diff --git a/stdlib/TOML/src/print.jl b/stdlib/TOML/src/print.jl
index 0cbee990d8ae1..059414152f727 100644
--- a/stdlib/TOML/src/print.jl
+++ b/stdlib/TOML/src/print.jl
@@ -5,6 +5,34 @@ import Dates
 import Base: @invokelatest
 import ..isvalid_barekey_char
 
+function print_toml_escaped(io::IO, s::AbstractString)
+    for c::AbstractChar in s
+        if !isvalid(c)
+            error("TOML print: invalid character $(repr(c)) encountered when printing string")
+        end
+        if c == '\b'
+            Base.print(io, '\\', 'b')
+        elseif c == '\t'
+            Base.print(io, '\\', 't')
+        elseif c == '\n'
+            Base.print(io, '\\', 'n')
+        elseif c == '\f'
+            Base.print(io, '\\', 'f')
+        elseif c == '\r'
+            Base.print(io, '\\', 'r')
+        elseif c == '"'
+            Base.print(io, '\\', '"')
+        elseif c == '\\'
+            Base.print(io, "\\", '\\')
+        elseif Base.iscntrl(c)
+            Base.print(io, "\\u")
+            Base.print(io, string(UInt32(c), base=16, pad=4))
+        else
+            Base.print(io, c)
+        end
+    end
+end
+
 function printkey(io::IO, keys::Vector{String})
     for (i, k) in enumerate(keys)
         i != 1 && Base.print(io, ".")
@@ -13,7 +41,9 @@ function printkey(io::IO, keys::Vector{String})
             Base.print(io, "\"\"")
         elseif any(!isvalid_barekey_char, k)
             # quoted key
-            Base.print(io, "\"", escape_string(k) ,"\"")
+            Base.print(io, "\"")
+            print_toml_escaped(io, k)
+            Base.print(io, "\"")
         else
             Base.print(io, k)
         end
@@ -50,7 +80,11 @@ printvalue(f::MbyFunc, io::IO, value::AbstractFloat; _...) =
     Base.print(io, isnan(value) ? "nan" :
                    isinf(value) ? string(value > 0 ? "+" : "-", "inf") :
                    Float64(value))  # TOML specifies IEEE 754 binary64 for float
-printvalue(f::MbyFunc, io::IO, value::AbstractString; _...) = Base.print(io, "\"", escape_string(value), "\"")
+function printvalue(f::MbyFunc, io::IO, value::AbstractString; _...)
+    Base.print(io, "\"")
+    print_toml_escaped(io, value)
+    Base.print(io, "\"")
+end
 
 is_table(value)           = isa(value, AbstractDict)
 is_array_of_tables(value) = isa(value, AbstractArray) &&
diff --git a/stdlib/TOML/test/print.jl b/stdlib/TOML/test/print.jl
index 10bb48ffae411..e1971ce5d4f92 100644
--- a/stdlib/TOML/test/print.jl
+++ b/stdlib/TOML/test/print.jl
@@ -60,3 +60,14 @@ end
     d = TOML.parse(s)
     @test toml_str(d) == "user = \"me\"\n\n[julia]\n\n[option]\n"
 end
+
+@testset "special characters" begin
+    s = """
+    "\U1f355 \0 \x0 \x1 \t \b" = "\U1f355 \0 \x0 \x1 \t \b"
+    "\x7f" = "\x7f"
+    """
+    @test roundtrip(s)
+
+    d = Dict("str" => string(Char(0xd800)))
+    @test_throws ErrorException TOML.print(d)
+end