diff --git a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/pretty.rktl b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/pretty.rktl
index e991e47b65..35cbfb644f 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/pretty.rktl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/pretty.rktl
@@ -525,6 +525,13 @@
     (pp v))
   (test "(a 1)\n" get-output-string o))
 
+;; ----------------------------------------
+;; check that `pretty-print-newline` works on any output port
+
+(let ([o (open-output-bytes)])
+  (pretty-print-newline o 17)
+  (test "\n" get-output-string o))
+
 ;; ----------------------------------------
 
 (report-errs)
diff --git a/racket/collects/racket/pretty.rkt b/racket/collects/racket/pretty.rkt
index 850f509453..6b8bcc3756 100644
--- a/racket/collects/racket/pretty.rkt
+++ b/racket/collects/racket/pretty.rkt
@@ -373,8 +373,14 @@
 (define orig-write (port-write-handler (open-output-string)))
 
 (define (pretty-print-newline pport width)
-  (let-values ([(l col p) (port-next-location pport)])
-    ((printing-port-print-line pport) #t (or col 0) width)))
+  (cond
+   [(printing-port? pport)
+    (let-values ([(l col p) (port-next-location pport)])
+      ((printing-port-print-line pport) #t (or col 0) width))]
+   [(output-port? pport)
+    (newline pport)]
+   [else
+    (raise-argument-error 'pretty-print-newline "output-port?" pport)]))
 
 (define (tentative-pretty-print-port-transfer a-pport pport)
   (let ([content ((get a-pport print-port-info-get-content))])