diff --git a/cups/Makefile b/cups/Makefile
index cfec01a14..ec2eafba2 100644
--- a/cups/Makefile
+++ b/cups/Makefile
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ TESTOBJS	= \
 		testoptions.o \
 		testpwg.o \
 		testraster.o \
+		teststring.o \
 		testtestpage.o \
 		testthreads.o \
 		tlscheck.o
@@ -169,6 +170,7 @@ UNITTARGETS =	\
 		testoptions \
 		testpwg \
 		testraster \
+		teststring \
 		testtestpage \
 		testthreads \
 		tlscheck
@@ -241,6 +243,9 @@ test:		$(UNITTARGETS)
 	echo Running raster API tests...
 	./testraster 2>>test.log
 	./testtestpage 2>>test.log
+	echo ""
+	echo Running string API tests...
+	./teststring 2>>test.log
 	rm -rf test.log test-debug.log .testssl
 
 fuzz:		$(UNITTARGETS)
@@ -644,6 +649,16 @@ testraster:	testraster.o $(LIBCUPS_STATIC)
 	$(CODE_SIGN) $(CSFLAGS) $@
 
 
+#
+# teststring (dependency on static CUPS library is intentional)
+#
+
+teststring:	teststring.o $(LIBCUPS_STATIC)
+	echo Linking $@...
+	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) $(OPTIM) -o $@ teststring.o $(LIBCUPS_STATIC) $(LIBS)
+	$(CODE_SIGN) $(CSFLAGS) $@
+
+
 #
 # testtestpage (dependency on static CUPS library is intentional)
 #
diff --git a/cups/string.c b/cups/string.c
index efd93d919..ae9113224 100644
--- a/cups/string.c
+++ b/cups/string.c
@@ -371,18 +371,28 @@ cupsFormatStringv(
         case 'c' : // Character or character array
 	    bytes += width;
 
-	    if (bufptr < bufend)
+	    if (width <= 1)
 	    {
-	      if (width <= 1)
-	      {
-	        *bufptr++ = (char)va_arg(ap, int);
-	      }
-	      else
+	      // Single character - consume the argument even when the buffer is
+	      // full so the remaining arguments stay in sync...
+	      int ch = va_arg(ap, int);	// Character
+
+	      if (bufptr < bufend)
+	        *bufptr++ = (char)ch;
+	    }
+	    else
+	    {
+	      // Character array - consume the argument even when the buffer is
+	      // full so the remaining arguments stay in sync...
+	      const char *cptr = va_arg(ap, char *);
+					// Character array pointer
+
+	      if (bufptr < bufend)
 	      {
 		if ((bufptr + width) > bufend)
 		  width = (int)(bufend - bufptr);
 
-		memcpy(bufptr, va_arg(ap, char *), (size_t)width);
+		memcpy(bufptr, cptr, (size_t)width);
 		bufptr += width;
 	      }
 	    }
diff --git a/cups/teststring.c b/cups/teststring.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..03010c842
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cups/teststring.c
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+//
+// String API unit test program for CUPS.
+//
+// Copyright © 2026 by OpenPrinting.
+//
+// Licensed under Apache License v2.0.  See the file "LICENSE" for more
+// information.
+//
+
+#include "string-private.h"
+#include "test-internal.h"
+#include "cups.h"
+
+
+//
+// 'main()' - Main entry.
+//
+
+int					// O - Exit status
+main(void)
+{
+  char		buffer[64],		// Large output buffer
+		small[2];		// Buffer too small to hold output
+  ssize_t	large_len,		// Required length with a large buffer
+		small_len;		// Required length with a small buffer
+
+
+  // Basic formatting...
+  testBegin("cupsFormatString('%%s %%d')");
+  large_len = cupsFormatString(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%s %d", "test", 42);
+  testEndMessage(large_len == 7 && !strcmp(buffer, "test 42"), "\"%s\"", buffer);
+
+  // The returned "bytes needed" value must not depend on the output buffer
+  // size.  A "%c" conversion followed by more arguments used to drop its
+  // argument when the buffer was already full, so every later argument was
+  // read from the wrong place (and a following "%s"/"%p" dereferenced a
+  // non-pointer value).
+  testBegin("cupsFormatString('%%c') argument sync");
+  large_len = cupsFormatString(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "X%c%d", 'A', 999999);
+  small_len = cupsFormatString(small, sizeof(small), "X%c%d", 'A', 999999);
+  testEndMessage(large_len == small_len, "large=%d small=%d", (int)large_len, (int)small_len);
+
+  return (testsPassed ? 0 : 1);
+}