diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 8209f3e2..aa2c2fea 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-- popplerload generates ARGB? need to do our own byteswap
-
 - add tests for popplerload, check docs, update c++
 
 - add load PDF from buffer
@@ -10,8 +8,6 @@
 
 - trim page edges? we often have black now
 
-- does poppler support other formats? SVG / PS / EPS
-
 - new vips_reduce:
 
 	affine
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/popplerload.c b/libvips/foreign/popplerload.c
index bd71fc20..1c64dc56 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/popplerload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/popplerload.c
@@ -183,11 +183,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_poppler_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 
 	/* We need an absolute path for a URI.
 	 */
-	if( !(path = realpath( poppler->filename, NULL )) ) {
-		vips_error_system( errno, class->nickname,
-			"%s", _( "unable to form filename" ) ); 
-		return( -1 );
-	}
+	path = vips_realpath( poppler->filename );
 	if( !(poppler->uri = g_filename_to_uri( path, NULL, &error )) ) { 
 		free( path );
 		vips_g_error( &error );
@@ -222,6 +218,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_poppler_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 
 	cairo_surface_t *surface;
 	cairo_t *cr;
+	int x, y;
 
 	/* Poppler won't always paint the background.
 	 */
@@ -246,6 +243,20 @@ vips_foreign_load_poppler_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 :( 
+	 */
+	for( y = 0; y < r->height; y++ ) {
+		VipsPel *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;
+		}
+	}
+
 	return( 0 ); 
 }
 
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/util.h b/libvips/include/vips/util.h
index 20288d6e..f648b4f1 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/util.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/util.h
@@ -293,6 +293,8 @@ char *vips__temp_name( const char *format );
 void vips__change_suffix( const char *name, char *out, int mx,
         const char *new_suff, const char **olds, int nolds );
 
+char *vips_realpath( const char *path );
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif /*__cplusplus*/
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/util.c b/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
index 75c75b82..80c874a8 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
@@ -1713,3 +1713,44 @@ vips__substitute( char *buf, size_t len, char *sub )
 
 	return( 0 ); 
 }
+
+/* Absoluteize a path. Free the result with g_free().
+ */
+char *
+vips_realpath( const char *path ) 
+{
+	char *real;
+
+#ifdef HAVE_REALPATH
+{
+	char *real2;
+
+	if( !(real = realpath( path, NULL )) ) {
+		vips_error_system( errno, "vips_realpath",
+			"%s", _( "unable to form filename" ) ); 
+		return( NULL );
+	}
+
+	/* We must return a path that can be freed with g_free().
+	 */
+	real2 = g_strdup( real );
+	free( real );
+	real = real2;
+}
+#else /*!HAVE_REALPATH*/
+{
+	char *real;
+
+	if( !g_path_is_absolute( path ) ) {
+		char *cwd;
+
+		cwd = g_get_current_dir();
+		real = g_build_filename( cwd, path );
+		g_free( cwd );
+	}
+	else
+		real = g_strdup( path );
+#endif
+
+	return( real );
+}