diff --git a/src/Terminal.ts b/src/Terminal.ts
index ba1fff3d..05781b96 100644
--- a/src/Terminal.ts
+++ b/src/Terminal.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ const DEFAULT_OPTIONS: ITerminalOptions = {
   cursorStyle: 'block',
   bellSound: DEFAULT_BELL_SOUND,
   bellStyle: 'none',
+  drawBoldTextInBrightColors: true,
   enableBold: true,
   fontFamily: 'courier-new, courier, monospace',
   fontSize: 15,
diff --git a/src/renderer/BaseRenderLayer.ts b/src/renderer/BaseRenderLayer.ts
index 7a655163..ca848b73 100644
--- a/src/renderer/BaseRenderLayer.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/BaseRenderLayer.ts
@@ -243,23 +243,20 @@ export abstract class BaseRenderLayer implements IRenderLayer {
    * @param bold Whether the text is bold.
    */
   protected drawChar(terminal: ITerminal, char: string, code: number, width: number, x: number, y: number, fg: number, bg: number, bold: boolean, dim: boolean, italic: boolean): void {
-    let colorIndex = 0;
-    if (fg < 256) {
-      colorIndex = fg + 2;
-    } else {
-      // If default color and bold
-      if (bold && terminal.options.enableBold) {
-        colorIndex = 1;
-      }
-    }
     const isAscii = code < 256;
-    // A color is basic if it is one of the standard normal or bold weight
-    // colors of the characters held in the char atlas. Note that this excludes
-    // the normal weight _light_ color characters.
-    const isBasicColor = (colorIndex > 1 && fg < 16) && (fg < 8 || bold);
+    // A color is basic if it is one of the 4 bit ANSI colors.
+    const isBasicColor = fg < 16;
     const isDefaultColor = fg >= 256;
     const isDefaultBackground = bg >= 256;
+    const drawInBrightColor = (terminal.options.drawBoldTextInBrightColors && bold && fg < 8);
     if (this._charAtlas && isAscii && (isBasicColor || isDefaultColor) && isDefaultBackground && !italic) {
+      let colorIndex: number;
+      if (isDefaultColor) {
+        colorIndex = (bold && terminal.options.enableBold ? 1 : 0);
+      } else {
+        colorIndex = 2 + fg + (bold && terminal.options.enableBold ? 16 : 0) + (drawInBrightColor ? 8 : 0);
+      }
+
       // ImageBitmap's draw about twice as fast as from a canvas
       const charAtlasCellWidth = this._scaledCharWidth + CHAR_ATLAS_CELL_SPACING;
       const charAtlasCellHeight = this._scaledCharHeight + CHAR_ATLAS_CELL_SPACING;
@@ -269,14 +266,6 @@ export abstract class BaseRenderLayer implements IRenderLayer {
         this._ctx.globalAlpha = DIM_OPACITY;
       }
 
-      // Draw the non-bold version of the same color if bold is not enabled
-      if (bold && !terminal.options.enableBold) {
-        // Ignore default color as it's not touched above
-        if (colorIndex > 1) {
-          colorIndex -= 8;
-        }
-      }
-
       this._ctx.drawImage(this._charAtlas,
           code * charAtlasCellWidth,
           colorIndex * charAtlasCellHeight,
@@ -287,7 +276,7 @@ export abstract class BaseRenderLayer implements IRenderLayer {
           charAtlasCellWidth,
           this._scaledCharHeight);
     } else {
-      this._drawUncachedChar(terminal, char, width, fg, x, y, bold && terminal.options.enableBold, dim, italic);
+      this._drawUncachedChar(terminal, char, width, fg + (drawInBrightColor ? 8 : 0), x, y, bold && terminal.options.enableBold, dim, italic);
     }
     // This draws the atlas (for debugging purposes)
     // this._ctx.clearRect(0, 0, this._canvas.width, this._canvas.height);
diff --git a/src/renderer/TextRenderLayer.ts b/src/renderer/TextRenderLayer.ts
index 8d8d6d4d..0dca11b2 100644
--- a/src/renderer/TextRenderLayer.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/TextRenderLayer.ts
@@ -116,13 +116,6 @@ export class TextRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
           }
         }
 
-        if (flags & FLAGS.BOLD) {
-          // Convert the FG color to the bold variant
-          if (fg < 8) {
-            fg += 8;
-          }
-        }
-
         callback(code, char, width, x, y, fg, bg, flags);
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/shared/atlas/CharAtlasGenerator.ts b/src/shared/atlas/CharAtlasGenerator.ts
index fc83c7ce..ba9b0d27 100644
--- a/src/shared/atlas/CharAtlasGenerator.ts
+++ b/src/shared/atlas/CharAtlasGenerator.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export function generateCharAtlas(context: Window, canvasFactory: (width: number
   const cellHeight = config.scaledCharHeight + CHAR_ATLAS_CELL_SPACING;
   const canvas = canvasFactory(
     /*255 ascii chars*/255 * cellWidth,
-    (/*default+default bold*/2 + /*0-15*/16) * cellHeight
+    (/*default+default bold*/2 + /*0-15*/16 + /*0-15 bold*/16) * cellHeight
   );
   const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d', {alpha: config.allowTransparency});
 
@@ -64,10 +64,6 @@ export function generateCharAtlas(context: Window, canvasFactory: (width: number
   // Colors 0-15
   ctx.font = getFont(config.fontWeight, config);
   for (let colorIndex = 0; colorIndex < 16; colorIndex++) {
-    // colors 8-15 are bold
-    if (colorIndex === 8) {
-      ctx.font = getFont(config.fontWeightBold, config);
-    }
     const y = (colorIndex + 2) * cellHeight;
     // Draw ascii characters
     for (let i = 0; i < 256; i++) {
@@ -80,6 +76,22 @@ export function generateCharAtlas(context: Window, canvasFactory: (width: number
       ctx.restore();
     }
   }
+
+  // Colors 0-15 bold
+  ctx.font = getFont(config.fontWeightBold, config);
+  for (let colorIndex = 0; colorIndex < 16; colorIndex++) {
+    const y = (colorIndex + 2 + 16) * cellHeight;
+    // Draw ascii characters
+    for (let i = 0; i < 256; i++) {
+      ctx.save();
+      ctx.beginPath();
+      ctx.rect(i * cellWidth, y, cellWidth, cellHeight);
+      ctx.clip();
+      ctx.fillStyle = config.colors.ansi[colorIndex].css;
+      ctx.fillText(String.fromCharCode(i), i * cellWidth, y);
+      ctx.restore();
+    }
+  }
   ctx.restore();
 
   // Support is patchy for createImageBitmap at the moment, pass a canvas back
diff --git a/typings/xterm.d.ts b/typings/xterm.d.ts
index 65d533de..3107589e 100644
--- a/typings/xterm.d.ts
+++ b/typings/xterm.d.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ declare module 'xterm' {
      */
     disableStdin?: boolean;
 
+    /**
+     * Whether to draw bold text in bright colors. The default is true.
+     */
+    drawBoldTextInBrightColors?: boolean;
+
     /**
      * Whether to enable the rendering of bold text.
      *