diff --git a/collects/tests/typed-racket/succeed/type-printer-single-level.rkt b/collects/tests/typed-racket/succeed/type-printer-single-level.rkt
index 9bc5d19b042..cc4e3421dd1 100644
--- a/collects/tests/typed-racket/succeed/type-printer-single-level.rkt
+++ b/collects/tests/typed-racket/succeed/type-printer-single-level.rkt
@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@
 (tr-eval '(:type Foo))
 (tr-eval '(:type Bar))
 
-(check-equal? (get-output-string out) "(U Integer String)\n(Foo -> Foo)\n")
-
 ;; if #:verbose, make sure it's the full type
 (tr-eval '(:type #:verbose Bar))
+
 (check-equal? (get-output-string out)
-              (string-append "(U Integer String)\n(Foo -> Foo)\n"
+              (string-append "(U Integer String)\n[can expand further: String Integer]"
+                             "(Foo -> Foo)\n[can expand further: Foo]"
                              "((U 0 1 Byte-Larger-Than-One Positive-Index-Not-Byte "
                              "Positive-Fixnum-Not-Index Negative-Fixnum "
                              "Positive-Integer-Not-Fixnum Negative-Integer-Not-Fixnum String) "
diff --git a/collects/typed-racket/core.rkt b/collects/typed-racket/core.rkt
index 34cf8f1e176..c5b8d131cab 100644
--- a/collects/typed-racket/core.rkt
+++ b/collects/typed-racket/core.rkt
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@
          (private with-types type-contract parse-type)
          (except-in syntax/parse id)
          racket/match racket/syntax unstable/match racket/list syntax/stx
+         racket/format
          racket/promise
+         (only-in racket/string string-join)
          (types utils abbrev generalize printer)
          (typecheck provide-handling tc-toplevel tc-app-helper)
          (rep type-rep)
@@ -62,8 +64,16 @@
                     ;; infinite fuel case. If fuel that's not 0, 1, or +inf.0
                     ;; is ever used, more may need to be done.
                     [current-type-names
-                     (if (attribute verbose-kw) '() (current-type-names))])
-       #`(display #,(format "~a\n" (parse-type #'ty))))]
+                     (if (attribute verbose-kw) '() (current-type-names))]
+                    [current-print-unexpanded (box '())])
+       (define type (format "~a" (parse-type #'ty)))
+       (define unexpanded
+         (remove-duplicates (unbox (current-print-unexpanded))))
+       (define cue (if (null? unexpanded)
+                       ""
+                       (format "[can expand further: ~a]"
+                               (string-join (map ~a unexpanded)))))
+       #`(display #,(format "~a\n~a" type cue)))]
     ;; Prints the _entire_ type. May be quite large.
     [(_ . ((~literal :print-type) e:expr))
      (tc-setup #'stx #'e 'top-level expanded init tc-toplevel-form before type
diff --git a/collects/typed-racket/types/printer.rkt b/collects/typed-racket/types/printer.rkt
index 52f7c4b1759..032cd2ec8fa 100644
--- a/collects/typed-racket/types/printer.rkt
+++ b/collects/typed-racket/types/printer.rkt
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 (provide-printer)
 
 (provide print-multi-line-case-> special-dots-printing? print-complex-filters?
-         current-print-type-fuel)
+         current-print-type-fuel current-print-unexpanded)
 
 
 ;; do we attempt to find instantiations of polymorphic types to print?
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@
 ;;    +inf.0 -> expand always
 (define current-print-type-fuel (make-parameter 0))
 
+;; this parameter allows the printer to communicate unexpanded
+;; type aliases to its clients, which is used to cue the user
+(define current-print-unexpanded (make-parameter (box '())))
+
 ;; does t have a type name associated with it currently?
 ;; has-name : Type -> Maybe[Listof<Symbol>]
 (define (has-name? t)
@@ -142,7 +146,13 @@
              [candidates candidates]
              [coverage   '()])
     (cond [(null? to-cover) ; done
-           (append (map car coverage) uncoverable)] ; we want the names
+           (define coverage-names (map car coverage))
+           ;; to allow :type to cue the user on unexpanded aliases
+           (set-box! (current-print-unexpanded)
+                     ;; FIXME: this could be pickier about the names to
+                     ;;        report since, e.g., "String" can't be expanded
+                     (append coverage-names (unbox (current-print-unexpanded))))
+           (append coverage-names uncoverable)] ; we want the names
           [else
            ;; pick the candidate that covers the most uncovered types
            (define (covers-how-many? c)
@@ -249,13 +259,17 @@
      (=> fail)
      (when (not (null? ignored-names)) (fail))
      (define fuel (current-print-type-fuel))
-     (if (> fuel 0)
-         (parameterize ([current-print-type-fuel (sub1 fuel)])
-           ;; if we still have fuel, print the expanded type and
-           ;; add the name to the ignored list so that the union
-           ;; printer does not try to print with the name.
-           (print-type type port write? (append names ignored-names)))
-         (fp "~a" (car names)))]
+     (cond [(> fuel 0)
+            (parameterize ([current-print-type-fuel (sub1 fuel)])
+              ;; if we still have fuel, print the expanded type and
+              ;; add the name to the ignored list so that the union
+              ;; printer does not try to print with the name.
+              (print-type type port write? (append names ignored-names)))]
+           [else
+            ;; to allow :type to cue the user on unexpanded aliases
+            (set-box! (current-print-unexpanded)
+                      (cons (car names) (unbox (current-print-unexpanded))))
+            (fp "~a" (car names))])]
     [(StructType: (Struct: nm _ _ _ _ _)) (fp "(StructType ~a)" (syntax-e nm))]
     [(StructTop: (Struct: nm _ _ _ _ _)) (fp "(Struct ~a)" (syntax-e nm))]
     [(BoxTop:) (fp "Box")]