GIMP Indexprint/Contactsheet plugin

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What is indexprint/contactsheet?

An indexprint or contactsheet is an image that traditionally contains the negative images of an entire roll of film. Photographers used such sheets to index prints or as a proof page to decide which prints to enlarge.

Indexprint is a very useful tool to show the contents of a folder, for web design projects and galleries, personal work, or just to have a record of any archive folder in your (external) hard drives. Indexprint let you easily preview and catalog groups of images by displaying a series of (small) images on a single page or multiple pages.

From version 3.20 on indexprint has the possibility to show the exif information 'date and time', 'iso', 'speed', and 'F-number' if exist otherwise 'no exif data' will be printed. From version 3.31 and higher also JPEG XR formats can be printed. From v4 on the interface has been rebuild and also some new features has been added.

For detailed installation notes (windows, Linux) scroll down (also for lineborder 2 and other plugins).

Quick overview Indexprint V4.00r3

Indexprint v4.00r3 development

Read and Save page	Page options page
Image options page.	other page.
	.
Extended options page.	.

Indexprint (or contactsheet) is a python script that generates an indexprint or contactsheet containing a configurable number of (positive) images. If there are more images than fits on the page, new contactsheets are created. Also, the image name to the images can be printed.

The pictures above are samples how indexprint/contactsheet works. For the default indexprint I have defined only three pictures on a row and three rows. I also wanted the filename including the extension printed. As result all pictures are scaled and centered within there respective minipages.

Besides indexprint/contactsheet function you can use the program also in a creative sense. Put a lot of photos, pictures in a directory, set number of columns and rows very high, and create a "random mosaic picture" with given images.

You can download in the download section the latest version of the indexprint/contactsheet plugin. The plugin placed here is fully functional and free and also published at the GIMP registry. Download and use of the plugin is at your own risk. From time to time the plugin placed on the GIMP registry will be updated with a newer version from this site. See for version 3 and 4 (http://registry.gimp.org/node/24503) and for version 2 (http://registry.gimp.org/node/120).

Enjoy indexprint!!

Download section

Known problems and limitations

1. Downloading and using the development version is at your own risk. It is likely to stop without warning but it doesn't not harm your computer. The errorlog file is growing if you don't delete it. But you can help me to test/debug this version. Send all found errors to me by sending me a mail or post your comment on the registry (http://registry.gimp.org/node/24503). Mail address at the bottom.
2. Changes
• See below: Version history

1. Printing with GIMP (windows version) gives a rightshift of the indexpage for unknown reasons. Use Gutenprint plugin instead. This is not directly related to the indexprint plugin. Remember indexprint print option uses only the standard printerdriver from Gimp not Gutenprint.
2. BUG: Characters with accent will not be recognised in the top folder.
3. BUG: When you choose 1 column and 2 rows, two columns are printed.
4. BUG: Images with exif enabled overwrite the pagenumber.
5. Rotate means that a picture will be rotated when his longest side is vertical.
6. PS/EPS render defaults to 72 dpi instead of the asked one. At the moment a workaround for windows systems is to set an environment variable with "dpi 300"

1. Printing with GIMP (windows version) gives a rightshift of the contactpage for unknown reasons. Use Gutenprint plugin instead. This is not directly related to the contact sheet plugin. Remember contactsheet print option uses only the standard printerdriver from Gimp not Gutenprint.
2. If you are working with a white foreground in your work your text will not be displayed because the background is also white. A possible work around is to disable the WHITE_FILL line in the code or use v3.xx instead.
3. Fixed Bug "type-error" encoutered when working with newer software. This apllies also to contactsheet-smallscreen.

Version history

Installation notes

• Install GIMP 2.8.x
• Only for Windows users: Download "Add-Glade-Gimp-2.8" from here or the registry, unpack and copy/move the files into the appropiate directories.
• Install Indexprint.
• Install UFRAW, JPGXR and exiv2.
• Enjoy!

