381,7 @@ static void
 fixdotplot(wordlist *wl)
 {
     char buf[BSIZE_SP], *s;
+    char numbuf[128]; /* Printnum Fix */
     double *d, d1, d2;
 
     while (wl) {
@@ -408,13 +412,14 @@ fixdotplot(wordlist *wl)
             wl->wl_next = alloc(struct wordlist);
             wl->wl_next->wl_prev = wl;
             wl = wl->wl_next;
-            (void) strcpy(buf, printnum(d1));
-            wl->wl_word = copy(buf);
+            
+            printnum(numbuf, d1);
+            wl->wl_word = copy(numbuf);
             wl->wl_next = alloc(struct wordlist);
             wl->wl_next->wl_prev = wl;
             wl = wl->wl_next;
-            (void) strcpy(buf, printnum(d2));
-            wl->wl_word = copy(buf);
+            printnum(numbuf, d2);
+            wl->wl_word = copy(numbuf);
         }
         wl = wl->wl_next;
     }
diff --git a/src/frontend/postcoms.c b/src/frontend/postcoms.c
index d72bc653c..fea0ad4f9 100644
--- a/src/frontend/postcoms.c
+++ b/src/frontend/postcoms.c
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ com_print(wordlist *wl)
     bool col = TRUE, nobreak = FALSE, noprintscale, plotnames = FALSE;
     bool optgiven = FALSE;
     char *s, buf[BSIZE_SP], buf2[BSIZE_SP];
+    char numbuf[BSIZE_SP], numbuf2[BSIZE_SP];
     int ngood;
 
     if (wl == NULL)
@@ -140,17 +141,20 @@ com_print(wordlist *wl)
             ll = 10;
             if (v->v_length == 1) {
                 if (isreal(v)) {
-                    out_printf("%s = %s\n", buf,
-                        printnum(*v->v_realdata));
+                	printnum(numbuf, *v->v_realdata);
+                    out_printf("%s = %s\n", buf, numbuf);
                 } else {
                  /*DG: memory leak here copy of the string returned by printnum will never be freed 
                     out_printf("%s = %s,%s\n", buf,
                         copy(printnum(realpart(v->v_compdata))),
-                        copy(printnum(imagpart(v->v_compdata))));
-                   */
+                        copy(printnum(imagpart(v->v_compdata)))); */
+                        
+                    printnum(numbuf,  realpart(v->v_compdata));
+                    printnum(numbuf2, imagpart(v->v_compdata));
+                    
                     out_printf("%s = %s,%s\n", buf,
-                        printnum(realpart(v->v_compdata)),
-                        printnum(imagpart(v->v_compdata)));
+                        numbuf,
+                        numbuf2);
                    
 
                 }
@@ -158,8 +162,9 @@ com_print(wordlist *wl)
                 out_printf("%s = (  ", buf);
                 for (i = 0; i < v->v_length; i++)
                     if (isreal(v)) {
-                        (void) strcpy(buf,
-                           printnum(v->v_realdata[i]));
+                    	
+                    	printnum(numbuf, v->v_realdata[i]);
+                        (void) strcpy(buf, numbuf);
                         out_send(buf);
                         ll += strlen(buf);
                         ll = (ll + 7) / 8;
@@ -171,9 +176,11 @@ com_print(wordlist *wl)
                             out_send("\t");
                     } else {
                         /*DG*/
+                        printnum(numbuf,  realpart(&v->v_compdata[i]));
+                        printnum(numbuf2, imagpart(&v->v_compdata[i]));
                         (void) sprintf(buf, "%s,%s",
-                            printnum(realpart(&v->v_compdata[i])),
-                            printnum(imagpart(&v->v_compdata[i])));
+                            numbuf,
+                            numbuf2);
                         out_send(buf);
                         ll += strlen(buf);
                         ll = (ll + 7) / 8;
diff --git a/src/include/cpstd.h b/src/include/cpstd.h
index be8496a33..8b2b297fa 100644
--- a/src/include/cpstd.h
+++ b/src/include/cpstd.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ Author: 1986 Wayne A. Christopher, U. C. Berkeley CAD Group
 extern char *getusername();
 extern char *gethome();
 extern char *tildexpand();
-extern char *printnum();
+extern void printnum();
 extern int cp_numdgt;
 extern void fatal();
 
diff --git a/src/misc/printnum.c b/src/misc/printnum.c
index 9b9c12117..134406f7d 100644
--- a/src/misc/printnum.c
+++ b/src/misc/printnum.c
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 /**********
 Copyright 1990 Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
 Author: 1985 Wayne A. Christopher, U. C. Berkeley CAD Group
+Modified: 2001 Paolo Nenzi
 **********/
 
-/* Print a number in a reasonable form.  This is the sort of thing that
- * %G does, but more appropriate for spice.  Returns static data.
+/* Paolo Nenzi 2001: printnum  does not returns static data anymore. 
+ * It is up to the caller to allocate space for strings.
  */
 
 #include "ngspice.h"
@@ -13,10 +14,8 @@ Author: 1985 Wayne A. Christopher, U. C. Berkeley CAD Group
 
 int cp_numdgt = -1;
 
-char *
-printnum(double num)
+void printnum(char *buf, double num)
 {
-    static char buf[128];
     int n;
 
     if (cp_numdgt > 1)
@@ -27,6 +26,5 @@ printnum(double num)
         n--;
 
     (void) sprintf(buf, "%.*e", n, num);
-
-    return (buf);
+    
 }
diff --git a/src/misc/printnum.h b/src/misc/printnum.h
index 3995f210b..e405c69db 100644
--- a/src/misc/printnum.h
+++ b/src/misc/printnum.h
@@ -6,6 +6,6 @@
 #ifndef PRINTNUM_H_INCLUDED
 #define PRINTNUM_H_INCLUDED
 
-char * printnum(double num);
+void printnum(char * buf, double num);
 
 #endif