diff --git a/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+-build.sh b/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+-build.sh
index 7fdc0b0a1ddc..997710525abb 100755
--- a/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+-build.sh
+++ b/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+-build.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 
-envpkgs="$glib $atk $pango"
+envpkgs="$glib $atk $pango $tiff $jpeg $png"
 . $stdenv/setup || exit 1
 export PATH=$pkgconfig/bin:$perl/bin:$PATH
 
+# !!! abstraction problem: libtiff optionally needs libjpeg's headers.
+# idem for libpng depending on zlib
+export NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE="-I$tiff/include -I$jpeg/include -I$png/include -I$zlib/include $NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE"
+
 tar xvfj $src || exit 1
 cd gtk+-* || exit 1
-./configure --prefix=$out --x-includes=/usr/X11/include --x-libraries=/usr/X11/lib || exit 1
+./configure --prefix=$out --x-includes=/usr/X11/include --x-libraries=/usr/X11/lib \
+ --with-libtiff=$tiff || exit 1
 make || exit 1
 make install || exit 1
 
diff --git a/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+.fix b/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+.fix
index 5171c040a10d..1384aaf389e5 100644
--- a/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+.fix
+++ b/pkgs/gtk+/gtk+.fix
@@ -14,5 +14,9 @@ Package(
   , ("atk", IncludeFix("atk/atk.fix"))
   , ("pango", IncludeFix("pango/pango.fix"))
   , ("perl", IncludeFix("perl/perl.fix"))
+  , ("tiff", IncludeFix("libtiff/libtiff.fix"))
+  , ("jpeg", IncludeFix("libjpeg/libjpeg.fix"))
+  , ("png", IncludeFix("libpng/libpng.fix"))
+  , ("zlib", IncludeFix("zlib/zlib.fix"))
   ]
 )
diff --git a/pkgs/gtkspell/gtkspell-build.sh b/pkgs/gtkspell/gtkspell-build.sh
index 52bf7db5204e..514d51c9b025 100755
--- a/pkgs/gtkspell/gtkspell-build.sh
+++ b/pkgs/gtkspell/gtkspell-build.sh
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@
 envpkgs="$gtk $pspell"
 . $stdenv/setup || exit 1
 export PATH=$pkgconfig/bin:$PATH
-
-export C_INCLUDE_PATH=$pspell/include:$C_INCLUDE_PATH
+export NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE="-I$pspell/include $NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE"
 
 tar xvfz $src || exit 1
 cd gtkspell-* || exit 1