Windows XP users

• First install Python
• Restart system.
• Install pygtk, pygobject, pycairo.
• Restart system, on most systems not necessary.
• (Re)install GIMP
• Install language pack (contactsheet.mo) into the GIMP locale directory ([drive]:\Program Files\GIMP-2.0\share\locale\[your language dir]\contactsheet.mo
• Install your plugin into: [drive]:\Documents and Settings\[user]\.gimp-2.6\plug-ins\contactsheet.py. The plugin is now only available for you.
• It's possible that you have to set your LANG environment system variable. Open control panel -> system -> system properties -> environment Variables -> add system variables: LANG with value [your language code] (mine is 'nl').

• First install Python 2.6.6
• Restart system.
• Install pycairo-1.8.6-py26 (http://www.pygtk.org/downloads.html)
• Install pygobject-2.20.0-py26
• Install pygtk-2.16-0+glade.win32-py26 (there are two versions of it: one with and one without glade, use the one with glade: http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/binaries/win32/pygtk/2.16/)
• Restart the system, on most systems not necessary.
• (Re)install GIMP 2.6.10/11
• Unzip the contents of the zip file into: [drive]:\Documents and Settings\[user]\.gimp-2.6\plug-ins\ folder. The plugin is now only available for you.
• Copy "libglade-2.0-0.dll" in the Gimps bin folder or but not recommended put the file in the system32 folder (http://ftp.acc.umu.se/pub/gnome/binaries/win32/libglade/2.6/ or search it on your system).
• Restart Gimp.
• Enjoy indexprint.
• =====
• Optional: using ps/eps files install ghostscript/ghostview. You can find it here: http://www.ghostscript.com or http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/
• Optional: using exif data install pyexiv2. Download it from http://tilloy.net/dev/pyexiv2/download.html --> windows section. But use only installer version 0.2.2 NOT 0.3.0 !!
• Optional: using RAW files UFRAW must be installed. Download UFRAW v1.18 for Gimp: http://registry.gimp.org/node/31 (For RW2 use v1.18 or newer).
• Optional: using JPEG XR you must first install the JPEG XR plugin from the registry (http://registry.gimp.org/node/25508).

Windows Vista users:

Windows 7 users:

LINUX users

• Install python (2.6.5/2.6.6)
• Copy the plug-in contactsheet.py to /home/[user]/.gimp-2.6/plug-ins/ or for all users: /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/
• Make the plug-in executable with chmod +x /home/[user]/.gimp-2.6/plug-ins/contactsheet.py or chmod +x /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/contactsheet.py or use a filemanager to make it executable.
• Copy language file (contactsheet.mo) in /usr/share/locale//LC_MESSAGES/ (i.e. /usr/share/locale/fr/LC_MESSAGES/ for French). Thanks to Luc Novales for a updated howto install.

• Install python (2.6.5/2.6.6)
• Unzip the contents of the zip file into /home/[user]/.gimp-2.6/plug-ins/ or for all users: /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/
• Make the plug-in executable with chmod +x /home/[user]/.gimp-2.6/plug-ins/indexprint.py or chmod +x /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/indexprint.py or use a filemanager to make it executable.
• =====
• Optional: using ps/eps files install ghostscript/ghostview. You can find it here: http://www.ghostscript.com or http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/
• Optional: using exif data install pyexiv2. Download it from http://tilloy.net/dev/pyexiv2/download.html --> Linux distribution section. Ubuntu users should use the packagemanager.
• Optional: using RAW files install UFRAW v0.18.
• Optional: using JPEG XR you must first install the JPEG XR plugin from the registry (http://registry.gimp.org/node/25508).

• It seems that pyexiv2 is necessary although not programmed. Reason unknown. Install is easy. Open software center and search for phyton-pyexiv2 and install it.
• On some distributions gtk2 and libglade should be installed. Enter in a terminal screen: sudo apt-get install python-gtk2 python-glade2 this should install the missing files.

MAC users

To Do/Wishlist

• Bugfixes only, no other plans.

• A French translation file: help will be grateful.
• Done. A German translation file: help will be grateful.
• suggestion: adding more exif data but which ??
• Done in V4. From Vincent: adding focal length
• Done in V4. suggestion: adding a simple pageborder/photoborder ??
• Other suggestions
• From Vincent: sorting on date, focal length, exif information, etc.

• Number of images to print.
• Adding more exif data like camera model and ....??
• Advanced sorting routine.
• Progressbar.
• Previewpane

Windows release of printer-help

Contact information