1sane(7) SANE Scanner Access Now Easy sane(7)
2
6 sane - Scanner Access Now Easy: API for accessing scanners
7
10 SANE is an application programming interface (API) that provides stan‐
11 dardized access to any raster image scanner hardware. The standardized
12 interface makes it possible to write just one driver for each scanner
13 device instead of one driver for each scanner and application.
14 While SANE is primarily targeted at a UNIX environment, the standard
16 has been carefully designed to make it possible to implement the API on
17 virtually any hardware or operating system.
18 This manual page provides a summary of the information available about
20 SANE.
21 If you have trouble getting your scanner detected, read the PROBLEMS
23 section.
24
27 An application that uses the SANE interface is called a SANE frontend.
28 A driver that implements the SANE interface is called a SANE backend.
29 A meta backend provides some means to manage one or more other back‐
30 ends.
31
35 The package `sane-backends' contains a lot of backends, documentation
36 (including the SANE standard), networking support, and the command line
37 frontend `scanimage'. The frontends `xscanimage', `xcam', and
38 `scanadf' are included in the package `sane-frontends'. Both packages
39 can be downloaded from the SANE homepage (http://www.sane-
40 project.org/). Information about other frontends and backends can also
41 be found on the SANE homepage.
42
45 The following sections provide short descriptions and links to more
46 information about several aspects of SANE. A name with a number in
47 parenthesis (e.g. `sane-dll(5)') points to a manual page. In this case
48 `man 5 sane-dll' will display the page. Entries like
49 `/usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/sane.tex' are references to text
50 files that were copied to the SANE documentation directory
51 (/usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/) during installation. Everything
52 else is a URL to a resource on the web.
53 SANE homepage
56 Information on all aspects of SANE including a tutorial and a link to
57 the SANE FAQ can be found on the SANE homepage: http://www.sane-
58 project.org/.
59 SANE device lists
61 The SANE device lists contain information about the status of SANE
62 support for a specific device. If your scanner is not listed there
63 (either supported or unsupported), please contact us. See section HOW
64 CAN YOU HELP SANE for details. There are lists for specific releases
65 of SANE, for the current development version and a search engine:
66 http://www.sane-project.org/sane-supported-devices.html. The lists
67 are also installed on your system at /usr/share/doc/sane-back‐
68 ends-1.0.18/.
69 SANE mailing list
71 There is a mailing list for the purpose of discussing the SANE stan‐
72 dard and its implementations: sane-devel. Despite its name, the list
73 is not only intended for developers, but also for users. There are
74 also some more lists for special topics, however, for users, sane-
75 devel is the right list. How to subscribe and unsubscribe:
76 http://www.sane-project.org/mailing-lists.html.
77 SANE IRC channel
79 The IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel #sane can be found on the
80 Freenode network (irc.freenode.net). It's for discussing SANE prob‐
81 lems, talking about development and general SANE related chatting.
82 Before asking for help, please read the other documentation mentioned
83 in this manual page. The channel's topic is also used for announce‐
84 ments of problems with SANE infrastructure (mailing lists, web
85 server, etc.).
86 Compiling and installing SANE
88 Look at /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/README and the os-depen‐
89 dent README files for information about compiling and installing
90 SANE.
91 SCSI configuration
93 For information about various systems and SCSI controllers see sane-
94 scsi(5).
95 USB configuration
97 For information about USB configuration see sane-usb(5).
98
101 scanimage
102 Command-line frontend. See scanimage(1).
103 saned
105 SANE network daemon that allows remote clients to access image acqui‐
106 sition devices available on the local host. See saned(8).
107 sane-find-scanner
109 Command-line tool to find SCSI and USB scanners and determine their
110 Unix device files. See sane-find-scanner(1).
111 Also, have a look at the sane-frontends package (including xscanimage,
113 xcam, and scanadf) and the frontend information page at
114 http://www.sane-project.org/sane-frontends.html.
115
118 abaton
119 The SANE backend for Abaton flatbed scanners supports the Scan 300/GS
120 (8bit, 256 levels of gray) and the Scan 300/S (black and white,
121 untested). See sane-abaton(5) for details.
