diff --git a/src/alignString.ts b/src/alignString.ts
index aaa5421..100448a 100644
--- a/src/alignString.ts
+++ b/src/alignString.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 import stringWidth from 'string-width';
+import type {
+  ColumnUserConfig,
+} from './types/api';
 
 const alignLeft = (subject: string, width: number): string => {
   return subject + ' '.repeat(width);
@@ -22,17 +25,11 @@ const alignCenter = (subject: string, width: number): string => {
   }
 };
 
-const alignments = [
-  'left',
-  'right',
-  'center',
-];
-
 /**
  * Pads a string to the left and/or right to position the subject
  * text in a desired alignment within a container.
  */
-export default (subject: string, containerWidth: number, alignment: string): string => {
+export default (subject: string, containerWidth: number, alignment: ColumnUserConfig['alignment']): string => {
   if (typeof subject !== 'string') {
     throw new TypeError('Subject parameter value must be a string.');
   }
@@ -47,14 +44,6 @@ export default (subject: string, containerWidth: number, alignment: string): str
     throw new Error('Subject parameter value width cannot be greater than the container width.');
   }
 
-  if (typeof alignment !== 'string') {
-    throw new TypeError('Alignment parameter value must be a string.');
-  }
-
-  if (!alignments.includes(alignment)) {
-    throw new Error('Alignment parameter value must be a known alignment parameter value (left, right, center).');
-  }
-
   if (subjectWidth === 0) {
     return ' '.repeat(containerWidth);
   }
diff --git a/src/validateConfig.ts b/src/validateConfig.ts
index 9c4b637..52eeccf 100644
--- a/src/validateConfig.ts
+++ b/src/validateConfig.ts
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ import type {
 
 export default (schemaId: 'config.json'|'streamConfig.json', config: TableUserConfig): void => {
   const validate = validators[schemaId] as ValidateFunction;
-  if (!validate(config)) {
-    const errors = validate.errors?.map((error: ErrorObject) => {
+  if (!validate(config) && validate.errors) {
+    const errors = validate.errors.map((error: ErrorObject) => {
       return {
         message: error.message,
         params: error.params,
diff --git a/test/alignString.ts b/test/alignString.ts
index 47e01fc..769f120 100644
--- a/test/alignString.ts
+++ b/test/alignString.ts
@@ -28,20 +28,7 @@ describe('alignString', () => {
       }).to.throw(Error, 'Subject parameter value width cannot be greater than the container width.');
     });
   });
-  context('container alignment parameter value is not a string', () => {
-    it('throws an error', () => {
-      expect(() => {
-        alignString('', 1, 2 as never);
-      }).to.throw(Error, 'Alignment parameter value must be a string.');
-    });
-  });
-  context('container alignment parameter value is not a known alignment parameter value', () => {
-    it('throws an error', () => {
-      expect(() => {
-        alignString('', 1, 'foo');
-      }).to.throw(Error, 'Alignment parameter value must be a known alignment parameter value (left, right, center).');
-    });
-  });
+
   context('subject parameter value', () => {
     context('0 width', () => {
       it('produces a string consisting of container width number of whitespace characters', () => {
diff --git a/test/configSamples.ts b/test/configSamples.ts
index 4b3f7ed..5c8bc65 100644
--- a/test/configSamples.ts
+++ b/test/configSamples.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const configSamples: {invalid: unknown[], valid: TableUserConfig[], } = {
     {columns: {1: {unknown: 1}}},
     {columns: {1: {alignment: 1}}},
     {columns: {1: {alignment: '1'}}},
+    {columns: {0: {alignment: 'middle'}}},
     {columns: {1: {width: '5'}}},
     {columns: {1: {wrapWord: 1}}},
     {columns: {1: {truncate: '1'}}},
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ const configSamples: {invalid: unknown[], valid: TableUserConfig[], } = {
     {columnDefault: {unknown: 1}},
     {columnDefault: {alignment: 1}},
     {columnDefault: {alignment: '1'}},
+    {columnDefault: {alignment: 'middle'}},
     {columnDefault: {width: '5'}},
     {columnDefault: {wrapWord: 1}},
     {columnDefault: {truncate: '1'}},
@@ -45,6 +47,7 @@ const configSamples: {invalid: unknown[], valid: TableUserConfig[], } = {
     {unknown: 1},
   ],
   valid: [
+    {},
     {
       columns: {
         0: {
@@ -121,6 +124,9 @@ const configSamples: {invalid: unknown[], valid: TableUserConfig[], } = {
         },
       },
     },
+    {columns: {0: {alignment: 'left'}}},
+    {columns: {1: {alignment: 'right'}}},
+    {columns: {2: {alignment: 'center'}}},
     {border: {topBody: '-'}},
     {border: {topJoin: '-'}},
     {border: {topLeft: '-'}},
diff --git a/test/streamConfigSamples.ts b/test/streamConfigSamples.ts
index b9223e3..2ab0fd7 100644
--- a/test/streamConfigSamples.ts
+++ b/test/streamConfigSamples.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ const streamConfigSamples: {invalid: unknown[], valid: StreamUserConfig[], } = {
     {columnDefault: {paddingLeft: '1'}},
     {columnDefault: {paddingRight: '1'}},
     {unknown: 1},
+    {
+      columnCount: 3,
+      columnDefault: {width: 20},
+      columns: {0: {alignment: 'middle'}},
+    },
 
     // eslint-disable-next-line no-warning-comments
     // TODO: Fix the schema so that the following configs are truly invalid
@@ -74,6 +79,25 @@ const streamConfigSamples: {invalid: unknown[], valid: StreamUserConfig[], } = {
     // {columnDefault: {paddingRight: 1}},
   ],
   valid: [
+    {
+      columnCount: 3,
+      columnDefault: {width: 20},
+    },
+    {
+      columnCount: 3,
+      columnDefault: {width: 20},
+      columns: {0: {alignment: 'left'}},
+    },
+    {
+      columnCount: 3,
+      columnDefault: {width: 20},
+      columns: {1: {alignment: 'right'}},
+    },
+    {
+      columnCount: 3,
+      columnDefault: {width: 20},
+      columns: {2: {alignment: 'center'}},
+    },
     {
       columnCount: 3,
       columnDefault: {