diff --git a/serialization.nim b/serialization.nim
index e8e7941..8bba9f8 100644
--- a/serialization.nim
+++ b/serialization.nim
@@ -1,14 +1,16 @@
 import
   std/typetraits,
-  stew/shims/macros, faststreams/[inputs, outputs],
+  stew/shims/macros,
+  faststreams/[inputs, outputs],
   ./serialization/[object_serialization, errors, formats]
 
-export
-  inputs, outputs, object_serialization, errors, formats
+export inputs, outputs, object_serialization, errors, formats
 
-template encode*(Format: type, value: auto, params: varargs[untyped]): auto =
+template encode*(
+    Format: type SerializationFormat, value: auto, params: varargs[untyped]
+): auto =
   mixin init, Writer, writeValue, PreferredOutputType
-  block:  # https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/22874
+  block: # https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/22874
     {.noSideEffect.}:
       # We assume that there is no side-effects here, because we are
       # using a `memoryOutput`. The computed side-effects are coming
@@ -24,21 +26,23 @@ template encode*(Format: type, value: auto, params: varargs[untyped]): auto =
         raise (ref Defect)() # a memoryOutput cannot have an IOError
 
 # TODO Nim cannot make sense of this initialization by var param?
-proc readValue*(reader: var auto, T: type): T {.gcsafe, raises: [SerializationError, IOError].} =
+proc readValue*(
+    reader: var auto, T: type
+): T {.gcsafe, raises: [SerializationError, IOError].} =
   {.warning[ProveInit]: false.}
   mixin readValue
   result = default(T)
   reader.readValue(result)
   {.warning[ProveInit]: true.}
 
-template decode*(Format: distinct type,
-                 input: string,
-                 RecordType: distinct type,
-                 params: varargs[untyped]): auto =
-  # TODO, this is dusplicated only due to a Nim bug:
-  # If `input` was `string|openArray[byte]`, it won't match `seq[byte]`
+template decode*(
+    Format: type SerializationFormat,
+    input: string|openArray[char]|seq[byte]|openArray[byte],
+    RecordType: type,
+    params: varargs[untyped],
+): auto =
   mixin init, Reader
-  block:  # https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/22874
+  block: # https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/22874
     {.noSideEffect.}:
       # We assume that there are no side-effects here, because we are
       # using a `memoryInput`. The computed side-effects are coming
@@ -52,31 +56,12 @@ template decode*(Format: distinct type,
       except IOError:
         raise (ref Defect)() # memory inputs cannot raise an IOError
 
-template decode*(Format: distinct type,
-                 input: openArray[byte],
-                 RecordType: distinct type,
-                 params: varargs[untyped]): auto =
-  # TODO, this is dusplicated only due to a Nim bug:
-  # If `input` was `string|openArray[byte]`, it won't match `seq[byte]`
-  mixin init, Reader
-  block:  # https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/22874
-    {.noSideEffect.}:
-      # We assume that there are no side-effects here, because we are
-      # using a `memoryInput`. The computed side-effects are coming
-      # from the fact that the dynamic dispatch mechanisms used in
-      # faststreams may be reading from a file or a network device.
-      try:
-        var stream = unsafeMemoryInput(input)
-        type ReaderType = Reader(Format)
-        var reader = unpackArgs(init, [ReaderType, stream, params])
-        reader.readValue(RecordType)
-      except IOError:
-        raise (ref Defect)() # memory inputs cannot raise an IOError
-
-template loadFile*(Format: distinct type,
-                   filename: string,
-                   RecordType: distinct type,
-                   params: varargs[untyped]): auto =
+template loadFile*(
+    Format: type SerializationFormat,
+    filename: string,
+    RecordType: type,
+    params: varargs[untyped],
+): auto =
   mixin init, Reader, readValue
 
   var stream = memFileInput(filename)
@@ -87,13 +72,20 @@ template loadFile*(Format: distinct type,
   finally:
     close stream
 
-template loadFile*[RecordType](Format: type,
-                               filename: string,
-                               record: var RecordType,
-                               params: varargs[untyped]) =
+template loadFile*[RecordType](
+    Format: type SerializationFormat,
+    filename: string,
+    record: var RecordType,
+    params: varargs[untyped],
+) =
   record = loadFile(Format, filename, RecordType, params)
 
