diff --git a/luamml.dtx b/luamml.dtx
index 7f02bbc..493e7a7 100644
--- a/luamml.dtx
+++ b/luamml.dtx
@@ -313,14 +313,17 @@
 \cs_new_protected:Npn \luamml_annotate:nen #1#2#3 {
   \int_gincr:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
   \iow_shipout_x:Nx \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
-    \tl_to_str:e {
-      LUAMML_MARK:
-      \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
-      :
-      count = \int_eval:n {#1},
-      #2
-    }
-    \exp_not:N \iow_newline:
+    LUAMML_MARK_REF:
+    \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
+    :
+  }
+  \iow_now:Nx \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
+    LUAMML_MARK:
+    \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
+    :
+    count = \int_eval:n {#1},
+    #2
+    \iow_newline:
     LUAMML_MARK_END
   }
   #3
@@ -328,26 +331,32 @@
 \cs_new_protected:Npn \luamml_annotate:en #1#2 {
   \int_gincr:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
   \iow_shipout_x:Nx \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
-    \tl_to_str:e {
-      LUAMML_MARK:
-      \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
-      :
-      count = data.count[\int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int],
-      #1
-    }
-    \exp_not:N \iow_newline:
+    LUAMML_MARK_REF:
+    \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
+    :
+  }
+  \iow_now:Nx \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
+    LUAMML_MARK:
+    \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
+    :
+    count = data.count[\int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int],
+    #1
+    \iow_newline:
     LUAMML_MARK_END
   }
-  \iow_now:Nx \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
-    LUAMML_COUNT:
-    \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
+  \use:x {
+    \iow_now:Nn \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
+      LUAMML_COUNT:
+      \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
+    }
+    \__luamml_pdf_showlists:
+    \exp_not:n {#2}
+    \iow_now:Nn \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
+      LUAMML_COUNT_END:
+      \int_use:N \g__luamml_annotation_id_int
+    }
+    \__luamml_pdf_showlists:
   }
-  \__luamml_pdf_showlists:
-  #2
-  \iow_now:Nx \l__luamml_pdf_stream {
-    LUAMML_COUNT_END
-  }
-  \__luamml_pdf_showlists:
 }
 %    \end{macrocode}
 % \end{macro}
diff --git a/pdfmml-logreader.lua b/pdfmml-logreader.lua
index a9f0e9e..2b66e8b 100644
--- a/pdfmml-logreader.lua
+++ b/pdfmml-logreader.lua
@@ -18,13 +18,11 @@ local luamml_mark = l.Cg('LUAMML_MARK:' * id * ':' * l.Cs((1 - l.P'\n' + l.Cg('\
 
 local function add(a, b) return a + b end
 local count_block = '### ' * line * l.Cf(l.Cc(0) * (('\\' * l.Cc(1))^-1 * line - '### ')^0, add)
-local luamml_count = l.Cg('LUAMML_COUNT:' * id * l.P'\n'^1
-                      * count_block
-                      * (line-'LUAMML_COUNT_END\n')^0
-                      * 'LUAMML_COUNT_END' * l.P'\n'^1
-                      * count_block / function(id, first, second)
-                        return id, second - first
-                      end * l.Cc'count')
+local luamml_precount = l.Cg('LUAMML_COUNT:' * id * l.P'\n'^1
+                      * count_block * l.Cc'precount')
+
+local luamml_postcount = l.Cg('LUAMML_COUNT_END:' * id * l.P'\n'^1
+                       * count_block * l.Cc'postcount')
 
 local luamml_instruction = l.Cg('LUAMML_INSTRUCTION:' * l.Cc(nil) * l.C((1 - l.P'\n')^0) * '\n' * l.Cc'instructions')
 
@@ -34,10 +32,11 @@ local function multi_table_set(t, key, value, table)
   return t
 end
 local log_file = l.Cf(l.Ct(l.Cg(l.Ct'', 'groups')
-                    * l.Cg(l.Ct'', 'count')
+                    * l.Cg(l.Ct'', 'precount')
+                    * l.Cg(l.Ct'', 'postcount')
                     * l.Cg(l.Ct'', 'marks')
                     * l.Cg(l.Ct'', 'instructions'))
-               * (luamml_block + luamml_mark + luamml_instruction + luamml_count + line)^0,
+               * (luamml_block + luamml_mark + luamml_instruction + luamml_precount  + luamml_postcount + line)^0,
                multi_table_set)
 
 return function(filename)
@@ -50,5 +49,13 @@ return function(filename)
   if f then f:close() end
   -- The following does *not* end with * -1 since we want to allow the last line to not end with \n.
   -- In that case we ignore the last line, but that's safe since the last line never contains our markers.
-  return assert(log_file:match(content))
+  local parsed = assert(log_file:match(content))
+  local precount, postcount, count = parsed.precount, parsed.postcount, {}
+  for id, pre in next, precount do
+    local post = assert(postcount[id], 'Unbalanced count')
+    count[id], postcount[id] = post-pre, nil
+  end
+  assert(not next(postcount), 'Unbalanced count')
+  parsed.precount, parsed.postcount, parsed.count = nil, nil, count
+  return parsed
 end
diff --git a/pdfmml-showlists.lua b/pdfmml-showlists.lua
index 20d11d1..8d0a9dc 100644
--- a/pdfmml-showlists.lua
+++ b/pdfmml-showlists.lua
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ local fraction_noad = l.Ct('\\fraction, thickness '
 
 local mathchoice_noad = l.Ct('\\mathchoice' * l.Cg(l.Cc'choice', 'id') * -1)
 
-local mark_whatsit = '\\write' * ('-' + l.R'09'^1) * '{LUAMML_MARK:' * (l.R'09'^1/tonumber) * ':'
+local mark_whatsit = '\\write' * ('-' + l.R'09'^1) * '{LUAMML_MARK_REF:' * (l.R'09'^1/tonumber) * ':'
 
 local parse_list
 local function parse_kernel(lines, i, prefix, parsed)