diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/image-artifact-names.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/image-artifact-names.bbclass
index 9dc25b6dde..ac2376d59a 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/image-artifact-names.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/image-artifact-names.bbclass
@@ -11,11 +11,20 @@
 IMAGE_BASENAME ?= "${PN}"
 IMAGE_VERSION_SUFFIX ?= "-${DATETIME}"
 IMAGE_VERSION_SUFFIX[vardepsexclude] += "DATETIME SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH"
-IMAGE_NAME ?= "${IMAGE_BASENAME}-${MACHINE}${IMAGE_VERSION_SUFFIX}"
-IMAGE_LINK_NAME ?= "${IMAGE_BASENAME}-${MACHINE}"
+IMAGE_NAME ?= "${IMAGE_LINK_NAME}${IMAGE_VERSION_SUFFIX}"
+IMAGE_LINK_NAME ?= "${IMAGE_BASENAME}${IMAGE_MACHINE_SUFFIX}"
 
 # This needs to stay in sync with IMAGE_LINK_NAME, but with INITRAMFS_IMAGE instead of IMAGE_BASENAME
-INITRAMFS_IMAGE_NAME ?= "${@['${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}', ''][d.getVar('INITRAMFS_IMAGE') == '']}"
+INITRAMFS_IMAGE_NAME ?= "${@['${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}${IMAGE_MACHINE_SUFFIX}', ''][d.getVar('INITRAMFS_IMAGE') == '']}"
+
+# The default DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE is ${MACHINE} directory:
+# meta/conf/bitbake.conf:DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE ?= "${DEPLOY_DIR}/images/${MACHINE}"
+# so many people find it unnecessary to include this suffix to every image
+# stored there, but other people often fetch various images for different
+# MACHINEs to the same downloads directory and then the suffix is very helpful
+# add separate variable for projects to decide which scheme works best for them
+# without understanding the IMAGE_NAME/IMAGE_LINK_NAME structure.
+IMAGE_MACHINE_SUFFIX ??= "-${MACHINE}"
 
 # IMAGE_NAME is the base name for everything produced when building images.
 # The actual image that contains the rootfs has an additional suffix (.rootfs
diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/kernel-artifact-names.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/kernel-artifact-names.bbclass
index 311075c68d..1a7611a15e 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/kernel-artifact-names.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/kernel-artifact-names.bbclass
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 inherit image-artifact-names
 
-KERNEL_ARTIFACT_NAME ?= "${PKGE}-${PKGV}-${PKGR}-${MACHINE}${IMAGE_VERSION_SUFFIX}"
+KERNEL_ARTIFACT_NAME ?= "${PKGE}-${PKGV}-${PKGR}${IMAGE_MACHINE_SUFFIX}${IMAGE_VERSION_SUFFIX}"
 KERNEL_ARTIFACT_LINK_NAME ?= "${MACHINE}"
 KERNEL_ARTIFACT_BIN_EXT ?= ".bin"