-template saveFile*(Format: type, filename: string, value: auto, params: varargs[untyped]) =
+template saveFile*(
+    Format: type SerializationFormat,
+    filename: string,
+    value: auto,
+    params: varargs[untyped],
+) =
   mixin init, Writer, writeValue
 
   var stream = fileOutput(filename)
@@ -107,8 +99,7 @@ template saveFile*(Format: type, filename: string, value: auto, params: varargs[
 template borrowSerialization*(Alias: type) {.dirty.} =
   bind distinctBase
 
-  proc writeValue*[Writer](
-      writer: var Writer, value: Alias) {.raises: [IOError].} =
+  proc writeValue*[Writer](writer: var Writer, value: Alias) {.raises: [IOError].} =
     mixin writeValue
     writeValue(writer, distinctBase value)
 
@@ -116,11 +107,8 @@ template borrowSerialization*(Alias: type) {.dirty.} =
     mixin readValue
     value = Alias reader.readValue(distinctBase Alias)
 
-template borrowSerialization*(Alias: distinct type,
-                              OriginalType: distinct type) {.dirty.} =
-
-  proc writeValue*[Writer](
-      writer: var Writer, value: Alias) {.raises: [IOError].} =
+template borrowSerialization*(Alias: type, OriginalType: type) {.dirty.} =
+  proc writeValue*[Writer](writer: var Writer, value: Alias) {.raises: [IOError].} =
     mixin writeValue
     writeValue(writer, OriginalType value)
 
@@ -128,8 +116,7 @@ template borrowSerialization*(Alias: distinct type,
     mixin readValue
     value = Alias reader.readValue(OriginalType)
 
-template serializesAsBase*(SerializedType: distinct type,
-                           Format: distinct type) =
+template serializesAsBase*(SerializedType: type, Format: type SerializationFormat) =
   mixin Reader, Writer
 
   type ReaderType = Reader(Format)
@@ -143,25 +130,28 @@ template serializesAsBase*(SerializedType: distinct type,
     mixin readValue
     value = SerializedType reader.readValue(distinctBase SerializedType)
 
-macro serializesAsBaseIn*(SerializedType: type,
-                          Formats: varargs[untyped]) =
+macro serializesAsBaseIn*(SerializedType: type, Formats: varargs[untyped]) =
   result = newStmtList()
   for Fmt in Formats:
     result.add newCall(bindSym"serializesAsBase", SerializedType, Fmt)
 
-template readValue*(stream: InputStream,
-                    Format: type,
-                    ValueType: type,
-                    params: varargs[untyped]): untyped =
+template readValue*(
+    stream: InputStream,
+    Format: type SerializationFormat,
+    ValueType: type,
+    params: varargs[untyped],
+): untyped =
   mixin Reader, init, readValue
   type ReaderType = Reader(Format)
   var reader = unpackArgs(init, [ReaderType, stream, params])
   readValue reader, ValueType
 
-template writeValue*(stream: OutputStream,
-                     Format: type,
-                     value: auto,
-                     params: varargs[untyped]) =
+template writeValue*(
+    stream: OutputStream,
+    Format: type SerializationFormat,
+    value: auto,
+    params: varargs[untyped],
+) =
   mixin Writer, init, writeValue
   type WriterType = Writer(Format)
   var writer = unpackArgs(init, [WriterType, stream, params])
diff --git a/serialization/errors.nim b/serialization/errors.nim
index 587a39c..4554bdf 100644
--- a/serialization/errors.nim
+++ b/serialization/errors.nim
@@ -4,6 +4,6 @@ type
   CustomSerializationError* = object of SerializationError
 
 method formatMsg*(err: ref SerializationError, filename: string): string
-                 {.gcsafe, base, raises: [Defect].} =
+                 {.gcsafe, base, raises: [].} =
   "Serialisation error while processing " & filename & ":" & err.msg
 
diff --git a/serialization/formats.nim b/serialization/formats.nim
index e79ba62..3b947f1 100644
--- a/serialization/formats.nim
+++ b/serialization/formats.nim
@@ -4,19 +4,24 @@ import
 type
   DefaultFlavor* = object
 
