diff --git a/libvips/conversion/premultiply.c b/libvips/conversion/premultiply.c
index 0560237e..11e7466d 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/premultiply.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/premultiply.c
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ vips_premultiply_init( VipsPremultiply *premultiply )
  *   alpha = clip( 0, in[in.bands - 1], @max_alpha ); 
  *   norm = alpha / @max_alpha; 
  *   out = [in[0] * norm, ..., in[in.bands - 1] * norm, alpha];
- * |]
+ * ]|
  *
  * So for an N-band image, the first N - 1 bands are multiplied by the clipped 
  * and normalised final band, the final band is clipped. 
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/unpremultiply.c b/libvips/conversion/unpremultiply.c
index 28e998a3..6105d1e5 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/unpremultiply.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/unpremultiply.c
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ vips_unpremultiply_init( VipsUnpremultiply *unpremultiply )
  *   	out = [0, ..., 0, alpha];
  *   else
  *   	out = [in[0] / norm, ..., in[in.bands - 1] / norm, alpha];
- * |]
+ * ]|
  *
  * So for an N-band image, the first N - 1 bands are divided by the clipped 
  * and normalised final band, the final band is clipped. 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c
index 42165ada..4df9e2b1 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c
@@ -409,15 +409,15 @@ vips__openslide_read_header( const char *filename, VipsImage *out,
  * compatibility with older vipses.
  */
 static void
-argb2rgba( uint32_t *buf, int n, uint32_t bg )
+argb2rgba( uint32_t * restrict buf, int n, uint32_t bg )
 {
 	int i;
 
 	for( i = 0; i < n; i++ ) {
-		uint32_t *p = buf + i;
+		uint32_t * restrict p = buf + i;
 		uint32_t x = *p;
 		uint8_t a = x >> 24;
-		VipsPel *out = (VipsPel *) p;
+		VipsPel * restrict out = (VipsPel *) p;
 
 		if( a == 255 ) 
 			*p = GUINT32_TO_BE( (x << 8) | 255 );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/pdfload.c b/libvips/foreign/pdfload.c
index 04414c3c..bb29af83 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/pdfload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/pdfload.c
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_pdf_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 
 	cairo_surface_t *surface;
 	cairo_t *cr;
-	int x, y;
+	int y;
 
 	/*
 	printf( "vips_foreign_load_pdf_generate: "
@@ -266,19 +266,12 @@ vips_foreign_load_pdf_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 
 	cairo_destroy( cr );
 
-	/* Cairo makes BRGA, we must byteswap. We might not need to on SPARC,
-	 * but I have no way of testing this :( 
+	/* Cairo makes pre-multipled BRGA, we must byteswap and unpremultiply.
 	 */
-	for( y = 0; y < r->height; y++ ) {
-		VipsPel * restrict q;
-
-		q = VIPS_REGION_ADDR( or, r->left, r->top + y );
-		for( x = 0; x < r->width; x++ ) {
-			VIPS_SWAP( VipsPel, q[0], q[2] );
-
-			q += 4;
-		}
-	}
+	for( y = 0; y < r->height; y++ ) 
+		vips__cairo2rgba( 
+			(guint32 *) VIPS_REGION_ADDR( or, r->left, r->top + y ), 
+			r->width ); 
 
 	return( 0 ); 
 }
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/svgload.c b/libvips/foreign/svgload.c
index 67229efa..f814c114 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/svgload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/svgload.c
@@ -149,6 +149,34 @@ vips_foreign_load_svg_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
+/* Convert from ARGB to RGBA and undo premultiplication. 
+ */
+void
+vips__cairo2rgba( guint32 * restrict buf, int n )
+{
+	int i;
+
+	for( i = 0; i < n; i++ ) {
+		guint32 * restrict p = buf + i;
+		guint32 x = *p;
+		guint8 a = x >> 24;
+		VipsPel * restrict out = (VipsPel *) p;
+
+		if( a == 255 ) 
+			*p = GUINT32_TO_BE( (x << 8) | 255 );
+		else if( a == 0 ) 
+			*p = GUINT32_TO_BE( x << 8 );
+		else {
+			/* Undo premultiplication.
+			 */
+			out[0] = 255 * ((x >> 16) & 255) / a;
+			out[1] = 255 * ((x >> 8) & 255) / a;
+			out[2] = 255 * (x & 255) / a;
+			out[3] = a;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 static int
 vips_foreign_load_svg_generate( VipsRegion *or, 
 	void *seq, void *a, void *b, gboolean *stop )
@@ -159,7 +187,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_svg_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 
 	cairo_surface_t *surface;
 	cairo_t *cr;
-	int x, y;
+	int y;
 
 	/* rsvg won't always paint the background.
 	 */
@@ -188,19 +216,12 @@ vips_foreign_load_svg_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 
 	cairo_destroy( cr );
 
-	/* Cairo makes BRGA, we must byteswap. We might not need to on SPARC,
-	 * but I have no way of testing this :( 
+	/* Cairo makes pre-multipled BRGA, we must byteswap and unpremultiply.
 	 */
-	for( y = 0; y < r->height; y++ ) {
-		VipsPel * restrict q;
-
-		q = VIPS_REGION_ADDR( or, r->left, r->top + y );
-		for( x = 0; x < r->width; x++ ) {
-			VIPS_SWAP( VipsPel, q[0], q[2] );
-
-			q += 4;
-		}
-	}
+	for( y = 0; y < r->height; y++ ) 
+		vips__cairo2rgba( 
+			(guint32 *) VIPS_REGION_ADDR( or, r->left, r->top + y ), 
+			r->width ); 
 
 	return( 0 ); 
 }
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/internal.h b/libvips/include/vips/internal.h
index 31bc6123..9ce71efc 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/internal.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/internal.h
@@ -231,6 +231,8 @@ int vips__byteswap_bool( VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out, gboolean swap );
 
 char *vips__make_xml_metadata( const char *domain, VipsImage *image );
 
+void vips__cairo2rgba( guint32 *buf, int n );
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif /*__cplusplus*/