diff --git a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
index 501483c4..10be5040 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
@@ -1987,6 +1987,7 @@ vips_jpegload( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
  *
  * @Q: quality factor
  * @profile: attach this ICC profile
+ * @optimize_coding: compute optimal Huffman coding tables
  *
  * Write a VIPS image to a file as JPEG.
  *
@@ -2039,6 +2040,7 @@ vips_jpegsave( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, ... )
  *
  * @Q: JPEG quality factor
  * @profile: attach this ICC profile
+ * @optimize_coding: compute optimal Huffman coding tables
  *
  * As vips_jpegsave(), but save to a memory buffer. 
  *
@@ -2087,6 +2089,7 @@ vips_jpegsave_buffer( VipsImage *in, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
  *
  * @Q: JPEG quality factor
  * @profile: attach this ICC profile
+ * @optimize_coding: compute optimal Huffman coding tables
  *
  * As vips_jpegsave(), but save as a mime jpeg on stdout.
  *
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/jpeg.h b/libvips/foreign/jpeg.h
index ac0f6f3c..53abd6f1 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/jpeg.h
+++ b/libvips/foreign/jpeg.h
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ void vips__new_output_message( j_common_ptr cinfo );
 void vips__new_error_exit( j_common_ptr cinfo );
 
 int vips__jpeg_write_file( VipsImage *in, 
-	const char *filename, int Q, const char *profile );
+	const char *filename, int Q, const char *profile, gboolean optimize_coding );
 int vips__jpeg_write_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
-	void **obuf, size_t *olen, int Q, const char *profile );
+	void **obuf, size_t *olen, int Q, const char *profile, gboolean optimize_coding );
 
 int vips__isjpeg( const char *filename );
 int vips__jpeg_read_file( const char *name, VipsImage *out, 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c b/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c
index 9ce8b0d5..5af0e4d3 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/jpegsave.c
@@ -89,6 +89,10 @@ typedef struct _VipsForeignSaveJpeg {
 	 */
 	char *profile;
 
+	/* Compute optimal Huffman coding tables.
+	 */
+	gboolean optimize_coding;
+
 } VipsForeignSaveJpeg;
 
 typedef VipsForeignSaveClass VipsForeignSaveJpegClass;
@@ -134,6 +138,13 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_class_init( VipsForeignSaveJpegClass *class )
 		VIPS_ARGUMENT_OPTIONAL_INPUT,
 		G_STRUCT_OFFSET( VipsForeignSaveJpeg, profile ),
 		NULL );
+
+	VIPS_ARG_BOOL( class, "optimize_coding", 12,
+		_( "optimize_coding" ),
+		_( "Compute optimal Huffman coding tables" ),
+		VIPS_ARGUMENT_OPTIONAL_INPUT,
+		G_STRUCT_OFFSET( VipsForeignSaveJpeg, optimize_coding ),
+		FALSE );
 }
 
 static void
@@ -168,7 +179,7 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_file_build( VipsObject *object )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	if( vips__jpeg_write_file( save->ready, file->filename,
-		jpeg->Q, jpeg->profile ) )
+		jpeg->Q, jpeg->profile, jpeg->optimize_coding ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	return( 0 );
@@ -233,7 +244,7 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_buffer_build( VipsObject *object )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	if( vips__jpeg_write_buffer( save->ready, 
-		&obuf, &olen, jpeg->Q, jpeg->profile ) )
+		&obuf, &olen, jpeg->Q, jpeg->profile, jpeg->optimize_coding ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	area = vips_area_new_blob( (VipsCallbackFn) vips_free, obuf, olen );
@@ -294,7 +305,7 @@ vips_foreign_save_jpeg_mime_build( VipsObject *object )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	if( vips__jpeg_write_buffer( save->ready, 
-		&obuf, &olen, jpeg->Q, jpeg->profile ) )
+		&obuf, &olen, jpeg->Q, jpeg->profile, jpeg->optimize_coding ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	printf( "Content-length: %zd\r\n", olen );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vips2jpeg.c b/libvips/foreign/vips2jpeg.c
index de255b9a..6e1a9fc1 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vips2jpeg.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vips2jpeg.c
@@ -847,7 +847,7 @@ write_jpeg_block( REGION *region, Rect *area, void *a )
 /* Write a VIPS image to a JPEG compress struct.
  */
 static int
-write_vips( Write *write, int qfac, const char *profile )
+write_vips( Write *write, int qfac, const char *profile, gboolean optimize_coding )
 {
 	VipsImage *in;
 	J_COLOR_SPACE space;
@@ -900,6 +900,10 @@ write_vips( Write *write, int qfac, const char *profile )
         jpeg_set_defaults( &write->cinfo );
         jpeg_set_quality( &write->cinfo, qfac, TRUE );
 
+ 	/* Compute optimal Huffman coding tables.
+	 */
+	write->cinfo.optimize_coding = optimize_coding;
+
 	/* Build compress tables.
 	 */
 	jpeg_start_compress( &write->cinfo, TRUE );
@@ -942,7 +946,7 @@ write_vips( Write *write, int qfac, const char *profile )
  */
 int
 vips__jpeg_write_file( VipsImage *in, 
-	const char *filename, int Q, const char *profile )
+	const char *filename, int Q, const char *profile, gboolean optimize_coding )
 {
 	Write *write;
 
@@ -972,7 +976,7 @@ vips__jpeg_write_file( VipsImage *in,
 
 	/* Convert!
 	 */
-	if( write_vips( write, Q, profile ) ) {
+	if( write_vips( write, Q, profile, optimize_coding ) ) {
 		write_destroy( write );
 		return( -1 );
 	}
@@ -1218,7 +1222,7 @@ buf_dest( j_compress_ptr cinfo, void **obuf, size_t *olen )
 
 int
 vips__jpeg_write_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
-	void **obuf, size_t *olen, int Q, const char *profile )
+	void **obuf, size_t *olen, int Q, const char *profile, gboolean optimize_coding )
 {
 	Write *write;
 
@@ -1247,7 +1251,7 @@ vips__jpeg_write_buffer( VipsImage *in,
 
 	/* Convert!
 	 */
-	if( write_vips( write, Q, profile ) ) {
+	if( write_vips( write, Q, profile, optimize_coding ) ) {
 		write_destroy( write );
 
 		return( -1 );