How to print multiple copies of an image on a single page - gui

Question

I am looking for a GUI way to select one image file and print it multiple times on a single sheet of paper. This is basic functionality in other OS's, but my best shot for doing this in Ubuntu so far is this question: How to print multiple copies of an image on a single page

While that question got answers, they all seem to require either to use command-line, the will to workaround, or both. For many Ubuntu users that might be OK or a slight inconvenience (I find it quite annoying), but it's a no-go for many new users and discouraging for people considering to try out FLOSS.

Since other N-Up functionality, like printing a multi-page document with two or more pages per sheet of paper, works easily from most programs it would seem it should be trivial to achieve it for a single file. However, bugs like this one on Launchpad indicate difficulties...

So where does the problem actually live? Is this feature missing from CUPS, or is it a problem of the various programs? Neither gThumb, Shotwell, Okular, Ristretto nor any of the other programs I tried does this in a simple, straightforward manner.

How can this functionality be added to the system print dialog?

Answer 1

I don't know how to do it in the system print dialog, but I can with LibreOffice.

After installing LibreOffice (if it isn't already on your system), open LibreOffice Writer and add your desired image to the page at its upper left.

Choose Print, then the Page Layout tab, and set the number of pages per sheet.

Go back to General and under Range and Copies choose Pages. Use the same page number(s) n times, where n is the number of instances to print per sheet. For a one page document printed 4 times on a sheet, enter: 1,1,1,1. To print 9 images on three successive sheets, enter: 1-9,1-9,1-9.

You may need to change from portrait to landscape page, if the image is not a square, so check first with Print Preview.

Answer 2

It is possible from any application, without the need for LibreOffice, by making a detour via Print to File (virtual printer) before printing to your physical printer.

1. Choose Print from any application, and choose Print to File as your printer.
2. Enter the number of times you want to print on a page as # Copies. For example, when you ultimately want to print 2x2 on one A4 page, select 4 copies. Keep the media size as normal, for example A4.
3. Hit Print, which by default creates an output.pdf in your home.
4. Open this PDF in the common Evince Document Viewer. In our example, it will have 4 copies of the same page as 4 separate pages.
5. Choose Print, and now choose your physical printer.
6. In the Page Setup tab, set Pages per side to the same amount of copies as before, which is 4 in our example. The paper size can stay as normal, for example A4.
7. Finally hit Print.