diff --git a/bindings/python/mapnik_image.cpp b/bindings/python/mapnik_image.cpp
index 4459edd21..7577878c3 100644
--- a/bindings/python/mapnik_image.cpp
+++ b/bindings/python/mapnik_image.cpp
@@ -121,24 +121,7 @@ bool painted(mapnik::image_32 const& im)
 
 bool is_solid(mapnik::image_32 const& im)
 {
-    if (im.width() > 0 && im.height() > 0)
-    {
-        mapnik::image_data_rgba8 const & data = im.data();
-        mapnik::image_data_rgba8::pixel_type const* first_row = data.getRow(0);
-        mapnik::image_data_rgba8::pixel_type const first_pixel = first_row[0];
-        for (unsigned y = 0; y < im.height(); ++y)
-        {
-            mapnik::image_data_rgba8::pixel_type const * row = data.getRow(y);
-            for (unsigned x = 0; x < im.width(); ++x)
-            {
-                if (first_pixel != row[x])
-                {
-                    return false;
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    return true;
+    return mapnik::is_solid(im.data());
 }
 
 unsigned get_pixel(mapnik::image_32 const& im, int x, int y)
diff --git a/bindings/python/mapnik_image_view.cpp b/bindings/python/mapnik_image_view.cpp
index 8894a96eb..4d448e40a 100644
--- a/bindings/python/mapnik_image_view.cpp
+++ b/bindings/python/mapnik_image_view.cpp
@@ -89,23 +89,7 @@ PyObject* view_tostring3(image_view_rgba8 const & view, std::string const& forma
 
 bool is_solid(image_view_rgba8 const& view)
 {
-    if (view.width() > 0 && view.height() > 0)
-    {
-        mapnik::image_view_rgba8::pixel_type const* first_row = view.getRow(0);
-        mapnik::image_view_rgba8::pixel_type const first_pixel = first_row[0];
-        for (unsigned y = 0; y < view.height(); ++y)
-        {
-            mapnik::image_view_rgba8::pixel_type const * row = view.getRow(y);
-            for (unsigned x = 0; x < view.width(); ++x)
-            {
-                if (first_pixel != row[x])
-                {
-                    return false;
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    return true;
+    return mapnik::is_solid(view);
 }
 
 void save_view1(image_view_rgba8 const& view,
diff --git a/include/mapnik/image.hpp b/include/mapnik/image.hpp
index ed2a1d1bc..d9ee28334 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/image.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/image.hpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #define MAPNIK_IMAGE_HPP
 
 #include <mapnik/image_data_any.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/config.hpp>
 
 namespace mapnik {
 
diff --git a/include/mapnik/image_util.hpp b/include/mapnik/image_util.hpp
index 0cec4782c..2c018a0bc 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/image_util.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/image_util.hpp
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/config.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image_data.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image_view.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/variant.hpp>
 
 // boost
 #pragma GCC diagnostic push
@@ -119,9 +120,7 @@ template <typename T>
 MAPNIK_DECL void set_premultiplied_alpha(T & image, bool status);
 
 template <typename T>
-void save_as_png(T const& image,
-                 std::string const& filename,
-                 rgba_palette const& palette);
+MAPNIK_DECL bool is_solid (T const& image);
 
 inline bool is_png(std::string const& filename)
 {
diff --git a/src/image.cpp b/src/image.cpp
index f30d025f2..6e71b80c9 100644
--- a/src/image.cpp
+++ b/src/image.cpp
@@ -52,54 +52,10 @@ image image::read_from_file(std::string const& filename)
         return image();
     }
 }
-/*
-namespace detail {
-
-struct save_to_file_visitor
-{
-    save_to_file_visitor(std::string const& filename, std::string const& format)
-        : filename_(filename),
-          format_(format) {}
-
-    void operator() (image_data_rgba8 const& data) const
-    {
-        save_to_file(data,filename_, format_);
-    }
-
-    void operator() (image_data_gray16 const& data) const
-    {
-        if (format_ == "tiff") // only TIFF supported
-        {
-            std::ofstream file (filename_.c_str(), std::ios::out| std::ios::trunc|std::ios::binary);
-            if (file)
-            {
-                tiff_config config;
-                save_as_tiff(file, data, config);
-            }
-            else throw ImageWriterException("Could not write file to " + filename_ );
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            throw std::runtime_error("Error: saving gray16 image as " + format_  + " is not supported");
-        }
-    }
-
-    template <typename T>
-    void operator() (T const& data) const
-    {
-        throw std::runtime_error("Error: saving " + std::string(typeid(data).name()) + " as " + format_  + " is not supported");
-    }
-
-    std::string const& filename_;
-    std::string const& format_;
-};
-
-}*/
 
 void image::save_to_file(std::string const& filename, std::string const& format)
 {
     mapnik::save_to_file(data_, filename, format);
-    //util::apply_visitor(detail::save_to_file_visitor(filename, format), data_);
 }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/image_util.cpp b/src/image_util.cpp
index f71fe334f..359ba06a6 100644
--- a/src/image_util.cpp
+++ b/src/image_util.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/image_util_webp.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image_data.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image_data_any.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/image_view_any.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/memory.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image_view.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/palette.hpp>
@@ -397,6 +398,75 @@ template std::string save_to_string<image_data_any>(image_data_any const&,
                                                     std::string const&,
                                                     rgba_palette const& palette);
 
+namespace detail {
+
+struct is_solid_visitor
+{
+    template <typename T>
+    bool operator() (T const & data)
+    {
+        using pixel_type = typename T::pixel_type;
+        if (data.width() > 0 && data.height() > 0)
+        {
+            pixel_type const* first_row = data.getRow(0);
+            pixel_type const first_pixel = first_row[0];
+            for (unsigned y = 0; y < data.height(); ++y)
+            {
+                pixel_type const * row = data.getRow(y);
+                for (unsigned x = 0; x < data.width(); ++x)
+                {
+                    if (first_pixel != row[x])
+                    {
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+};
+
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_data_rgba8> (image_data_rgba8 const& data);
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_data_gray8> (image_data_gray8 const& data);
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_data_gray16> (image_data_gray16 const& data);
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_data_gray32f> (image_data_gray32f const& data);
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_view_rgba8> (image_view_rgba8 const& data);
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_view_gray8> (image_view_gray8 const& data);
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_view_gray16> (image_view_gray16 const& data);
+template bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_view_gray32f> (image_view_gray32f const& data);
+
+template<>
+bool is_solid_visitor::operator()<image_data_null> (image_data_null const&)
+{
+    return true;
+}
+
+} // end detail ns
+
+template <typename T>
+MAPNIK_DECL bool is_solid(T const& image)
+{
+    return util::apply_visitor(detail::is_solid_visitor(), image);
+}
+
+template bool is_solid<image_data_any> (image_data_any const&);
+template bool is_solid<image_view_any> (image_view_any const&);
+
+// Temporary until image_data_rgba8 is removed from passing
+template <>
+MAPNIK_DECL bool is_solid<image_data_rgba8>(image_data_rgba8 const& image)
+{
+    detail::is_solid_visitor visitor;
+    return visitor(image);
+}
+
+// Temporary until image_view_rgba8 is removed from passing
+template <>
+MAPNIK_DECL bool is_solid<image_view_rgba8>(image_view_rgba8 const& image)
+{
+    detail::is_solid_visitor visitor;
+    return visitor(image);
+}
 
 namespace detail {