diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index 2faeeb6723d58643b927ce4799a879aa646f588e..6604ad7df6fcf9c60c7890b315000f1d038c72f3 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ Description: Python2 Installation framework
 
 Package: python-installsystems
 Architecture: all
-Depends: ${misc:Depends}, ${python:Depends}, python-paramiko, python-argparse (>= 1.2.1), python-progressbar (>= 2.3), python-jinja2, python-configobj
+Depends: ${misc:Depends}, ${python:Depends}, python-paramiko, python-argparse (>= 1.2.1), python-progressbar (>= 2.3), python-jinja2, python-configobj, bzip2, xz-utils
+Recommends: pbzip2
 XB-Python-Version: ${python:Versions}
 Description: Python2 Installation framework - Python2 modules
  This package provides InstallSystems Python modules
diff --git a/doc/is.1.rst b/doc/is.1.rst
index f35308ee4d4fd3c29f53fcf66d65d591e0585a57..df4468f2737cd48140012bd7e4833ce338dbe705 100644
--- a/doc/is.1.rst
+++ b/doc/is.1.rst
@@ -386,9 +386,19 @@ InstallSystems use two kind of images:
        | author = Toto <toto@example.com>
        | is_min_version = 9
 
+    Description file can also specify the compressor to use for payloads. Four compressors are available: 'none' (no compression), 'gzip', 'bzip2' and 'xz'. For each compressor, you can declare a globbing pattern to select specific payloads (use commas to separate patterns). Be careful, order matters. Here is an example:
+
+        |
+        | [compressor]
+        | gzip = \*
+        | xz = rootfs\*
+        | none = \*.gz, \*.bz2, \*.xz
+
+    The default compressor will be gzip, xz will be used for payload matching rootfs\* and each payload whose name ends with .gz, .bz2 and .xz will not be compressed.
+
 **packaged image**
 
-    Built images are called packaged images. They are versionned, gzipped and ready to deploy. Like source images, package images still make the difference between scripts and payloads. But it doesn't make difference between build, parser and setup scripts. In fact you will have at least two tarballs:
+    Built images are called packaged images. They are versionned, compressed and ready to deploy. Like source images, package images still make the difference between scripts and payloads. But it doesn't make difference between build, parser and setup scripts. In fact you will have at least two tarballs:
 
     image_name.isimage
         This tarball contains build/, parser/, setup/, description and changelog.
diff --git a/installsystems/image.py b/installsystems/image.py
index 2a6d4c47084baed63279b8d68fb1cd5e18d73c4f..d7f3ddbdabc1ade76a508464cf1a0b20e4d62638 100644
--- a/installsystems/image.py
+++ b/installsystems/image.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import configobj
 import cStringIO
 import difflib
 import imp
+import fnmatch
 import json
 import locale
 import math
@@ -56,6 +57,9 @@ version = IS_version
 description = string
 author = string
 is_min_version = IS_min_version
+
+[compressor]
+__many__ = force_list
 """
 
 
@@ -68,6 +72,7 @@ class Image(object):
     # before version 6, it's strict string comparaison
     format = "1"
     extension = ".isimage"
+    default_compressor = "gzip"
 
     @staticmethod
     def check_image_name(buf):
@@ -266,7 +271,8 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
                 "version": "1",
                 "description": "",
                 "author": "",
-                "is_min_version": installsystems.version}}
+                "is_min_version": installsystems.version,
+                "compressor": "gzip = *\nnone = *.gz, *.bz2, *.xz"}}
         # create changelog example from template
         examples["changelog"] = {"path": "changelog", "content": istemplate.changelog}
         # create build example from template
@@ -427,6 +433,7 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
         ans["gid"] = source_stat.st_gid
         ans["mode"] = stat.S_IMODE(source_stat.st_mode)
         ans["mtime"] = source_stat.st_mtime
+        ans["compressor"] = self.compressor(name)
         return ans
 
     def select_payloads(self):
@@ -466,10 +473,12 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
                 if not os.path.exists(paydesc["dest_path"]):
                     if paydesc["isdir"]:
                         self.create_payload_tarball(paydesc["dest_path"],
-                                                    paydesc["source_path"])
+                                                    paydesc["source_path"],
+                                                    paydesc["compressor"])
                     else:
                         self.create_payload_file(paydesc["dest_path"],
-                                                 paydesc["source_path"])
+                                                 paydesc["source_path"],
+                                                 paydesc["compressor"])
                 # create versionned payload file
                 if os.path.lexists(paydesc["link_path"]):
                     os.unlink(paydesc["link_path"])
@@ -477,13 +486,13 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
             except Exception as e:
                 raise ISError(u"Unable to create payload %s" % payload_name, e)
 
-    def create_payload_tarball(self, tar_path, data_path):
+    def create_payload_tarball(self, tar_path, data_path, compressor):
         '''
         Create a payload tarball
         '''
         try:
             # get compressor argv (first to escape file creation if not found)
-            a_comp = istools.get_compressor_path(self.compressor, compress=True)
+            a_comp = istools.get_compressor_path(compressor, compress=True)
             a_tar = ["tar", "--create", "--numeric-owner", "--directory",
                      data_path, "."]
             # create destination file
@@ -511,13 +520,13 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
                 os.unlink(tar_path)
             raise
 
