Scanning

[db]

I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

[vallor]

I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our printer/scanner from
the laptop, bnut I only find software for printing. What software is
there for scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

I use xsane on Linux Mint. It's in Ubuntu universe.

[Carlos E.R.]

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

xsane is the tool used in the Linux world for scanning. There is also
another tool called "scanlittle" or something similar. I don't use it,
so I'm not sure of the name.

[D]

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Not an ubuntu-user, but I succesfully use simple scan together with an HP
2800e.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working

Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

[candycanearter07]

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Weird, XSane works fine for me on my Epson.

[Computer Nerd Kev]

Post by candycanearter07

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Weird, XSane works fine for me on my Epson.

With my Epson I found that the open-source drivers produced worse
images and they didn't have a way to turn on the slide-scanning
backlight. Epson offered their own closed-source Linux scanning
program that worked better with it.

On the other hand the open source drivers and Xsane work great with
the scanner built into my Brother laser printer. Just like with
cheap printers and Linux, it comes down to luck.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by Computer Nerd Kev

Post by candycanearter07

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Weird, XSane works fine for me on my Epson.

With my Epson I found that the open-source drivers produced worse
images and they didn't have a way to turn on the slide-scanning
backlight. Epson offered their own closed-source Linux scanning
program that worked better with it.

Exactly

Post by Computer Nerd Kev
On the other hand the open source drivers and Xsane work great with
the scanner built into my Brother laser printer. Just like with
cheap printers and Linux, it comes down to luck.

That is interesting to know
--
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will
eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such
time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic
and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally
important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for
the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the
truth is the greatest enemy of the State.

Joseph Goebbels

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by candycanearter07

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Weird, XSane works fine for me on my Epson.

I have a special scanner for 120 negatives.
V600 photo. Its one of the few scanners that will do that

Cheap scanners work well with xsane but this isn't a cheap scanner.
--
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will
eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such
time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic
and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally
important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for
the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the
truth is the greatest enemy of the State.

Joseph Goebbels

[vallor]

On Mon, 30 Sep 2024 19:40:08 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07

Post by candycanearter07

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Weird, XSane works fine for me on my Epson.

It works for the flatbed scanner on my HP all-in-one
(over the network) and used to work for my old Fujitsu
ScanSnap (over USB), which supported duplex color scanning.

(I see there's a new ScanSnap model out, decided to buy one to
replace the other one, which finally crapped out on me. Will
let you know if it works with xsane or not.)

[vallor]

(I see there's a new ScanSnap model out, decided to buy one to replace
the other one, which finally crapped out on me. Will let you know if it
works with xsane or not.)

The scanner works great, a Ricoh ScanSnap x1600 -- however, only
with USB. (wifi not supported).

I should have checked the compatibility list:

http://www.sane-project.org/sane-supported-devices.html

[Joerg Walther]

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

He could always try VueScan first from https://www.hamrick.com. This
should work with most scanners. It's commercial software but there is a
trial version which will tell you if your scanner is supported when run.

-jw-

[ambaraba]

Post by Joerg Walther

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

He could always try VueScan first from https://www.hamrick.com. This
should work with most scanners. It's commercial software but there is a
trial version which will tell you if your scanner is supported when run.
-jw-

+1 !

[TJ]

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Some folks give up too easily.

My old usb-only Officejet finally died on me about three years ago. I
only needed a scanner, because I had acquired two other printers by then.

So I went looking for a stand-alone scanner. My needs are modest, no
slides or anything like that, just a simple scanner, though the ability
to scan legal-sized documents would be nice. USB or wireless, I didn't
really care. I soon learned that the cheapest way to get a simple
scanner was to buy one with a printer attached.

I eventually bought an HP Envy Photo 7858. It was easy to set up as a
network printer and scanner in Mageia 9 Plasma, and the hplip driver
controls the scanner as well as the printer. It works just fine with
Xsane, by itself or using the Gimp plugin. I can run it with any
computer on the network.

TJ

[Chris Ahlstrom]

Post by TJ

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working

People still use Epson?

Post by TJ

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Heh, I bought a Canon LiDE scanner and it works (for scanning) out of the
box. For my purposes (scanning forms and old photos), the skanlite app works
fine.

