diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 8ecf60b6..69dc44c6 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@
   still need a rect for x/y/w/h of mask, since we use it with userline and an
   offset circle to draw fatlines
 
+- im_draw_line() should clip x1/y1 x2/y2, cf. im_draw_line_user()
+
+  perhaps just put a clip in the plot thing, or have two plotters and pick the
+  clip one if start/end are within the image
+
 
 
 - rename most of the inplace ops as im_draw_line() etc.
diff --git a/libvips/deprecated/rename.c b/libvips/deprecated/rename.c
index 41714b11..2c8ec669 100644
--- a/libvips/deprecated/rename.c
+++ b/libvips/deprecated/rename.c
@@ -518,3 +518,9 @@ im_insertplace( IMAGE *main, IMAGE *sub, int x, int y )
 {
 	return( im_draw_image( main, x, y, sub ) );
 }
+
+int 
+im_fastline( IMAGE *im, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, PEL *pel )
+{
+	return( im_draw_line( im, x1, y1, x2, y2, pel ) );
+}
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/almostdeprecated.h b/libvips/include/vips/almostdeprecated.h
index 008af744..19f7ea1b 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/almostdeprecated.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/almostdeprecated.h
@@ -239,6 +239,8 @@ int im_flood_blob_copy( IMAGE *in, IMAGE *out, int x, int y, PEL *ink );
 int im_flood_other_copy( IMAGE *test, IMAGE *mark, IMAGE *out, 
 	int x, int y, int serial );
 
+int im_fastline( IMAGE *im, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, PEL *pel );
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif /*__cplusplus*/
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/inplace.h b/libvips/include/vips/inplace.h
index f2093df4..f9987d2b 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/inplace.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/inplace.h
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ int im_draw_circle( IMAGE *im,
 	int cx, int cy, int radius, gboolean fill, PEL *ink );
 
 int im_draw_image( IMAGE *main, int x, int y, IMAGE *sub );
-int im_fastline( IMAGE *im, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, PEL *pel );
+int im_draw_line( IMAGE *im, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, PEL *pel );
+
 int im_fastlineuser( IMAGE *im, 
 	int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, 
 	int (*fn)(), void *client1, void *client2, void *client3 );
diff --git a/libvips/inplace/line_draw.c b/libvips/inplace/line_draw.c
index aa1c826c..70c8f950 100644
--- a/libvips/inplace/line_draw.c
+++ b/libvips/inplace/line_draw.c
@@ -91,8 +91,33 @@
 
 /* Draw a line on a image.
  */
+
+/**
+ * im_draw_line:
+ * @im: image to draw on
+ * @x1: start point
+ * @y1: start point
+ * @x2: end point
+ * @y2: end point
+ * @ink: value to draw
+ *
+ * Draws a 1-pixel-wide line on an image. @x1, @y1 and @x2, @y2 must be 
+ * within the image.
+ *
+ * @ink is an array of bytes 
+ * containing a valid pixel for the image's format.
+ * It must have at least IM_IMAGE_SIZEOF_PEL( @im ) bytes.
+ *
+ * This an inplace operation, so @im is changed. It does not thread and will
+ * not work well as part of a pipeline. On 32-bit machines it will be limited
+ * to 2GB images.
+ *
+ * See also: im_draw_circle().
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, or -1 on error.
+ */
 int 
-im_fastline( IMAGE *im, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, PEL *pel )
+im_draw_line( IMAGE *im, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, PEL *pel )
 {	
 	int es = IM_IMAGE_SIZEOF_ELEMENT( im ); 
 	int ps = es * im->Bands;