diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriter.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriter.java
index 89b7424b3..fe795700d 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriter.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriter.java
@@ -83,6 +83,12 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriter extends ExecutionContextUserSupport implements I
 	
 	private boolean saveState = false;
 
+	private boolean shouldDeleteIfExists = true;
+
+	private String encoding = OutputState.DEFAULT_CHARSET;
+
+	private int bufferSize = OutputState.DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE;
+
 	public FlatFileItemWriter() {
 		setName(ClassUtils.getShortName(FlatFileItemWriter.class));
 	}
@@ -157,21 +163,21 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriter extends ExecutionContextUserSupport implements I
 	 * Sets encoding for output template.
 	 */
 	public void setEncoding(String newEncoding) {
-		getOutputState().setEncoding(newEncoding);
+		this.encoding = newEncoding;
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Sets buffer size for output template
 	 */
 	public void setBufferSize(int newSize) {
-		getOutputState().setBufferSize(newSize);
+		this.bufferSize = newSize;
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * @param shouldDeleteIfExists the shouldDeleteIfExists to set
 	 */
 	public void setShouldDeleteIfExists(boolean shouldDeleteIfExists) {
-		getOutputState().setShouldDeleteIfExists(shouldDeleteIfExists);
+		this.shouldDeleteIfExists = shouldDeleteIfExists;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -214,6 +220,9 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriter extends ExecutionContextUserSupport implements I
 	private OutputState getOutputState() {
 		if (state == null) {
 			state = new OutputState();
+			state.setDeleteIfExists(shouldDeleteIfExists);
+			state.setBufferSize(bufferSize);
+			state.setEncoding(encoding);
 		}
 		return (OutputState) state;
 	}
@@ -277,24 +286,24 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriter extends ExecutionContextUserSupport implements I
 		}
 
 		/**
-		 * @param shouldDeleteIfExists2
+		 * @param shouldDeleteIfExists
 		 */
-		public void setShouldDeleteIfExists(boolean shouldDeleteIfExists) {
+		public void setDeleteIfExists(boolean shouldDeleteIfExists) {
 			this.shouldDeleteIfExists = shouldDeleteIfExists;
 		}
 
 		/**
-		 * @param newSize
+		 * @param bufferSize
 		 */
-		public void setBufferSize(int newSize) {
-			bufferSize = newSize;
+		public void setBufferSize(int bufferSize) {
+			this.bufferSize = bufferSize;
 		}
 
 		/**
-		 * @param newEncoding
+		 * @param encoding
 		 */
-		public void setEncoding(String newEncoding) {
-			encoding = newEncoding;
+		public void setEncoding(String encoding) {
+			this.encoding = encoding;
 		}
 
 		/**
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java
index 750613f62..9d5edecfa 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java
@@ -20,10 +20,12 @@ import java.io.BufferedReader;
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileReader;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.charset.UnsupportedCharsetException;
 
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
 
 import org.springframework.batch.item.ExecutionContext;
+import org.springframework.batch.item.ItemStreamException;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.file.mapping.DefaultFieldSet;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.file.mapping.FieldSet;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.file.mapping.FieldSetCreator;
@@ -33,8 +35,9 @@ import org.springframework.transaction.support.TransactionSynchronizationManager
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 
 /**
- * Tests of regular usage for {@link FlatFileItemWriter} Exception cases will be in separate TestCase classes with
- * different <code>setUp</code> and <code>tearDown</code> methods
+ * Tests of regular usage for {@link FlatFileItemWriter} Exception cases will be
+ * in separate TestCase classes with different <code>setUp</code> and
+ * <code>tearDown</code> methods
  * 
  * @author robert.kasanicky
  * @author Dave Syer
@@ -57,7 +60,8 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriterTests extends TestCase {
 	private ExecutionContext executionContext;
 
 	/**
-	 * Create temporary output file, define mock behaviour, set dependencies and initialize the object under test
+	 * Create temporary output file, define mock behaviour, set dependencies and
+	 * initialize the object under test
 	 */
 	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
 
@@ -87,8 +91,9 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriterTests extends TestCase {
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Read a line from the output file, if the reader has not been created, recreate. This method is only necessary
-	 * because running the tests in a UNIX environment locks the file if it's open for writing.
+	 * Read a line from the output file, if the reader has not been created,
+	 * recreate. This method is only necessary because running the tests in a
+	 * UNIX environment locks the file if it's open for writing.
 	 */
 	private String readLine() throws IOException {
 
@@ -258,7 +263,8 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriterTests extends TestCase {
 		try {
 			inputSource.afterPropertiesSet();
 			fail("Expected IllegalArgumentException");
-		} catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+		}
+		catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
 			// expected
 		}
 	}
@@ -276,6 +282,40 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriterTests extends TestCase {
 		assertEquals(0, executionContext.getLong(ClassUtils.getShortName(FlatFileItemWriter.class) + ".current.count"));
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Regular usage of <code>write(String)</code> method
+	 * 
+	 * @throws Exception
+	 */
+	public void testWriteStringWithBogusEncoding() throws Exception {
+		inputSource.setEncoding("BOGUS");
+		inputSource.open(executionContext);
+		try {
+			inputSource.write(TEST_STRING);
+			fail("Expecyted ItemStreamException");
+		}
+		catch (ItemStreamException e) {
+			assertTrue(e.getCause() instanceof UnsupportedCharsetException);
+		}
+		inputSource.close(null);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Regular usage of <code>write(String)</code> method
+	 * 
+	 * @throws Exception
+	 */
+	public void testWriteStringWithEncodingAfterClose() throws Exception {
+		testWriteStringWithBogusEncoding();
+		inputSource.setEncoding("UTF-8");
+		inputSource.open(executionContext);
+		inputSource.write(TEST_STRING);
+		inputSource.close(null);
+		String lineFromFile = readLine();
+
+		assertEquals(TEST_STRING, lineFromFile);
+	}
+
 	private void commit() throws Exception {
 		inputSource.flush();
 	}