Post by TJ
Some folks give up too easily.
My old usb-only Officejet finally died on me about three years ago. I
only needed a scanner, because I had acquired two other printers by then.
So I went looking for a stand-alone scanner. My needs are modest, no
slides or anything like that, just a simple scanner, though the ability
to scan legal-sized documents would be nice. USB or wireless, I didn't
really care. I soon learned that the cheapest way to get a simple
scanner was to buy one with a printer attached.
I eventually bought an HP Envy Photo 7858. It was easy to set up as a
network printer and scanner in Mageia 9 Plasma, and the hplip driver
controls the scanner as well as the printer. It works just fine with
Xsane, by itself or using the Gimp plugin. I can run it with any
computer on the network.

Is hplip still a bloated pita? I use a small wireless Brother printer.

Pun alert:
--
Several years ago, an international chess tournament was being held in a
swank hotel in New York. Most of the major stars of the chess world were
there, and after a grueling day of chess, the players and their entourages
retired to the lobby of the hotel for a little refreshment. In the lobby,
some players got into a heated argument about who was the brightest, the
fastest, and the best chess player in the world. The argument got quite
loud, as various players claimed that honor. At that point, a security
guard in the lobby turned to another guard and commented, "If there's
anything I just can't stand, it's chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by Chris Ahlstrom

Post by TJ

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working

People still use Epson?

If you want to scan 120/620 film negatives from 1942, yes.

Post by Chris Ahlstrom

Post by TJ

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Just give up NOW and buy a separate scanner, is my honest advice

Heh, I bought a Canon LiDE scanner and it works (for scanning) out of the
box. For my purposes (scanning forms and old photos), the skanlite app works
fine.

But not 80 year old black and white negatives.

Post by Chris Ahlstrom

Post by TJ
Some folks give up too easily.
My old usb-only Officejet finally died on me about three years ago. I
only needed a scanner, because I had acquired two other printers by then.
So I went looking for a stand-alone scanner. My needs are modest, no
slides or anything like that, just a simple scanner, though the ability
to scan legal-sized documents would be nice. USB or wireless, I didn't
really care. I soon learned that the cheapest way to get a simple
scanner was to buy one with a printer attached.
I eventually bought an HP Envy Photo 7858. It was easy to set up as a
network printer and scanner in Mageia 9 Plasma, and the hplip driver
controls the scanner as well as the printer. It works just fine with
Xsane, by itself or using the Gimp plugin. I can run it with any
computer on the network.

Is hplip still a bloated pita? I use a small wireless Brother printer.

HPlips generally drives my HP printers well

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

Post by The Natural Philosopher
HPlips generally drives my HP printers well

The irony is that HP has become notorious for forcing crap on Windows
users (and presumably Mac ones as well) with its printer driver
installations, yet it continues to sponsor an open-source project like
HPLIP, which offers reliable, efficient, crapware-free drivers for Linux
users.

[Charlie Gibbs]

Post by Chris Ahlstrom

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by db
I work under Kubuntu. I would like to control our
printer/scanner from the laptop, bnut I only find
software for printing. What software is there for
scanning, and might it be built into Kubuntu?

Scanning on Linux is dire.
I had to download drivers from Epson to get my Epson scanner even
approximately working

People still use Epson?

Yup. I'm on my second all-in-one, a WF-2760 which replaced the
similar WF-2540 when it finally gave up the ghost. They're cheap,
good enough for most things, and they get along well with Debian.

Post by Chris Ahlstrom
Is hplip still a bloated pita? I use a small wireless Brother printer.

I remember the days when HP was a well-respected manufacturer
of test equipment. Their early printers were good too - I had
a LaserJet IIp (plus a third-party PostScript cartridge) which
gave us years of reliable service. By the time it died, HP was
a shadow of its former self. But Samsung's star was still rising,
and their ML-2150 was a good laser printer too.

But getting back to scanners, Epson all-in-ones do the trick for me.
I needed to scan a lot of 8 1/2 x 11 sheets, though, and my search
for a sheet-fed scanner bought me to the Brother ADS-2700W, which
is a nice little unit - 60,000 pages and still going strong.

