>Another simple approach I've used (though it pretty much requires a
>custom application on the host end) is to not echo a character until
>I'm done dealing with it. The host then waits for each character to
>be echoed.

This is effectively how the ETX-ACK protocol works. The host appends an ETX 
character to a block of data, the receiver then sends back an ETX when ready 
for the next block, or a NAK if there was an error with the block (e.g. 
buffer overflow, or checksum error). This protocol was readily available on 
many serial interface Epson dot matrix printers, and was usually the easiest 
way of interfacing a serial printer. 

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