diff --git a/cmd/packages.go b/cmd/packages.go
index 4078b66c7..2c7856072 100644
--- a/cmd/packages.go
+++ b/cmd/packages.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/format"
+
 	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal/anchore"
@@ -48,7 +50,7 @@ const (
 )
 
 var (
-	packagesPresenterOpt packages.PresenterOption
+	packagesPresenterOpt format.Option
 	packagesArgs         = cobra.MaximumNArgs(1)
 	packagesCmd          = &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "packages [SOURCE]",
@@ -71,8 +73,8 @@ var (
 			}
 
 			// set the presenter
-			presenterOption := packages.ParsePresenterOption(appConfig.Output)
-			if presenterOption == packages.UnknownPresenterOption {
+			presenterOption := format.ParseOption(appConfig.Output)
+			if presenterOption == format.UnknownOption {
 				return fmt.Errorf("bad --output value '%s'", appConfig.Output)
 			}
 			packagesPresenterOpt = presenterOption
@@ -109,8 +111,8 @@ func setPackageFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 		fmt.Sprintf("selection of layers to catalog, options=%v", source.AllScopes))
 
 	flags.StringP(
-		"output", "o", string(packages.TablePresenterOption),
-		fmt.Sprintf("report output formatter, options=%v", packages.AllPresenters),
+		"output", "o", string(format.TableOption),
+		fmt.Sprintf("report output formatter, options=%v", format.AllOptions),
 	)
 
 	flags.StringP(
@@ -247,7 +249,7 @@ func packagesExecWorker(userInput string) <-chan error {
 
 		bus.Publish(partybus.Event{
 			Type: event.PresenterReady,
-			Value: packages.Presenter(packagesPresenterOpt, packages.PresenterConfig{
+			Value: packages.Presenter(packagesPresenterOpt, packages.Config{
 				SourceMetadata: src.Metadata,
 				Catalog:        catalog,
 				Distro:         d,
diff --git a/syft/presenter/packages/presenter_config.go b/syft/presenter/packages/config.go
similarity index 89%
rename from syft/presenter/packages/presenter_config.go
rename to syft/presenter/packages/config.go
index d318e4288..8c988d1e8 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/packages/presenter_config.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/packages/config.go
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/source"
 )
 
-type PresenterConfig struct {
+type Config struct {
 	SourceMetadata source.Metadata
 	Catalog        *pkg.Catalog
 	Distro         *distro.Distro
diff --git a/syft/presenter/packages/presenter.go b/syft/presenter/packages/presenter.go
index 6d0d594ef..d26f727fc 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/packages/presenter.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/packages/presenter.go
@@ -5,26 +5,30 @@ a specific Presenter implementation given user configuration.
 package packages
 
 import (
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal/formats"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal/presenter/packages"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/format"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/presenter"
 )
 
 // Presenter returns a presenter for images or directories
-func Presenter(option PresenterOption, config PresenterConfig) presenter.Presenter {
-	switch option {
-	case JSONPresenterOption:
-		return packages.NewJSONPresenter(config.Catalog, config.SourceMetadata, config.Distro, config.Scope)
-	case TextPresenterOption:
+func Presenter(o format.Option, config Config) presenter.Presenter {
+	// TODO: This function will be removed in the future
+	switch o {
+	case format.TextOption:
 		return packages.NewTextPresenter(config.Catalog, config.SourceMetadata)
-	case TablePresenterOption:
+	case format.TableOption:
 		return packages.NewTablePresenter(config.Catalog)
-	case CycloneDxPresenterOption:
+	case format.CycloneDxOption:
 		return packages.NewCycloneDxPresenter(config.Catalog, config.SourceMetadata)
-	case SPDXTagValuePresenterOption:
+	case format.SPDXTagValueOption:
 		return packages.NewSPDXTagValuePresenter(config.Catalog, config.SourceMetadata)
-	case SPDXJSONPresenterOption:
-		return packages.NewSPDXJSONPresenter(config.Catalog, config.SourceMetadata)
 	default:
-		return nil
+		// TODO: this is the new way of getting presenters from formats
+		f := formats.ByOption(o)
+		if f == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return f.Presenter(config.Catalog, &config.SourceMetadata, config.Distro)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/syft/presenter/packages/presenter_option.go b/syft/presenter/packages/presenter_option.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 7bdcbc075..000000000
--- a/syft/presenter/packages/presenter_option.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
-package packages
-
-import "strings"
-
-const (
-	UnknownPresenterOption      PresenterOption = "UnknownPresenterOption"
-	JSONPresenterOption         PresenterOption = "json"
-	TextPresenterOption         PresenterOption = "text"
-	TablePresenterOption        PresenterOption = "table"
-	CycloneDxPresenterOption    PresenterOption = "cyclonedx"
-	SPDXTagValuePresenterOption PresenterOption = "spdx-tag-value"
-	SPDXJSONPresenterOption     PresenterOption = "spdx-json"
-)
-
-var AllPresenters = []PresenterOption{
-	JSONPresenterOption,
-	TextPresenterOption,
-	TablePresenterOption,
-	CycloneDxPresenterOption,
-	SPDXTagValuePresenterOption,
-	SPDXJSONPresenterOption,
-}
-
-type PresenterOption string
-
-func ParsePresenterOption(userStr string) PresenterOption {
-	switch strings.ToLower(userStr) {
-	case string(JSONPresenterOption):
-		return JSONPresenterOption
-	case string(TextPresenterOption):
-		return TextPresenterOption
-	case string(TablePresenterOption):
-		return TablePresenterOption
-	case string(CycloneDxPresenterOption), "cyclone", "cyclone-dx":
-		return CycloneDxPresenterOption
-	case string(SPDXTagValuePresenterOption), "spdx", "spdx-tagvalue", "spdxtagvalue", "spdx-tv":
-		return SPDXTagValuePresenterOption
-	case string(SPDXJSONPresenterOption), "spdxjson":
-		return SPDXJSONPresenterOption
-	default:
-		return UnknownPresenterOption
-	}
-}
diff --git a/syft/presenter/presenter.go b/syft/presenter/presenter.go
index 823a2e38d..45710e1f4 100644
--- a/syft/presenter/presenter.go
+++ b/syft/presenter/presenter.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package presenter
 
-import "io"
+import (
+	"io"
+)
 
 // Presenter defines the expected behavior for an object responsible for displaying arbitrary input and processed data
 // to a given io.Writer.