I couldn't be bothered doing the fiddling to make it work properly
with Debian, but it happily scans to a USB stick, which is good
enough for me. My wife can get at both it and the Epson from
her Macbook via wi-fi, though.
<groan>

[rbowman]

I remember the days when HP was a well-respected manufacturer of test
equipment. Their early printers were good too - I had a LaserJet IIp
(plus a third-party PostScript cartridge) which gave us years of
reliable service. By the time it died, HP was a shadow of its former
self. But Samsung's star was still rising,
and their ML-2150 was a good laser printer too.

Some people use the merger of two companies to select the strengths of
each. Fiorina managed to combine the weaknesses of HP and Compaq.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by rbowman

I remember the days when HP was a well-respected manufacturer of test
equipment. Their early printers were good too - I had a LaserJet IIp
(plus a third-party PostScript cartridge) which gave us years of
reliable service. By the time it died, HP was a shadow of its former
self. But Samsung's star was still rising,
and their ML-2150 was a good laser printer too.

Some people use the merger of two companies to select the strengths of
each. Fiorina managed to combine the weaknesses of HP and Compaq.

God was she ever crap.

It's strange. In most traditionally male dominated spheres when women
rise to the top they tend to be more competent.

Italy is full of top level female board members in engineering

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

Post by rbowman
Some people use the merger of two companies to select the strengths of
each. Fiorina managed to combine the weaknesses of HP and Compaq.

It’s a historical fact that company mergers (at least the megacorp-sized
ones) tend to be very much a hit-or-miss affair. Sometimes they work,
often they don’t.

They are best seen as corporate vanity projects by senior management,
rather than any serious attempt to benefit the respective businesses.

[Charlie Gibbs]

Post by Lawrence D'Oliveiro

Post by rbowman
Some people use the merger of two companies to select the strengths of
each. Fiorina managed to combine the weaknesses of HP and Compaq.

It’s a historical fact that company mergers (at least the megacorp-sized
ones) tend to be very much a hit-or-miss affair. Sometimes they work,
often they don’t.
They are best seen as corporate vanity projects by senior management,
rather than any serious attempt to benefit the respective businesses.

Oh, like Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas...

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

Post by Charlie Gibbs

Post by Lawrence D'Oliveiro
They are best seen as corporate vanity projects by senior management,
rather than any serious attempt to benefit the respective businesses.

Oh, like Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas...

Ho yus!

Also Microsoft and AQuantive, Microsoft and Danger/Hiptop, Microsoft and
LinkedIn, Microsoft and Mojang/Minecraft, Microsoft and Nokia, Microsoft
and Skype, Microsoft and GitHub ...

[[e-mail]]

Post by Lawrence D'Oliveiro

Post by rbowman
Some people use the merger of two companies to select the strengths of
each. Fiorina managed to combine the weaknesses of HP and Compaq.

It’s a historical fact that company mergers (at least the megacorp-sized
ones) tend to be very much a hit-or-miss affair. Sometimes they work,
often they don’t.
They are best seen as corporate vanity projects by senior management,
rather than any serious attempt to benefit the respective businesses.

"Tech" mergers/acquisitions ... the main idea is mostly
cannibalism. All the real expertise gets thrown away early
and the idea is to profit from the brand name/rep for a few
years before it's disappeared.

Solid, well-made/well-backed tech product ??? How 90s !!!

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

I remember the days when HP was a well-respected manufacturer of test
equipment.

That test-equipment division was spun off as a separate company called
“Agilent”. Though that in turn spun off the same division as yet another
separate company, “Keysight”.

So apparently you can still get that same sort of test gear if you want,
and are able to keep track of all the changing brand names ... hopefully
with the same legendary quality ...

Their early printers were good too - I had a LaserJet IIp
(plus a third-party PostScript cartridge) which gave us years of
reliable service.

They were good because HP didn’t make the laser print engines--they came
from Canon.

The original LaserJet (and Apple LaserWriter, with the PostScript built-
in) was built on the Canon LBP-CX engine. This LaserJet II looks like it
used the later LBP-SX engine.

I remember our computer centre looking a bit askance at the original Apple
LaserWriter, because the LBP-CX was only rated for 3000 pages per month --
not enough for a central campus printing service. Though lots of people
were saying that Canon underrated its engines, you could abuse them more
severely than that and they would hold up well under it.

But getting back to scanners, Epson all-in-ones do the trick for me.
...
I couldn't be bothered doing the fiddling to make it work properly with
Debian, but it happily scans to a USB stick, which is good enough for
me.

Same with my Epson.