122 agfafocus
124 This backend supports AGFA Focus scanners and the Siemens S9036
125 (untested). See sane-agfafocus(5) for details.
126 apple
128 The SANE backend for Apple flatbed scanners supports the following
129 scanners: AppleScanner, OneScanner and ColorOneScanner. See sane-
130 apple(5) for details.
131 artec
133 The SANE Artec backend supports several Artec/Ultima SCSI flatbed
134 scanners as well as the BlackWidow BW4800SP and the Plustek 19200S.
135 See sane-artec(5) for details.
136 artec_eplus48u
138 The SANE artec_eplus48u backend supports the scanner Artec E+ 48U and
139 re-badged models like Tevion MD 9693, Medion MD 9693, Medion MD 9705
140 and Trust Easy Webscan 19200. See sane-artec_eplus48u(5) for details.
141 as6e
143 This is a SANE backend for using the Artec AS6E parallel port inter‐
144 face scanner. See sane-as6e(5) for details.
145 avision
147 This backend supports several Avision based scanners. This includes
148 the original Avision scanners (like AV 630, AV 620, ...) as well as
149 the HP ScanJet 53xx and 74xx series, Fujitsu ScanPartner, some Mit‐
150 subishi and Minolta film-scanners. See sane-avision(5) for details.
151 bh
153 The bh backend provides access to Bell+Howell Copiscan II series doc‐
154 ument scanners. See sane-bh(5) for details.
155 canon
157 The canon backend supports the CanoScan 300, CanoScan 600, and
158 CanoScan 2700F SCSI flatbed scanners. See sane-canon(5) for details.
159 canon630u
161 The canon630u backend supports the CanoScan 630u and 636u USB scan‐
162 ners. See sane-canon630u(5) for details.
163 canon_pp
165 The canon_pp backend supports the CanoScan FB330P, FB630P, N340P and
166 N640P parallel port scanners. See sane-canon_pp(5) for details.
167 coolscan
169 This is a SANE backend for Nikon Coolscan film-scanners. See sane-
170 coolscan(5) for details.
171 coolscan2
173 This is a SANE backend for Nikon Coolscan film-scanners. See sane-
174 coolscan2(5) or http://coolscan2.sourceforge.net for details.
175 epson
177 The SANE epson backend provides support for Epson SCSI, parallel port
178 and USB flatbed scanners. See sane-epson(5) for details.
179 fujitsu
181 The fujitsu backend provides support for most Fujitsu SCSI and USB,
182 flatbed and adf scanners. See sane-fujitsu(5) for details.
183 genesys
185 The genesys backend provides support for scanners based on the
186 Genesys Logic GL646 and GL841 chips like the Medion 6471 and Hewlett-
187 Packard 2300c. Support for GL841 based scanners is far from being
188 complete. See sane-genesys(5) for details.
189 gt68xx
191 The gt68xx backend provides support for scanners based on the
192 Grandtech GT-6801 and GT-6816 chips like the Artec Ultima 2000 and
193 several Mustek BearPaw CU and TA models. Some Genius, Lexmark,
194 Medion, Packard Bell, Plustek, and Trust scanners are also supported.
195 See sane-gt68xx(5) for details.
196 hp
198 The SANE hp backend provides access to Hewlett-Packard ScanJet scan‐
199 ners which support SCL (Scanner Control Language by HP). See sane-
200 hp(5) for details.
201 hpsj5s
203 The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 5S scanner. See
204 sane-hpsj5s(5) for details.
205 hp3500
207 The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 3500 series. See
208 sane-hp3500(5) for details.
209 hp4200
211 The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 4200 series. See
212 sane-hp4200(5) for details.
213 hp5400
215 The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 54XXC series. See
216 sane-hp5400(5) for details.
217 ibm
219 The SANE backend for some IBM and Ricoh SCSI scanners. See sane-
220 ibm(5) for details.
221 leo
223 This backend supports the Leo S3 and the Across FS-1130, which is a
224 re-badged LEO FS-1130 scanner. See sane-leo(5) for details.
