This section explains how to install a scanner through ScannerDrake, and how to use it with SANE and XSane (scanner interface software). We also present a list of other scanner interface software you could use with GNU/Linux.
![]() | Dica |
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Please note that not all scanners are supported under GNU/Linux. Before buying new hardware, remember to check out Mandriva's Hardware Database and the SANE home page for compatibility issues. |
The ScannerDrake wizard helps you install
your scanner. Make sure your scanner is powered on and launch
ScannerDrake by clicking on the
Scanners entry of the Mandriva Linux Control Center's
Hardware section.
The program tries to detect your scanner's manufacturer and model. If it finds one information about it is displayed in the upper part of the wizard's main window. Other options are also available (Figura 3.21, “Installing your Scanner”):
Click on to autodetect a new scanner you just plugged in. Click on if the automatic detection fails and look for the specific model you own by browsing through the list of available models.
After choosing the
appropriate model, you can leave the default Auto-detect
available ports option and click on
OK. If you have a parallel port scanner,
selecting /dev/parport0
in the pull-down list
should be the right choice.
Your scanner should now be installed and you should be ready to use the programs which come with SANE, XSane or other acquisition software.
![]() | Atenção |
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Note that HP multi-function devices, such as the OfficeJet and PSC printers, must be configured through PrinterDrake. Please refer to Seção 6, “Configuring Printers with PrinterDrake”. The scanning part of non-HP multi-function devices can be set up with ScannerDrake as a stand-alone scanner. |
To test that everything works correctly, launch xscanimage[2] from a terminal and try to acquire a picture from your scanner. You may first acquire a preview of the scanned image by clicking on the Preview window button, as shown in Figura 3.23, “Acquiring Images with xscanimage”.
Note that xscanimage can also be launched directly from GIMP by choosing + + → .
ScannerDrake allows for scanner sharing between users connected via a LAN. Installation is very easy: just click on and either select or depending on what you want to do. With these buttons you can define which machines are allowed to use your scanners and which remote scanners you want to use.
While xscanimage is more than enough for your basic scanning needs, more experienced and/or graphic-oriented users will want to use a more sophisticated program. XSane[3] offers more options and a more informative display during the image acquisition process.
You can launch XSane through the + → menu item. Several windows pop up on your screen.
Most modern scanners boast high resolutions, such as 1200, 1600 or 2400 DPI (Dots Per Inch). But it would be a mistake to perform all of your scanning at the maximum available resolution. You will notice very little — if any — quality difference between a 300 and a 600 DPI image scan, but the file size will grow exponentially, up to many MBs of disk space for a single image file.
The resolution value should be chosen according to the device on which the image is to be reproduced. For images to be viewed on computer monitors, e.g. for web sites, the resolution should be close to typical monitor resolution values, between 70 and 100 DPI. Higher values will result not only in bigger images, but the dimensions will also increase, so that an image scanned at 160 DPI instead of 80 will be about twice as large[4].
If you intend to print your images, a resolution of 300 DPI should be enough for most home printers. Increase this value if you have a very high quality printer.
Higher values should be chosen only for specific uses, such as enlarged images on very high quality printers, or quality scans of black and white originals. You will have to experiment a little until you're satisfied with the results.
By installing the
kdegraphics-kooka
and
ocrad
packages, you'll be able to use
Kooka, a simple graphical front-end to
SANE which is also able to perform
OCR tasks. To launch it, choose
+ → from the main
menu.
First choose the scanning device and then Kooka's main window appears.
Place the image you want to scan onto your scanner and click on at the bottom left of Kooka's window. For better results, you should choose the Grayscale Scan mode. Then adjust the resolution (200 DPI should be enough), select the part of the image to be scanned and click on .
To benefit from Kooka's OCR features, you must configure it. Access the → menu, click on OCR, and select the OCR engine you want to use.
Once this is done you can click on
this icon ( → ) and click on
. The resulting text will
appear along with a spell-correction window.
Here is a list of other scanner interface software which is known to work under GNU/Linux.
Users of the FLTK (“Fast Light Tool Kit”) graphic user interface could try FlScan, a FLTK front-end for SANE.
For EPSON scanners, you could download Image Scan! for Linux, a scanner utility provided free of charge to GNU/Linux users by EPSON KOWA Corporation.
While multi-functional HP devices are configured using PrinterDrake, owners of these devices should have a look at the HP Linux Inkjet Project. The developers involved in the project aim at providing GNU/Linux support for most Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet, PSC, LaserJet, and PhotoSmart printer multi-function peripherals (MFPs).
[2] The sane-frontends
package must be installed.
[3] The
xsane
package must be
installed.
[4] However scanning at a higher resolution and then reducing the resulting image size using graphic manipulation software such as GIMP is one method often used to obtain better results than directly scanning at the desired final resolution.