SANE Scanner Access Now Easy sane(7)
NAME
sane - Scanner Access Now Easy: API for accessing scanners
DESCRIPTION
SANE is an application programming interface (API) that pro-
vides standardized access to any raster image scanner
hardware. The standardized interface makes it possible to
write just one driver for each scanner device instead of one
driver for each scanner and application.
While SANE is primarily targeted at a UNIX environment, the
standard has been carefully designed to make it possible to
implement the API on virtually any hardware or operating
system.
This manual page provides a summary of the information
available about SANE.
If you have trouble getting your scanner detected, read the
PROBLEMS section.
TERMINOLOGY
An application that uses the SANE interface is called a SANE
frontend. A driver that implements the SANE interface is
called a SANE backend. A meta backend provides some means to
manage one or more other backends.
SOFTWARE PACKAGES
The package `sane-backends' contains a lot of backends,
documentation (including the SANE standard), networking sup-
port, and the command line frontend `scanimage'. The fron-
tends `xscanimage', `xcam', and `scanadf are included in the
package `sane-frontends'. Both packages can be downloaded
from the SANE homepage (http:/www.sane-project.org/).
Information about other frontends and backends can also be
found on the SANE homepage.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The following sections provide short descriptions and links
to more information about several aspects of SANE. A name
with a number in parenthesis (e.g. `sane-dll(5)') points to
a manual page. In this case `man 5 sane-dll' will display
the page. Entries like `/usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/sane.tex' are
references to text files that were copied to the SANE docu-
mentation directory (/usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/) during installa-
tion. Everything else is a URL to a resource on the web.
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SANE homepage
Information on all aspects of SANE including a tutorial
and a link to the SANE FAQ can be found on the SANE
homepage: http:/www.sane-project.org/.
SANE device lists
The SANE device lists contain information about the status
of SANE support for a specific device. If your scanner is
not listed there (either supported or unsupported), please
contact us. See section HOW CAN YOU HELP SANE for details.
There are lists for specific releases of SANE, for the
current development version and a search engine:
http:/www.sane-project.org/sane-supported-devices.html.
The lists are also installed on your system at
/usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/.
SANE mailing list
There is a mailing list for the purpose of discussing the
SANE standard and its implementations: sane-devel.
Despite its name, the list is not only intended for
developers, but also for users. There are also some more
lists for special topics, however, for users, sane-devel
is the right list. How to subscribe and unsubscribe:
http:/www.sane-project.org/mailing-lists.html.
SANE IRC channel
The IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel #sane can be found
on the Freenode network (irc.freenode.net). It's for dis-
cussing SANE problems, talking about development and gen-
eral SANE related chatting. Before asking for help, please
read the other documentation mentioned in this manual
page. The channel's topic is also used for announcements
of problems with SANE infrastructure (mailing lists, web
server, etc.).
Compiling and installing SANE
Look at /usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/README and the os-dependent
README files for information about compiling and instal-
ling SANE.
SCSI configuration
For information about various systems and SCSI controllers
see sane-scsi(5).
USB configuration
For information about USB configuration see sane-usb(5).
FRONTENDS AND MISCELANEOUS PROGRAMS
scanimage
Command-line frontend. See scanimage(1).
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saned
SANE network daemon that allows remote clients to access
image acquisition devices available on the local host. See
saned(8).
sane-find-scanner
Command-line tool to find SCSI and USB scanners and deter-
mine their Unix device files. See sane-find-scanner(1).
Also, have a look at the sane-frontends package (including
xscanimage, xcam, and scanadf) and the frontend information
page at http:/www.sane-project.org/sane-frontends.html.