225 lexmark
227 This backend supports the Lexmark X1100 series of USB scanners. See
228 sane-lexmark(5) for details.
229 ma1509
231 The ma1509 backend supports the Mustek BearPaw 1200F USB flatbed
232 scanner. See sane-ma1509(5) for details.
233 matsushita
235 This backend supports some Panasonic KVSS high speed scanners. See
236 sane-matsushita(5) for details.
237 microtek
239 The microtek backend provides access to the "second generation"
240 Microtek scanners with SCSI-1 command set. See sane-microtek(5) for
241 details.
242 microtek2
244 The microtek2 backend provides access to some Microtek scanners with
245 a SCSI-2 command set. See sane-microtek2(5) for details.
246 mustek
248 The SANE mustek backend supports most Mustek SCSI flatbed scanners
249 including the Paragon and ScanExpress series and the 600 II N and 600
250 II EP (non-SCSI). Some Trust scanners are also supported. See sane-
251 mustek(5) for details.
252 mustek_pp
254 The mustek_pp backend provides access to Mustek parallel port flatbed
255 scanners. See sane-mustek_pp(5) for details.
256 mustek_usb
258 The mustek_usb backend provides access to some Mustek ScanExpress USB
259 flatbed scanners. See sane-mustek_usb(5) for details.
260 mustek_usb2
262 The mustek_usb2 backend provides access to scanners using the SQ113
263 chipset like the Mustek BearPaw 2448 TA Pro USB flatbed scanner. See
264 sane-mustek_usb2(5) for details.
265 nec
267 The SANE nec backend supports the NEC PC-IN500/4C SCSI scanner. See
268 sane-nec(5) for details.
269 niash
271 The niash backend supports the Agfa Snapscan Touch and the HP ScanJet
272 3300c, 3400c, and 4300c USB flatbed scanners. See sane-niash(5) for
273 details.
274 pie
276 The pie backend provides access to Pacific Image Electronics (PIE)
277 and Devcom SCSI flatbed scanners. See sane-pie(5) for details.
278 pixma
280 The pixma backend supports Canon PIXMA MP series (multi-function
281 devices). See sane-pixma(5) or http://home.arcor.de/wittawat/pixma/
282 for details.
283 plustek
285 The SANE plustek backend supports USB flatbed scanners that use the
286 National Semiconductor LM983[1/2/3]-chipset aka Merlin. Scanners
287 using this LM983x chips include some models from Plustek, KYE/Genius,
288 Hewlett-Packard, Mustek, Umax, Epson, and Canon. See sane-plustek(5)
289 for details.
290 plustek_pp
292 The SANE plustek_pp backend supports Plustek parallel port flatbed
293 scanners. Scanners using the Plustek ASIC P96001, P96003, P98001 and
294 P98003 include some models from Plustek, KYE/Genius, Primax. See
295 sane-plustek_pp(5) for details.
296 ricoh
298 The ricoh backend provides access to the following Ricoh flatbed
299 scanners: IS50 and IS60. See sane-ricoh(5) for details.
300 s9036
302 The s9036 backend provides access to Siemens 9036 flatbed scanners.
303 See sane-s9036(5) for details.
304 sceptre
306 The sceptre backend provides access to the Sceptre S1200 flatbed
307 scanner. See sane-sceptre(5) for details.
308 sharp
310 The SANE sharp backend supports Sharp SCSI scanners. See sane-
311 sharp(5) for details.
312 sm3600
314 The SANE sm3600 backend supports the Microtek ScanMaker 3600 USB
315 scanner. See sane-sm3600(5) for details.
316 sm3840
318 The SANE sm3840 backend supports the Microtek ScanMaker 3840 USB
319 scanner. See sane-sm3840(5) for details.
320 snapscan
322 The snapscan backend supports AGFA SnapScan flatbed scanners. See
323 sane-snapscan(5) for details.
324 sp15c
326 This backend supports the Fujitsu FCPA ScanPartner 15C flatbed scan‐
327 ner. See sane-sp15c(5) for details.