+  SerializationFormat* {.inheritable, pure.} = object
+    ## Marker type for serialization formats created with `serializationFormat`
+    ## and `createFlavor`, for which encode/decoode and other serialization-based
+    ## formats are supported
+
 template serializationFormatImpl(Name: untyped,
                                  mimeTypeName: static string = "") {.dirty.} =
   # This indirection is required in order to be able to generate the
   # `mimeType` accessor template. Without the indirection, the template
   # mechanism of Nim will try to expand the `mimeType` param in the position
   # of the `mimeType` template name which will result in error.
-  type Name* = object
+  type Name* = object of SerializationFormat
   template mimeType*(T: type Name): string = mimeTypeName
 
 template serializationFormat*(Name: untyped, mimeType: static string = "") =
   serializationFormatImpl(Name, mimeType)
 
-template setReader*(Format, FormatReader: distinct type) =
+template setReader*(Format: type SerializationFormat, FormatReader: distinct type) =
   when arity(FormatReader) > 1:
     template ReaderType*(T: type Format, F: distinct type = DefaultFlavor): type = FormatReader[F]
     template Reader*(T: type Format, F: distinct type = DefaultFlavor): type = FormatReader[F]
@@ -24,7 +29,7 @@ template setReader*(Format, FormatReader: distinct type) =
     template ReaderType*(T: type Format): type = FormatReader
     template Reader*(T: type Format): type = FormatReader
 
-template setWriter*(Format, FormatWriter, PreferredOutput: distinct type) =
+template setWriter*(Format: type SerializationFormat, FormatWriter, PreferredOutput: distinct type) =
   when arity(FormatWriter) > 1:
     template WriterType*(T: type Format, F: distinct type = DefaultFlavor): type = FormatWriter[F]
     template Writer*(T: type Format, F: distinct type = DefaultFlavor): type = FormatWriter[F]
@@ -34,12 +39,20 @@ template setWriter*(Format, FormatWriter, PreferredOutput: distinct type) =
 
   template PreferredOutputType*(T: type Format): type = PreferredOutput
 
-template createFlavor*(ModifiedFormat, FlavorName: untyped) =
-  type FlavorName* = object
+template createFlavor*(
+    ModifiedFormat: type SerializationFormat,
+    FlavorName: untyped,
+    mimeTypeName: static string = ""
+) =
+  type FlavorName* = object of SerializationFormat
   template Reader*(T: type FlavorName): type = Reader(ModifiedFormat, FlavorName)
   template Writer*(T: type FlavorName): type = Writer(ModifiedFormat, FlavorName)
   template PreferredOutputType*(T: type FlavorName): type = PreferredOutputType(ModifiedFormat)
-  template mimeType*(T: type FlavorName): string = mimeType(ModifiedFormat)
+  template mimeType*(T: type FlavorName): string =
+    when mimeTypeName == "":
+      mimeType(ModifiedFormat)
+    else:
+      mimeTypeName
 
 template toObjectType(T: type): untyped =
   typeof(T()[])
diff --git a/tests/otherencode.nim b/tests/otherencode.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5317d48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/otherencode.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+type
+  Base64* = object
+  Base64Pad* = object
+  Base64Types* = Base64 | Base64Pad
+
+func encode*(
+    btype: typedesc[Base64Types], inbytes: openArray[byte]
+): string {.inline.} =
+  discard
diff --git a/tests/test_reader.nim b/tests/test_reader.nim
index 2545209..9ca209f 100644
--- a/tests/test_reader.nim
+++ b/tests/test_reader.nim
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import
   unittest2,
-  ../serialization
+  ../serialization,
+  ./otherencode
 
 {.used.}
 
@@ -23,7 +24,10 @@ suite "object serialization":
   test "readValue":
     let z = Xyz.decode("", TestObj)
     check z.number == 13
-    
+
     var r: XyzReader
     let x = r.readValue(TestObj)
     check x.number == 13
+
+# Make sure we don't encroach on other uses of "encode"
+discard Base64Pad.encode(@[byte 1, 2 ,3])