BACKENDS FOR SCANERS
abaton
The SANE backend for Abaton flatbed scanners supports the
Scan 300/GS (8bit, 256 levels of gray) and the Scan 300/S
(black and white, untested). See sane-abaton(5) for
details.
agfafocus
This backend supports AGFA Focus scanners and the Siemens
S9036 (untested). See sane-agfafocus(5) for details.
apple
The SANE backend for Apple flatbed scanners supports the
following scanners: AppleScanner, OneScanner and
ColorOneScanner. See sane-apple(5) for details.
artec
The SANE Artec backend supports several Artec/Ultima SCSI
flatbed scanners as well as the BlackWidow BW4800SP and
the Plustek 19200S. See sane-artec(5) for details.
arteceplus48u
The SANE arteceplus48u backend supports the scanner Artec
E] 48U and re-badged models like Tevion MD 9693, Medion MD
9693, Medion MD 9705 and Trust Easy Webscan 19200. See
sane-arteceplus48u(5) for details.
as6e
This is a SANE backend for using the Artec AS6E parallel
port interface scanner. See sane-as6e(5) for details.
avision
This backend supports several Avision based scanners. This
includes the original Avision scanners (like AV 630, AV
620, ...) as well as the HP ScanJet 53xx and 74xx series,
Fujitsu ScanPartner, some Mitsubishi and Minolta film-
scanners. See sane-avision(5) for details.
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bh
The bh backend provides access to Bell]Howell Copiscan I
series document scanners. See sane-bh(5) for details.
canon
The canon backend supports the CanoScan 300, CanoScan 600,
and CanoScan 2700F SCSI flatbed scanners. See sane-
canon(5) for details.
canon630u
The canon630u backend supports the CanoScan 630u and 636u
USB scanners. See sane-canon630u(5) for details.
canonpp
The canonpp backend supports the CanoScan FB330P, FB630P,
N340P and N640P parallel port scanners. See sane-
canonpp(5) for details.
cardscan
This backend provides support for the Corex Cardscan 800c
USB scanner. See sane-cardscan(5) for details.
coolscan
This is a SANE backend for Nikon Coolscan film-scanners.
See sane-coolscan(5) for details.
coolscan2
This is a SANE backend for Nikon Coolscan film-scanners.
See sane-coolscan2(5) or http:/coolscan2.sourceforge.net
for details.
epjitsu
The epjitsu backend provides support for Epson-based
Fujitsu USB scanners. See sane-epjitsu(5) for details.
epson
The SANE epson backend provides support for Epson SCSI,
parallel port and USB flatbed scanners. See sane-epson(5)
for details.
fujitsu
The fujitsu backend provides support for most Fujitsu SCSI
and USB, flatbed and adf scanners. See sane-fujitsu(5) for
details.
genesys
The genesys backend provides support for scanners based on
the Genesys Logic GL646 and GL841 chips like the Medion
6471 and Hewlett-Packard 2300c. Support for GL841 based
scanners is far from being complete. See sane-genesys(5)
for details.
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gt68xx
The gt68xx backend provides support for scanners based on
the Grandtech GT-6801 and GT-6816 chips like the Artec
Ultima 2000 and several Mustek BearPaw CU and TA models.
Some Genius, Lexmark, Medion, Packard Bell, Plustek, and
Trust scanners are also supported. See sane-gt68xx(5) for
details.
hp
The SANE hp backend provides access to Hewlett-Packard
ScanJet scanners which support SCL (Scanner Control
Language by HP). See sane-hp(5) for details.
hpsj5s
The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 5S
scanner. See sane-hpsj5s(5) for details.
hp3500
The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 3500
series. See sane-hp3500(5) for details.
hp3900
The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 3900
series. See sane-hp3900(5) for details.
hp4200
The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 4200
series. See sane-hp4200(5) for details.
hp5400
The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 54XC
series. See sane-hp5400(5) for details.
hpljm1005
The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet M1005
scanner. See sane-hpljm1005(5) for details.
hs2p
The SANE backend for the Ricoh IS450 family of SCSI
scanners. See sane-hs2p(5) for details.
ibm
The SANE backend for some IBM and Ricoh SCSI scanners. See
sane-ibm(5) for details.