328 st400
330 The sane-st400 backend provides access to Siemens ST400 and ST800.
331 See sane-st400(5) for details.
332 tamarack
334 The SANE tamarack backend supports Tamarack Artiscan flatbed scan‐
335 ners. See sane-tamarack(5) for details.
336 teco1 teco2 teco3
338 The SANE teco1, teco2 and teco3 backends support some TECO scanners,
339 usually sold under the Relisys, Trust, Primax, Piotech, Dextra names.
340 See sane-teco1(5), sane-teco2(5) and sane-teco3(5) for details.
341 u12
343 The sane-u12 backend provides USB flatbed scanners based on Plustek's
344 ASIC 98003 (parallel-port ASIC) and a GeneSys Logics' USB-parport
345 bridge chip like the Plustek OpticPro U(T)12. See sane-u12(5) for
346 details.
347 umax
349 The sane-umax backend provides access to several UMAX-SCSI-scanners
350 and some Linotype Hell SCSI-scanners. See sane-umax(5) for details.
351 umax_pp
353 The sane-umax_pp backend provides access to Umax parallel port
354 flatbed scanners and the HP 3200C. See sane-umax_pp(5) for details.
355 umax1200u
357 The sane-umax1220u backend supports the UMAX Astra 1220U (USB)
358 flatbed scanner (and also the UMAX Astra 2000U, sort of). See sane-
359 umax1220u(5) for details.
360 Also, have a look at the backend information page at http://www.sane-
362 project.org/sane-supported-devices.html and the list of projects in
363 /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/PROJECTS.
364
367 dc210
368 Backend for Kodak DC210 Digital Camera. See sane-dc210(5).
369 dc240
371 Backend for Kodak DC240 Digital Camera. See sane-dc240(5).
372 dc25
374 Backend for Kodak DC20/DC25 Digital Cameras. See sane-dc25(5).
375 dmc
377 Backend for the Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera. See sane-dmc(5).
378 gphoto2
380 Backend for digital cameras supported by the gphoto2 library package.
381 (See http://www.gphoto.org for more information and a list of sup‐
382 ported cameras.) Gphoto2 supports over 140 different camera models.
383 However, please note that more development and testing is needed
384 before all of these cameras will be supported by SANE backend. See
385 sane-gphoto2(5).
386 qcam
388 Backend for Connectix QuickCam cameras. See sane-qcam(5).
389 stv680
391 The sane-st680 backend provides access to webcams with a stv680 chip.
392 See sane-st680(5) for details.
393 Also, have a look at the backend information page at http://www.sane-
395 project.org/sane-supported-devices.html and the list of projects in
396 /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/PROJECTS.
397
400 dll
401 The sane-dll library implements a SANE backend that provides access
402 to an arbitrary number of other SANE backends by dynamic loading. See
403 sane-dll(5).
404 net
406 The SANE network daemon saned provides access to scanners located on
407 different computers in connection with the net backend. See sane-
408 net(5) and saned(8).
409 pnm
411 PNM image reader pseudo-backend. The purpose of this backend is pri‐
412 marily to aid in debugging of SANE frontends. See sane-pnm(5).
413 pint
415 Backend for scanners that use the PINT (Pint Is Not Twain) device
416 driver. The PINT driver is being actively developed on the OpenBSD
417 platform, and has been ported to a few other *nix-like operating sys‐
418 tems. See sane-pint(5).
419 test
421 The SANE test backend is for testing frontends and the SANE installa‐
422 tion. It provides test pictures and various test options. See sane-
423 test(5).
424 v4l
426 The sane-v4l library implements a SANE backend that provides generic
427 access to video cameras and similar equipment using the V4L (Video
428 for Linux) API. See sane-v4l(5).
429 Also, have a look at the backend information page at http://www.sane-
431 project.org/sane-supported-devices.html and the list of projects in
432 /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/PROJECTS.
433
436 By default, all SANE backends (drivers) are loaded dynamically by the
437 sane-dll meta backend. If you have any questions about the dynamic
438 loading, read sane-dll(5). SANE frontend can also be linked to other
439 backends directly by copying or linking a backend to libsane.so in
440 /usr/lib*/sane.
