diff --git a/src/bin/psql/command.c b/src/bin/psql/command.c
index dd59aa116c2352b9e5822465f760a196548ec7fe..7f91ff9fcef86b4a50e58670d011e0929d215556 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/command.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/command.c
@@ -2407,12 +2407,12 @@ do_pset(const char *param, const char *value, printQueryOpt *popt, bool quiet)
 	else if (strcmp(param, "footer") == 0)
 	{
 		if (value)
-			popt->default_footer = ParseVariableBool(value);
+			popt->topt.default_footer = ParseVariableBool(value);
 		else
-			popt->default_footer = !popt->default_footer;
+			popt->topt.default_footer = !popt->topt.default_footer;
 		if (!quiet)
 		{
-			if (popt->default_footer)
+			if (popt->topt.default_footer)
 				puts(_("Default footer is on."));
 			else
 				puts(_("Default footer is off."));
diff --git a/src/bin/psql/describe.c b/src/bin/psql/describe.c
index ffaaf4049f30fcc8f9dae8738234ad2444a1f9aa..8dfb5705ce4564753c6689b455971d7e1abbe410 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/describe.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/describe.c
@@ -1130,6 +1130,7 @@ describeOneTableDetails(const char *schemaname,
 
 	retval = false;
 
+	myopt.default_footer = false;
 	/* This output looks confusing in expanded mode. */
 	myopt.expanded = false;
 
@@ -2363,6 +2364,8 @@ describeRoles(const char *pattern, bool verbose)
 	const char	align = 'l';
 	char	  **attr;
 
+	myopt.default_footer = false;
+
 	initPQExpBuffer(&buf);
 
 	if (pset.sversion >= 80100)
@@ -3362,7 +3365,7 @@ describeOneTSParser(const char *oid, const char *nspname, const char *prsname)
 		sprintf(title, _("Text search parser \"%s\""), prsname);
 	myopt.title = title;
 	myopt.footers = NULL;
-	myopt.default_footer = false;
+	myopt.topt.default_footer = false;
 	myopt.translate_header = true;
 	myopt.translate_columns = translate_columns;
 
@@ -3393,7 +3396,7 @@ describeOneTSParser(const char *oid, const char *nspname, const char *prsname)
 		sprintf(title, _("Token types for parser \"%s\""), prsname);
 	myopt.title = title;
 	myopt.footers = NULL;
-	myopt.default_footer = true;
+	myopt.topt.default_footer = true;
 	myopt.translate_header = true;
 	myopt.translate_columns = NULL;
 
@@ -3725,7 +3728,7 @@ describeOneTSConfig(const char *oid, const char *nspname, const char *cfgname,
 	myopt.nullPrint = NULL;
 	myopt.title = title.data;
 	myopt.footers = NULL;
-	myopt.default_footer = false;
+	myopt.topt.default_footer = false;
 	myopt.translate_header = true;
 
 	printQuery(res, &myopt, pset.queryFout, pset.logfile);
diff --git a/src/bin/psql/print.c b/src/bin/psql/print.c
index d2474716dbc03aff539d3342ba82825a8d93336b..c431f6a437a3a052af4784f7701bc66c8b684feb 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/print.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/print.c
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ static char *decimal_point;
 static char *grouping;
 static char *thousands_sep;
 
+static char	default_footer[100];
+static printTableFooter default_footer_cell = { default_footer, NULL };
+
 /* Line style control structures */
 const printTextFormat pg_asciiformat =
 {
@@ -278,6 +281,34 @@ print_separator(struct separator sep, FILE *fout)
 }
 
 
+/*
+ * Return the list of explicitly-requested footers or, when applicable, the
+ * default "(xx rows)" footer.  Always omit the default footer when given
+ * non-default footers, "\pset footer off", or a specific instruction to that
+ * effect from a calling backslash command.  Vertical formats number each row,
+ * making the default footer redundant; they do not call this function.
+ *
+ * The return value may point to static storage; do not keep it across calls.
+ */
+static printTableFooter *
+footers_with_default(const printTableContent *cont)
+{
+	if (cont->footers == NULL && cont->opt->default_footer)
+	{
+		unsigned long total_records;
+
+		total_records = cont->opt->prior_records + cont->nrows;
+		snprintf(default_footer, sizeof(default_footer),
+				 ngettext("(%lu row)", "(%lu rows)", total_records),
+				 total_records);
+
+		return &default_footer_cell;
+	}
+	else
+		return cont->footers;
+}
+
+
 /*************************/
 /* Unaligned text		 */
 /*************************/
@@ -340,11 +371,13 @@ print_unaligned_text(const printTableContent *cont, FILE *fout)
 	/* print footers */
 	if (cont->opt->stop_table)
 	{
-		if (!opt_tuples_only && cont->footers != NULL && !cancel_pressed)
+		printTableFooter *footers = footers_with_default(cont);
+
+		if (!opt_tuples_only && footers != NULL && !cancel_pressed)
 		{
 			printTableFooter *f;
 
-			for (f = cont->footers; f; f = f->next)
+			for (f = footers; f; f = f->next)
 			{
 				if (need_recordsep)
 				{
@@ -1034,16 +1067,18 @@ print_aligned_text(const printTableContent *cont, FILE *fout)
 
 	if (cont->opt->stop_table)
 	{
+		printTableFooter *footers = footers_with_default(cont);
+
 		if (opt_border == 2 && !cancel_pressed)
 			_print_horizontal_line(col_count, width_wrap, opt_border,
 								   PRINT_RULE_BOTTOM, format, fout);
 