-    def create_payload_file(self, dest, source):
+    def create_payload_file(self, dest, source, compressor):
         '''
         Create a payload file
         '''
         try:
             # get compressor argv (first to escape file creation if not found)
-            a_comp = istools.get_compressor_path(self.compressor, compress=True)
+            a_comp = istools.get_compressor_path(compressor, compress=True)
             # open source file
             f_src = open(source, "r")
             # create destination file
@@ -633,6 +642,8 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
         arrowlevel(1)
         # copy description
         desc = self.description.copy()
+        # only store compressor patterns
+        desc["compressor"] = desc["compressor"]["patterns"]
         # timestamp image
         arrow("Timestamping")
         desc["date"] = int(time.time())
@@ -657,7 +668,8 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
                 "uid": payload_desc["uid"],
                 "gid": payload_desc["gid"],
                 "mode": payload_desc["mode"],
-                "mtime": payload_desc["mtime"]
+                "mtime": payload_desc["mtime"],
+                "compressor": payload_desc["compressor"]
                 }
         arrowlevel(-1)
         # check md5 are uniq
@@ -692,6 +704,17 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
                         installsystems.printer.error('Wrong description file, %s %s: %s' % (section, optname, error))
             for n in ("name","version", "description", "author", "is_min_version"):
                 d[n] = cp["image"][n]
+            d["compressor"] = {}
+            # set payload compressor
+            d["compressor"]["patterns"] = cp["compressor"].items()
+            if not d["compressor"]["patterns"]:
+                d["compressor"]["patterns"] = [(Image.default_compressor, "*")]
+            for compressor, patterns in cp["compressor"].items():
+                # is a valid compressor?
+                istools.get_compressor_path(compressor)
+                for pattern in patterns:
+                    for payname in fnmatch.filter(self.select_payloads(), pattern):
+                        d["compressor"][payname] = compressor
         except Exception as e:
             raise ISError(u"Bad description", e)
         return d
@@ -714,13 +737,15 @@ class SourceImage(Image):
             raise ISError(u"Bad changelog", e)
         return cl
 
-    @property
-    def compressor(self):
+    def compressor(self, payname):
         '''
-        Return image compressor
+        Return payload compressor
         '''
-        # currently only support gzip
-        return "gzip"
+        try:
+            return self.description["compressor"][payname]
+        except KeyError:
+            # set default compressor if no compressor is specified
+            return Image.default_compressor
 
 
 class PackageImage(Image):
@@ -846,6 +871,17 @@ class PackageImage(Image):
             desc.update(json.loads(img_desc))
             self.check_image_name(desc["name"])
             self.check_image_version(desc["version"])
+            if "compressor" not in desc:
+                desc["compressor"] = "gzip = *"
+            else:
+                # format compressor pattern string
+                compressor_str = ""
+                for compressor, patterns in desc["compressor"]:
+                    # if pattern is not empty
+                    if patterns != ['']:
+                        compressor_str += "%s = %s\n" % (compressor, ", ".join(patterns))
+                # remove extra endline
+                desc["compressor"] = compressor_str[:-1]
             # add is_min_version if not present
             if "is_min_version" not in desc:
                 desc["is_min_version"] = 0
@@ -1155,7 +1191,7 @@ class Payload(object):
         '''
         Return payload compress format
         '''
-        return self._compressor if self._compressor is not None else "gzip"
+        return self._compressor if self._compressor is not None else Image.default_compressor
 
     @property
     def info(self):
diff --git a/installsystems/template.py b/installsystems/template.py
index 3643f06e8e20f55a4fe7527078b288c14f0a3ae1..9e7961bdcd398c75ab2db4213ec43f4bd49418ac 100644
--- a/installsystems/template.py
+++ b/installsystems/template.py
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ version = %(version)s
 description = %(description)s
 author = %(author)s
 is_min_version = %(is_min_version)s
+
+[compressor]
+%(compressor)s
 """
 
 changelog = u"""[1]
diff --git a/installsystems/tools.py b/installsystems/tools.py
index 9d2e884f57387dbfa4829bb9e0cbc9d2d3dfa9c3..f2e592cb476af442af4cd8045de728da7bcec233 100644
--- a/installsystems/tools.py
+++ b/installsystems/tools.py
@@ -671,11 +671,13 @@ def get_compressor_path(name, compress=True, level=None):
     Return better compressor argv from its generic compressor name
     e.g: bzip2 can return pbzip2 if available or bzip2 if not
     '''
-    compressors = {"gzip": [["gzip", "--no-name", "--stdout"]],
+    compressors = {"none": [["cat"]],
+                   "gzip": [["gzip", "--no-name", "--stdout"]],
                    "bzip2": [["pbzip2", "--stdout"],
                              ["bzip2", "--compress", "--stdout"]],
                    "xz": [["xz", "--compress", "--stdout"]]}
-    decompressors = {"gzip": [["gzip", "--decompress", "--stdout"]],
+    decompressors = {"none": [["cat"]],
+                     "gzip": [["gzip", "--decompress", "--stdout"]],
                      "bzip2": [["pbzip2","--decompress", "--stdout"],
                                ["bzip2", "--decompress", "--stdout"]],
                      "xz": [["xz", "--decompress", "--stdout"]]}