441
443 It's not hard to write a SANE backend. It can take some time, however.
444 You should have basic knowledge of C and enough patience to work
445 through the documentation and find out how your scanner works. Appended
446 is a list of some documents that help to write backends and frontends.
447 The SANE standard defines the application programming interface (API)
449 that is used to communicate between frontends and backends. It can be
450 found at /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/sane.ps (if latex is
451 installed on your system) and on the SANE website: http://www.sane-
452 project.org/html/ (HTML), or http://www.sane-project.org/sane.ps (Post‐
453 script).
454 There is some more information for programmers in /usr/share/doc/sane-
456 backends-1.0.18/backend-writing.txt. Most of the internal SANE rou‐
457 tines (sanei) are documented using doxygen: http://www.sane-
458 project.org/sanei/. Before a new backend or frontend project is
459 started, have a look at /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/PROJECTS
460 for projects that are planned or not yet included into the SANE distri‐
461 bution and at our bug-tracking system: http://www.http://www.sane-
462 project.org/bugs.html.
463 There are some links on how to find out about the protocol of a scan‐
465 ner: http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/misc/develop.html.
466 If you start writing a backend or frontend or any other part of SANE,
469 please contact the sane-devel mailing list for coordination so the same
470 work isn't done twice.
471
474 /etc/sane.d/*.conf
475 The backend configuration files.
476 /usr/lib*/sane/libsane-*.a
478 The static libraries implementing the backends.
479 /usr/lib*/sane/libsane-*.so
481 The shared libraries implementing the backends (present on sys‐
482 tems that support dynamic loading).
483 /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/*
485 SANE documentation: The standard, READMEs, text files for back‐
486 ends etc.
487
490 If your device isn't found but you know that it is supported, make sure
491 that it is detected by your operating system. For SCSI and USB scan‐
492 ners, use the sane-find-scanner tool (see sane-find-scanner(1) for
493 details). It prints one line for each scanner it has detected and some
494 comments (#). If sane-find-scanner finds your scanner only as root but
495 not as normal user, the permissions for the device files are not
496 adjusted correctly. If the scanner isn't found at all, the operating
497 system hasn't detected it and may need some help. Depending on the type
498 of your scanner, read sane-usb(5) or sane-scsi(5). If your scanner (or
499 other device) is not connected over the SCSI bus or USB, read the back‐
500 end's manual page for details on how to set it up.
501 Now your scanner is detected by the operating system but not by SANE?
503 Try scanimage -L. If the scanner is not found, check that the back‐
504 end's name is mentioned in /etc/sane.d/dll.conf. Some backends are
505 commented out by default. Remove the comment sign for your backend in
506 this case. Also some backends aren't compiled at all if one of their
507 prerequisites are missing. Examples include dc210, dc240, canon_pp,
508 hpsj5s, gphoto2, pint, qcam, v4l, net, sm3600, snapscan, pnm. If you
509 need one of these backends and they aren't available, read the build
510 instructions in the README file and the individual manual pages of the
511 backends.
512 Another reason for not being detected by scanimage -L may be a missing
514 or wrong configuration in the backend's configuration file. While SANE
515 tries to automatically find most scanners, some can't be setup cor‐
516 rectly without the intervention of the administrator. Also on some
517 operating systems auto-detection may not work. Check the backend's man‐
518 ual page for details.
519 If your scanner is still not found, try setting the various environment
521 variables that are available to assist in debugging. The environment
522 variables are documented in the relevant manual pages. For example, to
523 get the maximum amount of debug information when testing a Mustek SCSI
524 scanner, set environment variables SANE_DEBUG_DLL, SANE_DEBUG_MUSTEK,
525 and SANE_DEBUG_SANEI_SCSI to 128 and then invoke scanimage -L . The
526 debug messages for the dll backend tell if the mustek backend was found
527 and loaded at all. The mustek messages explain what the mustek backend
528 is doing while the SCSI debugging shows the low level handling. If you
529 can't find out what's going on by checking the messages carefully, con‐
530 tact the sane-devel mailing list for help (see REPORTING BUGS below).
