diff --git a/src/ui/widget/canvas.cpp b/src/ui/widget/canvas.cpp
index 8330282ecf600c29ffdb1991fdbb3642d2c25a32..54a6d98dd5d557e8d2b7609cbb31d3e5a0de8021 100644
--- a/src/ui/widget/canvas.cpp
+++ b/src/ui/widget/canvas.cpp
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@
  *   them "externally" (e.g. gradient CanvasItemCurves).
  */
 
+// Do updates either on idle or on draw signal
+static bool const use_signal_idle = Glib::getenv("USE_SIGNAL_IDLE") == "1";
+
 struct PaintRectSetup {
     Geom::IntRect canvas_rect;
     gint64 start_time;
@@ -89,6 +92,41 @@ struct PaintRectSetup {
     Geom::Point mouse_loc;
 };
 
+class FpsReporter
+{
+    std::string m_label;
+    unsigned m_fps = 0;
+    unsigned m_last_fps = 0;
+    std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::high_resolution_clock> m_t_report;
+
+public:
+    FpsReporter(const char *label)
+        : m_label(label)
+    {}
+
+    bool operator()(bool quiet=false)
+    {
+        ++m_fps;
+
+        auto t_now = std::chrono::high_resolution_clock::now();
+
+        if (t_now - m_t_report < std::chrono::seconds(1)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        m_last_fps = m_fps;
+
+        if (!quiet) {
+            std::cerr << m_label << " fps " << m_fps << std::endl;
+        }
+
+        m_fps = 0;
+        m_t_report = t_now;
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    unsigned fps() const { return m_last_fps; }
+};
 
 namespace Inkscape {
 namespace UI {
@@ -769,6 +807,14 @@ void Canvas::on_size_allocate(Gtk::Allocation &allocation)
 bool
 Canvas::on_draw(const::Cairo::RefPtr<::Cairo::Context>& cr)
 {
+    static FpsReporter fpsreporter(__PRETTY_FUNCTION__);
+    fpsreporter();
+
+    if (!use_signal_idle && _need_paint) {
+        _need_paint = false;
+        do_update();
+    }
+
     // sp_canvas_item_recursive_print_tree(0, _root);
     // canvas_item_print_tree(_canvas_item_root);
 
@@ -934,6 +980,20 @@ Canvas::add_idle()
         return;
     }
 
+    if (!use_signal_idle) {
+        auto draw_region = Cairo::Region::create(Cairo::RectangleInt{
+            _x0,
+            _y0,
+            _allocation.get_width(),
+            _allocation.get_height(),
+        });
+        draw_region->subtract(_clean_region);
+        draw_region->translate(_allocation.get_x() - _x0, _allocation.get_y() - _y0);
+        queue_draw_region(draw_region);
+        _need_paint = true;
+        return;
+    }
+
     if (get_realized() && !_idle_connection.connected()) {
         Inkscape::Preferences *prefs = Inkscape::Preferences::get();
         guint redrawPriority = prefs->getIntLimited("/options/redrawpriority/value", G_PRIORITY_HIGH_IDLE, G_PRIORITY_HIGH_IDLE, G_PRIORITY_DEFAULT_IDLE);
@@ -957,6 +1017,9 @@ Canvas::remove_idle()
 bool
 Canvas::on_idle()
 {
+    static FpsReporter fpsreporter(__PRETTY_FUNCTION__);
+    fpsreporter();
+
     if (_in_destruction) {
         std::cerr << "Canvas::on_idle: Called after canvas destroyed!" << std::endl;
     }
@@ -988,6 +1051,9 @@ Canvas::on_idle()
 bool
 Canvas::do_update()
 {
+    static FpsReporter fpsreporter(__PRETTY_FUNCTION__);
+    fpsreporter();
+
     assert(_canvas_item_root);
     assert(_drawing);
 
@@ -1021,6 +1087,9 @@ Canvas::do_update()
 bool
 Canvas::paint()
 {
+    static FpsReporter fpsreporter(__PRETTY_FUNCTION__);
+    fpsreporter();
+
     if (_need_update) {
         std::cerr << "Canvas::Paint: called while needing update!" << std::endl;
     }
diff --git a/src/ui/widget/canvas.h b/src/ui/widget/canvas.h
index a902088909cf455878add344f254669497c23743..e93b0b6901b4ef14c9eb2eb3a8502a3f91dc9727 100644
--- a/src/ui/widget/canvas.h
+++ b/src/ui/widget/canvas.h
@@ -209,6 +209,7 @@ private:
     // Drawing
     bool _drawing_disabled = false;  ///< Disable drawing during critical operations
     bool _need_update = true; // Set true so setting CanvasItem bounds are calculated at least once.
+    bool _need_paint = true;
     CanvasItemGroup *_canvas_item_root = nullptr;
     Inkscape::Drawing *_drawing = nullptr;