diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/header.h b/libvips/include/vips/header.h
index 5339428b..2f96fbfe 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/header.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/header.h
@@ -37,21 +37,36 @@
 extern "C" {
 #endif /*__cplusplus*/
 
-int im_header_int( VipsImage *im, const char *field, int *out );
-int im_header_double( VipsImage *im, const char *field, double *out );
-int im_header_string( VipsImage *im, const char *field, char **out );
-int im_header_as_string( VipsImage *im, const char *field, char **out );
-GType im_header_get_typeof( VipsImage *im, const char *field );
-int im_header_get( VipsImage *im, const char *field, GValue *value_copy );
+int vips_image_get_width( VipsImage *image );
+int vips_image_get_height( VipsImage *image );
+int vips_image_get_bands( VipsImage *image );
+VipsBandFormat vips_image_get_format( VipsImage *image );
+VipsCoding vips_image_get_coding( VipsImage *image );
+VipsInterpretation vips_image_get_interpretation( VipsImage *image );
+double vips_image_get_xres( VipsImage *image );
+double vips_image_get_yres( VipsImage *image );
+int vips_image_get_xoffset( VipsImage *image );
+int vips_image_get_yoffset( VipsImage *image );
+const char *vips_image_get_filename( VipsImage *image );
+const char *vips_image_get_mode( VipsImage *image );
+size_t vips_image_get_size( VipsImage *image );
 
-typedef void *(*im_header_map_fn)( VipsImage *, 
-	const char *, GValue *, void * );
-void *im_header_map( VipsImage *im, im_header_map_fn fn, void *a );
+int vips_image_get_int( VipsImage *im, const char *field, int *out );
+int vips_image_get_double( VipsImage *im, const char *field, double *out );
+int vips_image_get_string( VipsImage *im, const char *field, char **out );
+int vips_image_get_as_string( VipsImage *im, const char *field, char **out );
+GType vips_image_get_typeof( VipsImage *im, const char *field );
+int vips_image_get( VipsImage *im, const char *field, GValue *value_copy );
 
-int im_histlin( VipsImage *im, const char *fmt, ... )
+typedef void *(*VipsImageHeaderMapFn)( VipsImage *image, 
+	const char *field, GValue *value, void *a );
+void *vips_image_header_map( VipsImage *im, VipsImageHeaderMapFn fn, void *a );
+
+int vips_image_history_printf( VipsImage *image, const char *format, ... )
 	__attribute__((format(printf, 2, 3)));
-int im_updatehist( VipsImage *out, const char *name, int argc, char *argv[] );
-const char *im_history_get( VipsImage *im );
+int vips_image_history_args( VipsImage *image, 
+	const char *name, int argc, char *argv[] );
+const char *vips_image_get_history( VipsImage *image );
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/image.h b/libvips/include/vips/image.h
index eae7bd6f..bfcd1482 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/image.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/image.h
@@ -339,20 +339,6 @@ extern const size_t vips__image_sizeof_bandformat[];
 	 (X) * VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_PEL( I ))
 #endif /*VIPS_DEBUG*/
 
-int vips_image_get_width( VipsImage *image );
-int vips_image_get_height( VipsImage *image );
-int vips_image_get_bands( VipsImage *image );
-VipsBandFormat vips_image_get_format( VipsImage *image );
-VipsCoding vips_image_get_coding( VipsImage *image );
-VipsInterpretation vips_image_get_interpretation( VipsImage *image );
-double vips_image_get_xres( VipsImage *image );
-double vips_image_get_yres( VipsImage *image );
-int vips_image_get_xoffset( VipsImage *image );
-int vips_image_get_yoffset( VipsImage *image );
-const char *vips_image_get_filename( VipsImage *image );
-const char *vips_image_get_mode( VipsImage *image );
-size_t vips_image_size( VipsImage *image );
-
 void vips_image_written( VipsImage *image );
 void vips_image_invalidate_all( VipsImage *image );
 void vips_image_preeval( VipsImage *image );
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/header.c b/libvips/iofuncs/header.c
index 0af16f46..5ae4cf24 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/header.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/header.c
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@
  * 1/10/09
  * 	- rename as header.c
  * 	- gtkdoc comments
+ * 22/3/11
+ * 	- rename fields for vips8
+ * 	- move to vips_ prefix
  */
 
 /*
@@ -98,29 +101,107 @@ typedef struct _HeaderField {
 /* Built in fields and struct offsets.
  */
 static HeaderField int_field[] = {
-	{ "Xsize", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Xsize ) },
-	{ "Ysize", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Ysize ) },
-	{ "Bands", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Bands ) },
-	{ "Bbits", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Bbits ) },
-	{ "BandFmt", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, BandFmt ) },
-	{ "Coding", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Coding ) },
-	{ "Type", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Type ) },
-	{ "Xoffset", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Xoffset ) },
-	{ "Yoffset", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Yoffset ) }
+	{ "width", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Xsize ) },
+	{ "height", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Ysize ) },
+	{ "bands", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Bands ) },
+	{ "format", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, BandFmt ) },
+	{ "coding", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Coding ) },
+	{ "interpretation", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Type ) },
+	{ "xoffset", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Xoffset ) },
+	{ "yoffset", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Yoffset ) }
 };
 
