diff --git a/doc/api.rst b/doc/api.rst
index 4b7f4f8e..c48dfb0c 100644
--- a/doc/api.rst
+++ b/doc/api.rst
@@ -145,6 +145,12 @@ argument type doesn't match its format specification.
 .. doxygenclass:: fmt::PrintfFormatter
    :members:
 
+.. doxygenclass:: fmt::BasicPrintfArgFormatter
+   :members:
+
+.. doxygenclass:: fmt::PrintfArgFormatter
+   :members:
+
 Write API
 =========
 
diff --git a/fmt/format.h b/fmt/format.h
index 1cca4356..44bbf047 100644
--- a/fmt/format.h
+++ b/fmt/format.h
@@ -381,6 +381,9 @@ typedef BasicWriter<wchar_t> WWriter;
 template <typename Char>
 class ArgFormatter;
 
+template <typename Impl, typename Char>
+class BasicPrintfArgFormatter;
+
 template <typename CharType,
           typename ArgFormatter = fmt::ArgFormatter<CharType> >
 class BasicFormatter;
@@ -1319,9 +1322,6 @@ class RuntimeError : public std::runtime_error {
   ~RuntimeError() throw();
 };
 
-template <typename Impl, typename Char>
-class BasicPrintfArgFormatter;
-
 template <typename Char>
 class ArgMap;
 }  // namespace internal
@@ -1979,7 +1979,7 @@ class BasicArgFormatter : public internal::ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> {
   : internal::ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char>(formatter.writer(), spec),
     formatter_(formatter), format_(fmt) {}
 
-  /** Formats argument of a custom (user-defined) type. */
+  /** Formats an argument of a custom (user-defined) type. */
   void visit_custom(internal::Arg::CustomValue c) {
     c.format(&formatter_, c.value, &format_);
   }
@@ -2406,7 +2406,7 @@ class BasicWriter {
   friend class internal::ArgFormatterBase;
 
   template <typename Impl, typename Char_>
-  friend class internal::BasicPrintfArgFormatter;
+  friend class BasicPrintfArgFormatter;
 
  protected:
   /**
diff --git a/fmt/printf.h b/fmt/printf.h
index 78cda420..080b0023 100644
--- a/fmt/printf.h
+++ b/fmt/printf.h
@@ -170,21 +170,47 @@ class WidthHandler : public ArgVisitor<WidthHandler, unsigned> {
     return static_cast<unsigned>(width);
   }
 };
+}  // namespace internal
 
+/**
+  \rst
+  A ``printf`` argument formatter based on the `curiously recurring template
+  pattern <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiously_recurring_template_pattern>`_.
+
+  To use `~fmt::BasicPrintfArgFormatter` define a subclass that implements some
+  or all of the visit methods with the same signatures as the methods in
+  `~fmt::ArgVisitor`, for example, `~fmt::ArgVisitor::visit_int()`.
+  Pass the subclass as the *Impl* template parameter. When a formatting
+  function processes an argument, it will dispatch to a visit method
+  specific to the argument type. For example, if the argument type is
+  ``double`` then the `~fmt::ArgVisitor::visit_double()` method of a subclass
+  will be called. If the subclass doesn't contain a method with this signature,
+  then a corresponding method of `~fmt::BasicPrintfArgFormatter` or its
+  superclass will be called.
+  \endrst
+ */
 template <typename Impl, typename Char>
-class BasicPrintfArgFormatter : public ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> {
+class BasicPrintfArgFormatter : public internal::ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> {
  private:
   void write_null_pointer() {
     this->spec().type_ = 0;
     this->write("(nil)");
   }
 
-  typedef ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> Base;
+  typedef internal::ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> Base;
 
  public:
-  BasicPrintfArgFormatter(BasicWriter<Char> &w, FormatSpec &s)
-  : ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char>(w, s) {}
+  /**
+    \rst
+    Constructs an argument formatter object.
+    *writer* is a reference to the output writer and *spec* contains format
+    specifier information for standard argument types.
+    \endrst
+   */
+  BasicPrintfArgFormatter(BasicWriter<Char> &writer, FormatSpec &spec)
+  : internal::ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char>(writer, spec) {}
 
