Imprint is a modern, safe, and mapper‑aware disk imaging tool built on partclone. It backs up only the used data, supports LUKS and LVM, and works both inside Linux and from a rescue ISO — without the complexity or the hardware limitations of older imaging tools.
- You can backup or restore unmounted non-system partitions from within your Linux operating system. You can backup and restore system partitions by booting with the Imprint Rescue ISO or booting to another Linux installation on the same computer.
- It only backs up the data on the partition -- no raw images that are the same size as the partition you're backing up.
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Rescue ISO
A lightweight Arch‑based environment for full offline backup/restore or when system partitions must remain unmounted. 👉 https://github.com/jalongx/imprint_iso_kde -
Full GUI and CLI support
Complete backup and restore functionality available interactively or headlessly, with unified progress output and consistent exit codes. -
Mapper‑aware device handling
Correctly detects and processes raw partitions, LUKS‑encrypted devices, and LVM logical volumes, including nested mapper stacks. -
Streaming backup pipeline
No temporary files or double I/O — data streams directly from partclone → compressor → destination. -
Fast compression
Supports lz4, zstd, and gzip for compatibility. -
Automatic SHA‑256 checksums
Every image includes a checksum for integrity verification. -
Chunked image support
Automatic handling of.000/.001chunk sets for FAT32, SMB, and portable storage, with robust validation to prevent incomplete restores. -
Metadata‑rich JSON
Each image includes structured metadata describing filesystem, backend, compression, chunking, and original partition size.
A formal schema will be documented for the 1.0 milestone. -
Streaming image inspection (sniffer)
Identifies compression type, filesystem backend, and Partclone headers without full decompression, enabling metadata‑free recovery paths. -
Safety‑first restore pipeline
Validates partition size, backend, chunk completeness, and metadata before restoring. Prevents restoring to the wrong device or mismatched filesystem. -
Clean restore UI
Only shows the correct entry for chunked images (e.g.,.000), reducing user error.
- Arch / Cachyos / EndeavourOS / Manjaro / Garuda / Anduin OS / ChimeraOS
sudo pacman -S partclone zenity lz4 zstd gzip
- Debian / Ubuntu / Linux Mint / Pop!_OS / Zorin OS
sudo apt update
sudo apt install partclone zenity lz4 zstd gzip
- Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / Nobara
sudo dnf install partclone zenity lz4 zstd gzip
- openSUSE Leap / Tumbleweed
sudo zypper install partclone zenity lz4 zstd gzip
- Download from the release page, or
- Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jalongx/imprint.git
cd imprint
./imprintb
./imprintr
Backup Example:
sudo ./imprintb /dev/sda3 /mnt/backup/myimage
./imprintb --help
Restore Example:
sudo ./imprintr /mnt/backup/myimage.000 /dev/sda3
./imprintr --help
Imprint works perfectly for Windows users when run from the Imprint Rescue ISO.
You do not need Linux installed — simply boot the ISO from a USB stick and you can:
- back up Windows partitions
- restore Windows partitions
- image NVMe, SATA, USB, and RAID volumes
- work offline without touching the installed OS
This makes Imprint a safe, modern alternative to classic tools like Clonezilla or Acronis — with a clean UI and strong integrity guarantees.
THIS IS BETA SOFTWARE. It works fine on my rather complex system but there are bound to be limitations and errors on other system setups. Imprint is stable for everyday use on the tested filesystems and environments, but it has not yet been validated across the full range of Linux distributions, storage hardware, and edge cases.
- It has only been tested on the following filesystems: Ext2/3/4, BTRFS, NTFS, FAT16/32/exFAT, XFS. Other filesystems supported by partclone should work, but they have not yet been formally tested.
- It has only been tested on NFS and SMB network filesystems.
- It inherits partclone's limitations: you cannot restore an image to a partition smaller than the original.
- It cannot restore an image to a bare drive. You have to create a partition big enough for it. The original partition size can be found in the metadata file accompanying the image.
- It currently backs up only one partition at a time in GUI mode. If you want to back up 3 partitions, you'll have to run it 3 times. However, you can script CLI mode to backup multiple partitions at once.
I’m a long‑time Windows user and gamer who recently moved to desktop Linux. I relied on partition imaging for backup/restore for decades. None of the backup software I have previously used would work on ext4 or btrfs. The Linux options I found required booting rescue ISOs that often lacked support for newer hardware (USB4/Thunderbolt enclosures, NVMe bridges, etc.). I also didn’t want to reboot into an ISO every time I needed to image a partition.
So I began writing a small wrapper around partclone… then added features… then added a rescue ISO…
Imprint now lets me easily create or restore an image for any partition I can safely unmount. For core system partitions, I boot into a tiny maintenance/rescue Linux installation (a habit from the early 1990s) and run Imprint from there. Once the rescue ISO was working, I decided that releasing the tool might benefit both long-time Linux users and other windows refugees like myself.
A lightweight Arch and KDE‑based rescue environment is available for full offline backup and restore, or when system partitions must remain unmounted. The ISO uses a modern Arch Linux kernel with broad hardware support, UEFI/BIOS boot, and standard driver coverage. It is designed for modern hardware; older systems may work but are untested (I don't have any older or BIOS-based systems to test it on). It includes network drivers and supports LAN and WiFi. Tested with NFS and SMB. Other network backends may work if they behave like a normal mounted filesystem (e.g., they appear as a normal directory), but they are not officially tested.
👉 https://github.com/jalongx/imprint_iso_kde
Imprint uses standard Linux tools:
- partclone
- zenity
- lz4, zstd, or gzip
- sha256sum
- pkexec (for privilege elevation)
Anything supported by partclone, including:
- ext4
- xfs
- btrfs
- ntfs
- fat/exfat
- f2fs
- and more
Encrypted volumes (e.g., LUKS) must be unlocked before use; Imprint backs up the underlying filesystem, not encrypted containers. LVM volumes work as long as the logical volume is active; Imprint backs up the filesystem inside the LV.
Imprint is currently version 0.92 — stable and fully usable, but still evolving.
Here’s what’s planned for the 1.0 milestone (and beyond):
- Command‑line switches for automation and headless use. ✔️ Completed
- GUI multi‑partition backup/restore
- Sniffer integration in the restore process to validate essential metadata values when metadata values are missing or corrupted. ✔️ Completed
- Verification‑only mode (validate images without restoring)
- Logging for headless operation.
- Improved documentation
Development is active, and the 1.0 milestone is focused on stability, polish, and core feature completeness rather than rapid expansion. The transition to 1.0 will not break existing images; backward compatibility is a priority.
Shows raw partitions, LUKS devices, and LVM logical volumes, sorted for clarity.
Automatically highlights the correct entry for chunked images (e.g., .000).
Command line backup of a LVM logical volume
Command line restore of a LVM logical volume
Imprint includes multiple safety checks and integrity safeguards, but disk imaging always carries inherent risk. If you are uncertain about any step, please ask for help before proceeding.
Imprint is provided without any warranty. I take no responsibility for any damage, data loss, or other consequences that may occur to your partitions, filesystems, or devices.