leo
This backend supports the Leo S3 and the Across FS-1130,
which is a re-badged LEO FS-1130 scanner. See sane-leo(5)
for details.
lexmark
This backend supports the Lexmark X1100 series of USB
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scanners. See sane-lexmark(5) for details.
ma1509
The ma1509 backend supports the Mustek BearPaw 1200F USB
flatbed scanner. See sane-ma1509(5) for details.
matsushita
This backend supports some Panasonic KVS high speed
scanners. See sane-matsushita(5) for details.
microtek
The microtek backend provides access to the "second gen-
eration" Microtek scanners with SCSI-1 command set. See
sane-microtek(5) for details.
microtek2
The microtek2 backend provides access to some Microtek
scanners with a SCSI-2 command set. See sane-microtek2(5)
for details.
mustek
The SANE mustek backend supports most Mustek SCSI flatbed
scanners including the Paragon and ScanExpress series and
the 600 I N and 600 I EP (non-SCSI). Some Trust scanners
are also supported. See sane-mustek(5) for details.
mustekpp
The mustekpp backend provides access to Mustek parallel
port flatbed scanners. See sane-mustekpp(5) for details.
mustekusb
The mustekusb backend provides access to some Mustek
ScanExpress USB flatbed scanners. See sane-mustekusb(5)
for details.
mustekusb2
The mustekusb2 backend provides access to scanners using
the SQ113 chipset like the Mustek BearPaw 2448 TA Pro USB
flatbed scanner. See sane-mustekusb2(5) for details.
nec
The SANE nec backend supports the NEC PC-IN500/4C SCSI
scanner. See sane-nec(5) for details.
niash
The niash backend supports the Agfa Snapscan Touch and the
HP ScanJet 3300c, 3400c, and 4300c USB flatbed scanners.
See sane-niash(5) for details.
pie
The pie backend provides access to Pacific Image Electron-
ics (PIE) and Devcom SCSI flatbed scanners. See sane-
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pie(5) for details.
pixma
The pixma backend supports Canon PIXMA MP series (multi-
function devices). See sane-pixma(5) or
http:/home.arcor.de/wittawat/pixma/ for details.
plustek
The SANE plustek backend supports USB flatbed scanners
that use the National Semiconductor LM983[1/2/3]-chipset
aka Merlin. Scanners using this LM983x chips include some
models from Plustek, KYE/Genius, Hewlett-Packard, Mustek,
Umax, Epson, and Canon. See sane-plustek(5) for details.
plustekpp
The SANE plustekpp backend supports Plustek parallel port
flatbed scanners. Scanners using the Plustek ASIC P96001,
P96003, P98001 and P98003 include some models from
Plustek, KYE/Genius, Primax. See sane-plustekpp(5) for
details.
ricoh
The ricoh backend provides access to the following Ricoh
flatbed scanners: IS50 and IS60. See sane-ricoh(5) for
details.
s9036
The s9036 backend provides access to Siemens 9036 flatbed
scanners. See sane-s9036(5) for details.
sceptre
The sceptre backend provides access to the Sceptre S1200
flatbed scanner. See sane-sceptre(5) for details.
sharp
The SANE sharp backend supports Sharp SCSI scanners. See
sane-sharp(5) for details.
sm3600
The SANE sm3600 backend supports the Microtek ScanMaker
3600 USB scanner. See sane-sm3600(5) for details.
sm3840
The SANE sm3840 backend supports the Microtek ScanMaker
3840 USB scanner. See sane-sm3840(5) for details.
snapscan
The snapscan backend supports AGFA SnapScan flatbed
scanners. See sane-snapscan(5) for details.
sp15c
This backend supports the Fujitsu FCPA ScanPartner 15C
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flatbed scanner. See sane-sp15c(5) for details.
st400
The sane-st400 backend provides access to Siemens ST400
and ST800. See sane-st400(5) for details.
