diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 4dc35f5f..526e8b70 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,9 +1,3 @@
-- add tests for vips_arrayjoin()
-
-  and valgrind it too
-
-  could crop before we pad, perhaps? we could nest two embeds, that might be
-  simpler
 
 - get some brightly coloured spots with nohalo / vsqbs on wobble.ws ... very
   odd, the interpolation shouldn't change between bands
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/embed.c b/libvips/conversion/embed.c
index 077709fe..358528b6 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/embed.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/embed.c
@@ -357,9 +357,6 @@ vips_embed_build( VipsObject *object )
 		embed->height == embed->in->Ysize )
 		return( vips_image_write( embed->in, conversion->out ) );
 
-	if( vips_image_pio_input( embed->in ) )
-		return( -1 );
-
 	if( !(embed->ink = vips__vector_to_ink( 
 		class->nickname, embed->in,
 		VIPS_AREA( embed->background )->data, NULL, 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
index e1fa9609..dffcf65f 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
@@ -2042,7 +2042,7 @@ vips__tiff_read_buffer( const void *buf, size_t len,
 
 #ifdef DEBUG
 	printf( "tiff2vips: libtiff version is \"%s\"\n", TIFFGetVersion() );
-	printf( "tiff2vips: libtiff starting for %s\n", filename );
+	printf( "tiff2vips: libtiff starting for buffer %p\n", buf );
 #endif /*DEBUG*/
 
 	vips__tiff_init();
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vips2tiff.c b/libvips/foreign/vips2tiff.c
index b47070b6..a0f8b15a 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vips2tiff.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vips2tiff.c
@@ -857,11 +857,16 @@ write_new( VipsImage *im, const char *filename,
 	write->xres = xres;
 	write->yres = yres;
 
-	if( (write->tilew & 0xf) != 0 || 
-		(write->tileh & 0xf) != 0 ) {
-		vips_error( "vips2tiff", 
-			"%s", _( "tile size not a multiple of 16" ) );
-		return( NULL );
+	/* In strip mode we use tileh to set rowsperstrip, and that does not
+	 * have the multiple-of-16 restriction.
+	 */
+	if( tile ) { 
+		if( (write->tilew & 0xf) != 0 || 
+			(write->tileh & 0xf) != 0 ) {
+			vips_error( "vips2tiff", 
+				"%s", _( "tile size not a multiple of 16" ) );
+			return( NULL );
+		}
 	}
 
 	/* We can only pyramid LABQ and non-complex images.