 		/* print footers */
-		if (cont->footers && !opt_tuples_only && !cancel_pressed)
+		if (footers && !opt_tuples_only && !cancel_pressed)
 		{
 			printTableFooter *f;
 
-			for (f = cont->footers; f; f = f->next)
+			for (f = footers; f; f = f->next)
 				fprintf(fout, "%s\n", f->data);
 		}
 
@@ -1447,15 +1482,17 @@ print_html_text(const printTableContent *cont, FILE *fout)
 
 	if (cont->opt->stop_table)
 	{
+		printTableFooter *footers = footers_with_default(cont);
+
 		fputs("</table>\n", fout);
 
 		/* print footers */
-		if (!opt_tuples_only && cont->footers != NULL && !cancel_pressed)
+		if (!opt_tuples_only && footers != NULL && !cancel_pressed)
 		{
 			printTableFooter *f;
 
 			fputs("<p>", fout);
-			for (f = cont->footers; f; f = f->next)
+			for (f = footers; f; f = f->next)
 			{
 				html_escaped_print(f->data, fout);
 				fputs("<br />\n", fout);
@@ -1668,17 +1705,19 @@ print_latex_text(const printTableContent *cont, FILE *fout)
 
 	if (cont->opt->stop_table)
 	{
+		printTableFooter *footers = footers_with_default(cont);
+
 		if (opt_border == 2)
 			fputs("\\hline\n", fout);
 
 		fputs("\\end{tabular}\n\n\\noindent ", fout);
 
 		/* print footers */
-		if (cont->footers && !opt_tuples_only && !cancel_pressed)
+		if (footers && !opt_tuples_only && !cancel_pressed)
 		{
 			printTableFooter *f;
 
-			for (f = cont->footers; f; f = f->next)
+			for (f = footers; f; f = f->next)
 			{
 				latex_escaped_print(f->data, fout);
 				fputs(" \\\\\n", fout);
@@ -1871,14 +1910,16 @@ print_troff_ms_text(const printTableContent *cont, FILE *fout)
 
 	if (cont->opt->stop_table)
 	{
+		printTableFooter *footers = footers_with_default(cont);
+
 		fputs(".TE\n.DS L\n", fout);
 
 		/* print footers */
-		if (cont->footers && !opt_tuples_only && !cancel_pressed)
+		if (footers && !opt_tuples_only && !cancel_pressed)
 		{
 			printTableFooter *f;
 
-			for (f = cont->footers; f; f = f->next)
+			for (f = footers; f; f = f->next)
 			{
 				troff_ms_escaped_print(f->data, fout);
 				fputc('\n', fout);
@@ -2481,18 +2522,6 @@ printQuery(const PGresult *result, const printQueryOpt *opt, FILE *fout, FILE *f
 		for (footer = opt->footers; *footer; footer++)
 			printTableAddFooter(&cont, *footer);
 	}
-	else if (!opt->topt.expanded && opt->default_footer)
-	{
-		unsigned long total_records;
-		char		default_footer[100];
-
-		total_records = opt->topt.prior_records + cont.nrows;
-		snprintf(default_footer, sizeof(default_footer),
-				 ngettext("(%lu row)", "(%lu rows)", total_records),
-				 total_records);
-
-		printTableAddFooter(&cont, default_footer);
-	}
 
 	printTable(&cont, fout, flog);
 	printTableCleanup(&cont);
diff --git a/src/bin/psql/print.h b/src/bin/psql/print.h
index c7377562c505fc3cbfebfbf0d2fa5666baf6e6ec..25adfc58138852374daf23f82b56177554bdee02 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/print.h
+++ b/src/bin/psql/print.h
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ typedef struct printTableOpt
 	bool		tuples_only;	/* don't output headers, row counts, etc. */
 	bool		start_table;	/* print start decoration, eg <table> */
 	bool		stop_table;		/* print stop decoration, eg </table> */
+	bool		default_footer; /* allow "(xx rows)" default footer */
 	unsigned long prior_records;	/* start offset for record counters */
 	const printTextFormat *line_style;	/* line style (NULL for default) */
 	struct separator fieldSep;	/* field separator for unaligned text mode */
@@ -141,7 +142,6 @@ typedef struct printQueryOpt
 	bool		quote;			/* quote all values as much as possible */
 	char	   *title;			/* override title */
 	char	  **footers;		/* override footer (default is "(xx rows)") */
-	bool		default_footer; /* print default footer if footers==NULL */
 	bool		translate_header;		/* do gettext on column headers */
 	const bool *translate_columns;		/* translate_columns[i-1] => do
 										 * gettext on col i */
diff --git a/src/bin/psql/startup.c b/src/bin/psql/startup.c
index b5664dfd1d375b04676f02e95b827cfbf85880ec..9e6917cbe4bbfc8e2d931af9e58fe8e5f1f041cf 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/startup.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/startup.c
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	pset.popt.topt.pager = 1;
 	pset.popt.topt.start_table = true;
 	pset.popt.topt.stop_table = true;
-	pset.popt.default_footer = true;
+	pset.popt.topt.default_footer = true;
 	/* We must get COLUMNS here before readline() sets it */
 	pset.popt.topt.env_columns = getenv("COLUMNS") ? atoi(getenv("COLUMNS")) : 0;