tamarack
The SANE tamarack backend supports Tamarack Artiscan
flatbed scanners. See sane-tamarack(5) for details.
teco1 teco2 teco3
The SANE teco1, teco2 and teco3 backends support some TECO
scanners, usually sold under the Relisys, Trust, Primax,
Piotech, Dextra names. See sane-teco1(5), sane-teco2(5)
and sane-teco3(5) for details.
u12
The sane-u12 backend provides USB flatbed scanners based
on Plustek's ASIC 98003 (parallel-port ASIC) and a GeneSys
Logics' USB-parport bridge chip like the Plustek OpticPro
U(T)12. See sane-u12(5) for details.
umax
The sane-umax backend provides access to several UMAX-
SCSI-scanners and some Linotype Hell SCSI-scanners. See
sane-umax(5) for details.
umaxpp
The sane-umaxpp backend provides access to Umax parallel
port flatbed scanners and the HP 3200C. See sane-
umaxpp(5) for details.
umax1200u
The sane-umax1220u backend supports the UMAX Astra 1220U
(USB) flatbed scanner (and also the UMAX Astra 2000U, sort
of). See sane-umax1220u(5) for details.
Also, have a look at the backend information page at
http:/www.sane-project.org/sane-supported-devices.html and
the list of projects in /usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/PROJECTS.
BACKENDS FOR DIGITAL CAMERAS
dc210
Backend for Kodak DC210 Digital Camera. See sane-dc210(5).
dc240
Backend for Kodak DC240 Digital Camera. See sane-dc240(5).
dc25
Backend for Kodak DC20/DC25 Digital Cameras. See sane-
dc25(5).
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dmc
Backend for the Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera. See
sane-dmc(5).
gphoto2
Backend for digital cameras supported by the gphoto2
library package. (See http:/www.gphoto.org for more
information and a list of supported cameras.) Gphoto2
supports over 140 different camera models. However,
please note that more development and testing is needed
before all of these cameras will be supported by SANE
backend. See sane-gphoto2(5).
qcam
Backend for Connectix QuickCam cameras. See sane-qcam(5).
stv680
The sane-st680 backend provides access to webcams with a
stv680 chip. See sane-st680(5) for details.
Also, have a look at the backend information page at
http:/www.sane-project.org/sane-supported-devices.html and
the list of projects in /usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/PROJECTS.
MISCELANEOUS BACKENDS
dll
The sane-dll library implements a SANE backend that pro-
vides access to an arbitrary number of other SANE backends
by dynamic loading. See sane-dll(5).
net
The SANE network daemon saned provides access to scanners
located on different computers in connection with the net
backend. See sane-net(5) and saned(8).
pnm
PNM image reader pseudo-backend. The purpose of this back-
end is primarily to aid in debugging of SANE frontends.
See sane-pnm(5).
pint
Backend for scanners that use the PINT (Pint Is Not Twain)
device driver. The PINT driver is being actively
developed on the OpenBSD platform, and has been ported to
a few other *nix-like operating systems. See sane-pint(5).
test
The SANE test backend is for testing frontends and the
SANE installation. It provides test pictures and various
test options. See sane-test(5).
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v4l
The sane-v4l library implements a SANE backend that pro-
vides generic access to video cameras and similar equip-
ment using the V4L (Video for Linux) API. See sane-v4l(5).
Also, have a look at the backend information page at
http:/www.sane-project.org/sane-supported-devices.html and
the list of projects in /usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/PROJECTS.
CHANGING THE TOP-LEVEL BACKEND
By default, all SANE backends (drivers) are loaded dynami-
cally by the sane-dll meta backend. If you have any ques-
tions about the dynamic loading, read sane-dll(5). SANE
frontend can also be linked to other backends directly by
copying or linking a backend to libsane.so in /usr/lib/sane.