531 Now that your scanner is found by scanimage -L, try to do a scan: scan‐
533 image >image.pnm. This command starts a scan for the default scanner
534 with default settings. All the available options are listed by running
535 scanimage --help. If scanning aborts with an error message, turn on
536 debugging as mentioned above. Maybe the configuration file needs some
537 tuning, e.g. to setup the path to a firmware that is needed by some
538 scanners. See the backend's manual page for details. If you can't find
539 out what's wrong, contact sane-devel.
540 To check that the SANE libraries are installed correctly you can use
542 the test backend, even if you don't have a scanner or other SANE
543 device:
544 scanimage -d test -T
546 You should get a list of PASSed tests. You can do the same with your
548 backend by changing "test" to your backend's name.
549 So now scanning with scanimage works and you want to use one of the
551 graphical frontends like xsane, xscanimage, or quiteinsane but those
552 frontends don't detect your scanner? One reason may be that you
553 installed two versions of SANE. E.g. the version that was installed by
554 your distribution in /usr and one you installed from source in
555 /usr/local/. Make sure that only one version is installed. Another
556 possible reason is, that your system's dynamic loader can't find the
557 SANE libraries. For Linux, make sure that /etc/ld.so.conf contains
558 /usr/local/lib and does not contain /usr/local/lib/sane. See also the
559 documentation of the frontends.
560
562 We appreciate any help we can get. Please have a look at our web page
563 about contributing to SANE: http://www.sane-project.org/contrib.html
564
566 For reporting bugs or requesting new features, please use our bug-
567 tracking system: http://www.sane-project.org/bugs.html. You can also
568 contact the author of your backend directly. Usually the email address
569 can be found in the /usr/share/doc/sane-backends-1.0.18/AUTHORS file or
570 the backend's manpage. For general discussion about SANE, please use
571 the SANE mailing list sane-devel (see http://www.sane-project.org/mail‐
572 ing-lists.html for details).
573
575 saned(8), sane-find-scanner(1), scanimage(1), sane-abaton(5), sane-
576 agfafocus(5), sane-apple(5), sane-artec(5), sane-artec_eplus48u(5),
577 sane-as6e(5), sane-avision(5), sane-bh(5), sane-canon(5), sane-
578 canon630u(5), sane-canon_pp(5), sane-coolscan2(5), sane-coolscan(5),
579 sane-dc210(5), sane-dc240(5), sane-dc25(5), sane-dll(5), sane-dmc(5),
580 sane-epson(5), sane-fujitsu(5), sane-genesys(5), sane-gphoto2(5), sane-
581 gt68xx(5), sane-hp(5), sane-hpsj5s(5), sane-hp3500(5), sane-hp4200(5),
582 sane-hp5400(5), sane-ibm(5), sane-leo(5), sane-lexmark(5), sane-
583 ma1509(5), sane-matsushita(5), sane-microtek2(5), sane-microtek(5),
584 sane-mustek(5), sane-mustek_pp(5), sane-mustek_usb(5), sane-
585 mustek_usb2(5), sane-nec(5), sane-net(5), sane-niash(5), sane-pie(5),
586 sane-pint(5), sane-plustek(5), sane-plustek_pp(5), sane-pnm(5), sane-
587 qcam(5), sane-ricoh(5), sane-s9036(5), sane-sceptre(5), sane-scsi(5),
588 sane-sharp(5), sane-sm3600(5), sane-sm3840(5), sane-snapscan(5), sane-
589 sp15c(5), sane-st400(5), sane-stv680(5), sane-tamarack(5), sane-
590 teco1(5), sane-teco2(5), sane-teco3(5), sane-test(5), sane-u12(5),
591 sane-umax1220u(5), sane-umax(5), sane-umax_pp(5), sane-usb(5), sane-
592 v4l(5)
593
596 David Mosberger-Tang and many many more (see /usr/share/doc/sane-back‐
597 ends-1.0.18/AUTHORS for details). This man page was written by Henning
598 Meier-Geinitz. Quite a lot of text was taken from the SANE standard,
599 several man pages, and README files.
600sane-backends 1.0.18 16 October 2005 sane(7)