Automatic Mandala Coloring PDF Generator

Generate beautiful, printable mandalas for coloring, perfectly formatted as PDFs for A4 paper.
All layout, margins, and centering are handled automatically.

---

Preview

See Example_images to see more examples.

---

Features

• Perfect PDF layout for A4: Mandalas are always centered and never cropped.
• Customizable styles: Choose between random motifs or geometric (classical) mandalas.
• Color names: Optionally print a color name inside every closed area (helpful for kids/learning).
• Batch generation: Easily produce multiple unique mandalas in a single run.
• Windows, Mac, Linux support via automatic dependency checks and install guides.
• Simple configuration via config.json; interactive setup if the file is missing.
• Clean output: Only PDFs are kept; all temporary files are wiped after each run.

---

Installation

1. Dependencies

• Python 3
• LaTeX (pdflatex)
• Python packages: matplotlib, numpy

---

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-extra -y

---

Windows

Install Chocolatey (Windows package manager), then:

choco install python3 -y
choco install miktex -y

Common pip issues on Windows

If after installing Python via Chocolatey pip does not work or is not found, follow these steps:

1. Check if pip is available:

   where pip

   If no result, pip is not installed or not in PATH.

2. Try running pip via Python:

   python -m pip --version

   If this shows an error, pip is likely missing.

3. Manual pip installation:

   • Download the official get-pip.py script and save it to your computer.
   • Open a Command Prompt in the folder where you saved the script.
   • Run:

     python get-pip.py

   • This will install pip.

4. Add pip to PATH (if still not found):

   • Locate where pip was installed, typically in:

     C:\Users\<YOUR_USER>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python3x\Scripts\
     

   • Add this folder to your system's PATH:
     • Open "Edit environment variables" in Windows.
     • Add the above path to the PATH variable and restart the Command Prompt.

5. Test pip:

   pip --version

   or

   python -m pip --version

If you still have issues, pip can always be used with the python -m pip ... syntax!

---

Mac

Install Homebrew (Mac package manager), then:

brew install python
brew install --cask mactex

---

Python packages

pip install -r requirements.txt

---

Usage

1. Place all project files in the same folder.
2. Edit (or create) your config.json for custom settings (see below).
3. Run the generator:

python main.py

4. Find your PDFs in the output/ folder.

---

Configuration

All options are set in config.json.
If the file is missing, the script will ask you for all settings interactively.

Example:

{
    "color_hint_mode": "number",
    "color_mode": "advanced",
    "batch_count": 2,
    "mandala_style": "geometric",
    "mandala_max_radius": 1.32
}

See config-parameters.md for a full description of each option.

---

Expected Behavior

• PDFs are always perfectly formatted for A4 paper, with a large square mandala centered.
• No cropping, no layout errors.
• If you want color names inside each area, set write_color_names to true.
• Choose style (random or geometric) and color list (basic or advanced) freely.
• You can generate as many PDFs as you want with one run.
• If you run the script with no config file, you’ll be prompted to enter every option.

---

Troubleshooting

• Missing dependencies: The script will show install instructions for your OS.
• LaTeX errors: Make sure pdflatex is installed and in your PATH.
• Images not centered: Check your LaTeX installation and make sure you're using the latest version of the code.
• Windows pip issue: See the detailed guide in the Windows installation section above.

---

Shield:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.