DEVELOPER'S DOCUMENTATION
It's not hard to write a SANE backend. It can take some
time, however. You should have basic knowledge of C and
enough patience to work through the documentation and find
out how your scanner works. Appended is a list of some docu-
ments that help to write backends and frontends.
The SANE standard defines the application programming inter-
face (API) that is used to communicate between frontends and
backends. It can be found at /usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/sane.ps
(if latex is installed on your system) and on the SANE web-
site: http:/www.sane-project.org/html/ (HTML), or
http:/www.sane-project.org/sane.ps (Postscript).
There is some more information for programmers in
/usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/backend-writing.txt. Most of the
internal SANE routines (sanei) are documented using doxygen:
http:/www.sane-project.org/sanei/. Before a new backend or
frontend project is started, have a look at /usr/doc/sane-
1.0.19/PROJECTS for projects that are planned or not yet
included into the SANE distribution and at our bug-tracking
system: http:/www.http:/www.sane-project.org/bugs.html.
There are some links on how to find out about the protocol
of a scanner: http:/www.meier-
geinitz.de/sane/misc/develop.html.
If you start writing a backend or frontend or any other part
of SANE, please contact the sane-devel mailing list for
coordination so the same work isn't done twice.
FILES
/etc/sane.d/*.conf
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The backend configuration files.
/usr/lib/sane/libsane-*.a
The static libraries implementing the backends.
/usr/lib/sane/libsane-*.so
The shared libraries implementing the backends (present
on systems that support dynamic loading).
/usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/*
SANE documentation: The standard, READMEs, text files
for backends etc.
PROBLEMS
If your device isn't found but you know that it is sup-
ported, make sure that it is detected by your operating sys-
tem. For SCSI and USB scanners, use the sane-find-scanner
tool (see sane-find-scanner(1) for details). It prints one
line for each scanner it has detected and some comments (#).
If sane-find-scanner finds your scanner only as root but not
as normal user, the permissions for the device files are not
adjusted correctly. If the scanner isn't found at all, the
operating system hasn't detected it and may need some help.
Depending on the type of your scanner, read sane-usb(5) or
sane-scsi(5). If your scanner (or other device) is not con-
nected over the SCSI bus or USB, read the backend's manual
page for details on how to set it up.
Now your scanner is detected by the operating system but not
by SANE? Try scanimage -L. If the scanner is not found,
check that the backend's name is mentioned in
/etc/sane.d/dll.conf. Some backends are commented out by
default. Remove the comment sign for your backend in this
case. Also some backends aren't compiled at all if one of
their prerequisites are missing. Examples include dc210,
dc240, canonpp, hpsj5s, gphoto2, pint, qcam, v4l, net,
sm3600, snapscan, pnm. If you need one of these backends and
they aren't available, read the build instructions in the
README file and the individual manual pages of the backends.
Another reason for not being detected by scanimage -L may be
a missing or wrong configuration in the backend's configura-
tion file. While SANE tries to automatically find most
scanners, some can't be setup correctly without the inter-
vention of the administrator. Also on some operating systems
auto-detection may not work. Check the backend's manual page
for details.
If your scanner is still not found, try setting the various
environment variables that are available to assist in debug-
ging. The environment variables are documented in the
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relevant manual pages. For example, to get the maximum
amount of debug information when testing a Mustek SCSI
scanner, set environment variables SANEDEBUGDL,
SANEDEBUGMUSTEK, and SANEDEBUGSANEISCSI to 128 and then
invoke scanimage -L . The debug messages for the dll backend
tell if the mustek backend was found and loaded at all. The
mustek messages explain what the mustek backend is doing
while the SCSI debugging shows the low level handling. If
you can't find out what's going on by checking the messages
carefully, contact the sane-devel mailing list for help (see
REPORTING BUGS below).
Now that your scanner is found by scanimage -L, try to do a
scan: scanimage >image.pnm. This command starts a scan for
the default scanner with default settings. All the available
options are listed by running scanimage --help. If scanning
aborts with an error message, turn on debugging as mentioned
above. Maybe the configuration file needs some tuning, e.g.
to setup the path to a firmware that is needed by some
scanners. See the backend's manual page for details. If you
can't find out what's wrong, contact sane-devel.