 /* These are actually floats :-( how annoying. We report them as doubles for
  * consistency with the im_meta_*() functions.
  */
 static HeaderField double_field[] = {
-	{ "Xres", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Xres ) },
-	{ "Yres", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Yres ) }
+	{ "xres", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Xres ) },
+	{ "yres", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, Yres ) }
 };
 
 static HeaderField string_field[] = {
 	{ "filename", G_STRUCT_OFFSET( IMAGE, filename ) }
 };
 
+int
+vips_image_get_width( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Xsize );
+}
+
+int
+vips_image_get_height( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Ysize );
+}
+
+int
+vips_image_get_bands( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Bands );
+}
+
+VipsBandFormat
+vips_image_get_format( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->BandFmt );
+}
+
+VipsCoding
+vips_image_get_coding( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Coding );
+}
+
+VipsInterpretation
+vips_image_get_interpretation( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Type );
+}
+
+double
+vips_image_get_xres( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Xres );
+}
+
+double
+vips_image_get_yres( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Yres );
+}
+
+int
+vips_image_get_xoffset( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Xoffset );
+}
+
+int
+vips_image_get_yoffset( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->Yoffset );
+}
+
+const char *
+vips_image_get_filename( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->filename );
+}
+
+const char *
+vips_image_get_mode( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( image->mode );
+}
+
+size_t 
+vips_image_get_size( VipsImage *image )
+{
+	return( VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_LINE( image ) * image->Ysize );
+}
+
+
 /** 
  * im_header_int:
  * @im: image to get the header field from
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
index 6887650f..0c63b991 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
@@ -433,10 +433,6 @@ print_field_fn( IMAGE *im, const char *field, GValue *value, VipsBuf *buf )
 	const char *extra;
 	char *str_value;
 
-	str_value = g_strdup_value_contents( value );
-	vips_buf_appendf( buf, "%s: %s", field, str_value );
-	g_free( str_value );
-
 	/* Look for known enums and decode them.
 	 */
 	extra = NULL;
@@ -450,6 +446,10 @@ print_field_fn( IMAGE *im, const char *field, GValue *value, VipsBuf *buf )
 		extra = VIPS_ENUM_NICK( 
 			VIPS_TYPE_INTERPRETATION, g_value_get_int( value ) );
 
+	str_value = g_strdup_value_contents( value );
+	vips_buf_appendf( buf, "%s: %s", field, str_value );
+	g_free( str_value );
+
 	if( extra )
 		vips_buf_appendf( buf, " - %s", extra );
 
@@ -699,7 +699,7 @@ lazy_real_image( Lazy *lazy )
 		disc_threshold() && 
 	        !(vips_format_get_flags( lazy->format, lazy->filename ) & 
 			VIPS_FORMAT_PARTIAL) &&
-		vips_image_size( lazy->image ) > disc_threshold() ) {
+		vips_image_get_size( lazy->image ) > disc_threshold() ) {
 			if( !(real = vips_image_new_disc_temp( "%s.v" )) )
 				return( NULL );
 
@@ -1009,7 +1009,7 @@ vips_image_build( VipsObject *object )
 
 		/* Very common, so a special message.
 		 */
-		if( image->file_length < vips_image_size( image ) ) {
+		if( image->file_length < vips_image_get_size( image ) ) {
 			vips_error( "VipsImage", 
 				_( "unable to open %s: file too short" ), 
 				image->filename );
@@ -1019,7 +1019,7 @@ vips_image_build( VipsObject *object )
 		/* Just weird. Only print a warning for this, since we should
 		 * still be able to process it without coredumps.
 		 */
-		if( image->file_length > vips_image_size( image ) ) 
+		if( image->file_length > vips_image_get_size( image ) ) 
 			vips_warn( "VipsImage", 
 				_( "%s is longer than expected" ),
 				image->filename );
@@ -1256,87 +1256,6 @@ vips_image_init( VipsImage *image )
 	image->sizeof_header = IM_SIZEOF_HEADER;
 }
 
-/* Set of access functions.
- */
-
-int
-vips_image_get_width( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Xsize );
-}
-
-int
-vips_image_get_height( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Ysize );
-}
-
-int
-vips_image_get_bands( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Bands );
-}
-
-VipsBandFormat
-vips_image_get_format( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->BandFmt );
-}
-
-VipsCoding
-vips_image_get_coding( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Coding );
-}
-
-VipsInterpretation
-vips_image_get_interpretation( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Type );
-}
-
-double
-vips_image_get_xres( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Xres );
-}
-
-double
-vips_image_get_yres( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Yres );
-}
-
-int
-vips_image_get_xoffset( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Xoffset );
-}
-
-int
-vips_image_get_yoffset( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->Yoffset );
-}
-
-const char *
-vips_image_get_filename( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->filename );
-}
-
-const char *
-vips_image_get_mode( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( image->mode );
-}
-
-size_t 
-vips_image_size( VipsImage *image )
-{
-	return( VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_LINE( image ) * image->Ysize );
-}
-
 void
 vips_image_written( VipsImage *image )
 {