diff --git a/includes/common.inc b/includes/common.inc
index bc211bfeb8b94b478723f2b0289a4e6ca521eb58..5004f5e64751b83cbda2a5e8a3f84c7bf6f323ad 100644
--- a/includes/common.inc
+++ b/includes/common.inc
@@ -3838,7 +3838,7 @@ function drupal_render(&$elements) {
       }
     }
   }
-  
+
   // Add additional CSS and JavaScript files associated with this element.
   foreach (array('css', 'js') as $kind) {
     if (!empty($elements['#attached_' . $kind]) && is_array($elements['#attached_' . $kind])) {
@@ -3894,13 +3894,11 @@ function drupal_render_children(&$element, $children_keys = NULL) {
 /**
  * Render and print an element.
  *
- * This function renders an element using drupal_render() and then prints out
- * the rendered output. The top level element is always rendered and printed
- * even if hide() had been previously used on it.
+ * This function renders an element using drupal_render(). The top level
+ * element is always rendered even if hide() had been previously used on it.
  *
- * Any nested elements are only printed if they haven't been printed before or
- * if they have been re-enabled with show(). If the element is a string instead
- * of a renderable array it is also printed.
+ * Any nested elements are only rendered if they haven't been rendered before
+ * or if they have been re-enabled with show().
  *
  * @see drupal_render()
  * @see show()
@@ -3909,10 +3907,12 @@ function drupal_render_children(&$element, $children_keys = NULL) {
 function render(&$element) {
   if (is_array($element)) {
     show($element);
-    print drupal_render($element);
+    return drupal_render($element);
   }
   else {
-    print $element;
+    // Safe-guard for inappropriate use of render() on flat variables: return
+    // the variable as-is.
+    return $element;
   }
 }
 
@@ -3931,7 +3931,7 @@ function hide(&$element) {
  * Show a hidden or already printed element from later rendering.
  *
  * Alternatively, render($element) could be used which automatically shows the
- * element while rendering and printing it.
+ * element while rendering it.
  *
  * @see render()
  * @see hide()
diff --git a/modules/field/field.module b/modules/field/field.module
index 0bfd915533f41bc16985b9fb93df60911ce43ca7..9b8ddbead4168008a50e6ea37c5dea105682d1db 100644
--- a/modules/field/field.module
+++ b/modules/field/field.module
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ function field_format($obj_type, $object, $field, $item, $formatter_name = NULL,
  * Return a single field, fully themed with label and multiple values.
  *
  * To be used by third-party code (Views, Panels...) that needs to output
- * an isolated field. Do *not* use inside node templates, use the
+ * an isolated field. Do *not* use inside node templates, use
  * render($content[FIELD_NAME]) instead.
  *
  * The field will be displayed using the display options (label display,
diff --git a/modules/node/node.tpl.php b/modules/node/node.tpl.php
index 77c1f96422d9896c5bfb0b5aa9aa3772489de276..362907f38a46418c24c707748a6a7dbc1c6e4372 100644
--- a/modules/node/node.tpl.php
+++ b/modules/node/node.tpl.php
@@ -91,12 +91,12 @@
       // We hide the comments and links now so that we can render them later.
       hide($content['comments']);
       hide($content['links']);
-      render($content);
+      print render($content);
     ?>
   </div>
 
-  <?php render($content['links']); ?>
+  <?php print render($content['links']); ?>
 
-  <?php render($content['comments']); ?>
+  <?php print render($content['comments']); ?>
 
 </div>
diff --git a/modules/user/user-profile.tpl.php b/modules/user/user-profile.tpl.php
index a6d49b4a0fec45b7fe23fd674d0639c516894fdf..8b50f70266b0643d813a0f8a099324397943ac4c 100644
--- a/modules/user/user-profile.tpl.php
+++ b/modules/user/user-profile.tpl.php
@@ -28,5 +28,5 @@
  */
 ?>
 <div class="profile">
-  <?php render($user_profile); ?>
+  <?php print render($user_profile); ?>
 </div>
diff --git a/themes/garland/node.tpl.php b/themes/garland/node.tpl.php
index 6af899bc179537c30fbea4e85d93caf7363441d6..d1fa348eced9241449e81f7b7fb68dc73bf48cc1 100644
--- a/themes/garland/node.tpl.php
+++ b/themes/garland/node.tpl.php
@@ -13,21 +13,21 @@
   <?php endif; ?>
 
   <div class="content clearfix">
-    <?php hide($content['links']); hide($content['comments']); render($content); ?>
+    <?php hide($content['links']); hide($content['comments']); print render($content); ?>
   </div>
 
   <div class="clearfix">
     <div class="meta">
     <?php if (!empty($content['links']['terms'])): ?>
-      <div class="terms"><?php render($content['links']['terms']) ?></div>
+      <div class="terms"><?php print render($content['links']['terms']) ?></div>
     <?php endif;?>
     </div>
 
     <?php if (!empty($content['links'])): ?>
-      <div class="links"><?php render($content['links']) ?></div>
+      <div class="links"><?php print render($content['links']) ?></div>
     <?php endif; ?>
 
-    <?php render($content['comments']); ?>
+    <?php print render($content['comments']); ?>
 
   </div>