To check that the SANE libraries are installed correctly you
can use the test backend, even if you don't have a scanner
or other SANE device:
scanimage -d test -T
You should get a list of PASed tests. You can do the same
with your backend by changing "test" to your backend's name.
So now scanning with scanimage works and you want to use one
of the graphical frontends like xsane, xscanimage, or qui-
teinsane but those frontends don't detect your scanner? One
reason may be that you installed two versions of SANE. E.g.
the version that was installed by your distribution in /usr
and one you installed from source in /usr/local/. Make sure
that only one version is installed. Another possible reason
is, that your system's dynamic loader can't find the SANE
libraries. For Linux, make sure that /etc/ld.so.conf con-
tains /usr/local/lib and does not contain
/usr/local/lib/sane. See also the documentation of the
frontends.
HOW CAN YOU HELP SANE
We appreciate any help we can get. Please have a look at our
web page about contributing to SANE: http:/www.sane-
project.org/contrib.html
CONTACT
For reporting bugs or requesting new features, please use
our bug-tracking system: http:/www.sane-
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project.org/bugs.html. You can also contact the author of
your backend directly. Usually the email address can be
found in the /usr/doc/sane-1.0.19/AUTHORS file or the
backend's manpage. For general discussion about SANE, please
use the SANE mailing list sane-devel (see http:/www.sane-
project.org/mailing-lists.html for details).
SEE ALSO
saned(8), sane-find-scanner(1), scanimage(1), sane-
abaton(5), sane-agfafocus(5), sane-apple(5), sane-artec(5),
sane-arteceplus48u(5), sane-as6e(5), sane-avision(5),
sane-bh(5), sane-canon(5), sane-canon630u(5), sane-
canonpp(5), sane-coolscan2(5), sane-coolscan(5), sane-
dc210(5), sane-dc240(5), sane-dc25(5), sane-dll(5), sane-
dmc(5), sane-epson(5), sane-fujitsu(5), sane-genesys(5),
sane-gphoto2(5), sane-gt68xx(5), sane-hp(5), sane-hpsj5s(5),
sane-hp3500(5), sane-hp3900(5), sane-hp4200(5), sane-
hp5400(5), sane-hpljm1005(5), sane-ibm(5), sane-leo(5),
sane-lexmark(5), sane-ma1509(5), sane-matsushita(5), sane-
microtek2(5), sane-microtek(5), sane-mustek(5), sane-
mustekpp(5), sane-mustekusb(5), sane-mustekusb2(5),
sane-nec(5), sane-net(5), sane-niash(5), sane-pie(5), sane-
pint(5), sane-plustek(5), sane-plustekpp(5), sane-pnm(5),
sane-qcam(5), sane-ricoh(5), sane-s9036(5), sane-sceptre(5),
sane-scsi(5), sane-sharp(5), sane-sm3600(5), sane-sm3840(5),
sane-snapscan(5), sane-sp15c(5), sane-st400(5), sane-
stv680(5), sane-tamarack(5), sane-teco1(5), sane-teco2(5),
sane-teco3(5), sane-test(5), sane-u12(5), sane-umax1220u(5),
sane-umax(5), sane-umaxpp(5), sane-usb(5), sane-v4l(5)
AUTHOR
David Mosberger-Tang and many many more (see /usr/doc/sane-
1.0.19/AUTHORS for details). This man page was written by
Henning Meier-Geinitz. Quite a lot of text was taken from
the SANE standard, several man pages, and README files.
ATRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attri-
butes:
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ATRIBUTE TYPE ATRIBUTE VALUE
Availability SUNWsane-backend
Interface Stability Uncommitted
NOTES
Source for SANE is available on http:/opensolaris.org.
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