+  /** Formats an argument of type ``bool``. */
   void visit_bool(bool value) {
     FormatSpec &fmt_spec = this->spec();
     if (fmt_spec.type_ != 's')
@@ -193,6 +219,7 @@ class BasicPrintfArgFormatter : public ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> {
     this->write(value);
   }
 
+  /** Formats a character. */
   void visit_char(int value) {
     const FormatSpec &fmt_spec = this->spec();
     BasicWriter<Char> &w = this->writer();
@@ -215,6 +242,7 @@ class BasicPrintfArgFormatter : public ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> {
     *out = static_cast<Char>(value);
   }
 
+  /** Formats a null-terminated C string. */
   void visit_cstring(const char *value) {
     if (value)
       Base::visit_cstring(value);
@@ -224,6 +252,7 @@ class BasicPrintfArgFormatter : public ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> {
       this->write("(null)");
   }
 
+  /** Formats a pointer. */
   void visit_pointer(const void *value) {
     if (value)
       return Base::visit_pointer(value);
@@ -231,7 +260,8 @@ class BasicPrintfArgFormatter : public ArgFormatterBase<Impl, Char> {
     write_null_pointer();
   }
 
-  void visit_custom(Arg::CustomValue c) {
+  /** Formats an argument of a custom (user-defined) type. */
+  void visit_custom(internal::Arg::CustomValue c) {
     BasicFormatter<Char> formatter(ArgList(), this->writer());
     const Char format_str[] = {'}', 0};
     const Char *format = format_str;
@@ -248,11 +278,9 @@ class PrintfArgFormatter
   PrintfArgFormatter(BasicWriter<Char> &w, FormatSpec &s)
   : BasicPrintfArgFormatter<PrintfArgFormatter<Char>, Char>(w, s) {}
 };
-}  // namespace internal
 
 /** This template formats data and writes the output to a writer. */
-template <typename Char,
-          typename ArgFormatter = internal::PrintfArgFormatter<Char> >
+template <typename Char, typename ArgFormatter = PrintfArgFormatter<Char> >
 class PrintfFormatter : private internal::FormatterBase {
  private:
   BasicWriter<Char> &writer_;
diff --git a/test/custom-formatter-test.cc b/test/custom-formatter-test.cc
index ef25895d..cc9c4485 100644
--- a/test/custom-formatter-test.cc
+++ b/test/custom-formatter-test.cc
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #include "fmt/printf.h"
 #include "gtest-extra.h"
 
-using fmt::internal::BasicPrintfArgFormatter;
+using fmt::BasicPrintfArgFormatter;
 
 // A custom argument formatter that doesn't print `-` for floating-point values
 // rounded to 0.
@@ -30,15 +30,18 @@ class CustomArgFormatter
 
 // A custom argument formatter that doesn't print `-` for floating-point values
 // rounded to 0.
-class CustomPAF : public BasicPrintfArgFormatter<CustomPAF, char> {
+class CustomPrintfArgFormatter :
+    public BasicPrintfArgFormatter<CustomPrintfArgFormatter, char> {
  public:
-  CustomPAF(fmt::BasicWriter<char> &writer, fmt::FormatSpec &spec)
-  : BasicPrintfArgFormatter<CustomPAF, char>(writer, spec) {}
+  typedef BasicPrintfArgFormatter<CustomPrintfArgFormatter, char> Base;
+
+  CustomPrintfArgFormatter(fmt::BasicWriter<char> &w, fmt::FormatSpec &spec)
+  : Base(w, spec) {}
 
   void visit_double(double value) {
     if (round(value * pow(10, spec().precision())) == 0)
       value = 0;
-    BasicPrintfArgFormatter<CustomPAF, char>::visit_double(value);
+    Base::visit_double(value);
   }
 };
 
@@ -53,7 +56,7 @@ FMT_VARIADIC(std::string, custom_format, const char *)
 
 std::string custom_sprintf(const char* format_str, fmt::ArgList args){
   fmt::MemoryWriter writer;
-  fmt::PrintfFormatter<char, CustomPAF> formatter(args, writer);
+  fmt::PrintfFormatter<char, CustomPrintfArgFormatter> formatter(args, writer);
   formatter.format(format_str);
   return writer.str();
 }