sane-project-backends/doc/sane.man

.TH sane 7 "Feb 24th, 2003" "@PACKAGEVERSION@" "SANE Scanner Access Now Easy"
.IX sane

.SH NAME
sane \- Scanner Access Now Easy: API for accessing scanners

.SH DESCRIPTION
.B SANE
is an application programming interface (API) that provides 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
.B 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.
.PP
This manual page provides a summary of the information available about
.BR SANE .

.SH TERMINOLOGY

An application that uses the 
.B SANE
interface is called a 
.B SANE frontend.
A driver that implements the 
.B SANE
interface is called a
.B SANE backend.
A 
.B meta backend
provides some means to manage one or more other backends.

.SH "SANE STANDARD AND WRITING BACKENDS"
The 
.B SANE
standard defines the application programming interface (API) that is used to
communicate between frontends and backends. It can be found at
.I @DOCDIR@/sane.ps
(if latex is installed on your system) and on the
.B SANE
website:
.I http://www.mostang.com/sane/html/
(HTML), or
.I http://www.mostang.com/sane/sane.ps
(Postscript).
.PP
There is some more information for programmers in
.IR @DOCDIR@/backend-writing.txt .
Most of the internal
.B SANE
routines
.RB ( sanei )
are documented using doxygen:
.IR http://sanei.meier-geinitz.de/ .
Before a new backend or frontend project is started, have a look at
.I @DOCDIR@/PROJECTS
for projects that are planned or not yet included into the
.B SANE
distribution.
.PP
Your help is always appreciated. Look at
.I @DOCDIR@/TODO
for things that should be done. Not only programmers are needed, but also
reading and fixing the documentation and reporting bugs would be nice. Further
more, translations of the backend options are needed. Contact the
.B SANE
mailing list for details and tell us, when you start working on a project, so
no work id duplicated.

.SH "SOFTWARE PACKAGES"
The package 
.RB ` sane-backends '
contains a lot of backends, documentation (including the 
.B SANE
standard), networking support, and the command line frontend 
.RB ` scanimage '.
The frontends 
.RB ` xscanimage "', `" xcam "', and `" scanadf '
are included in the package
.RB ` sane-frontends '. 
Both packages can be downloaded from the
.B SANE
homepage 
.RI ( http://www.mostang.com/sane/ ).
Information about other frontends and backends can be found on the frontend
page
.RI ( http://www.mostang.com/sane/frontends.html ).

.SH "GENERAL INFORMATION"
The following sections provide short descriptions and links to more
information about several aspects of
.B SANE.
A name with a number in parenthesis (e.g. 
.RB ` sane-dll (5)')
points to a manual page. In this case 
.RB ` "man 5 sane-dll" '
will display the page. Entries like
.RI ` @DOCDIR@/sane.tex '
are references to text files that were copied to the
.B SANE
documentation directory 
.RI ( @DOCDIR@/ )
during installation. Everything else is a URL to a resource on the web.

.TP 2
.B 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:
.IR http://www.mostang.com/sane/ .
.TP
.B 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. Since this is currently the only
mailing list devoted to SANE, it's perfectly OK to ask questions that are not
strictly related to SANE development. How to subscribe and unsubscribe:
.IR http://www.mostang.com/sane/mail.html .
.TP
.B Compiling and installing SANE
Look at
.I  @DOCDIR@/README
and the os-dependent README files for information about compiling and
installing
.B SANE.
.TP
.B SCSI configuration
For information about various systems and SCSI controllers see
.BR sane-scsi (5).
.TP
.B USB configuration
For information about USB configuration see
.BR sane-usb (5).

.SH "FRONTENDS AND MISCELLANEOUS PROGRAMS"
.TP 2
.B scanimage
Command-line frontend. See 
.BR scanimage (1).
.TP
.B saned
.B SANE
network daemon that allows remote clients to access image acquisition devices
available on the local host. See 
.BR saned (1).
.TP
.B sane-find-scanner
Ccommand-line tool to find SCSI and USB scanners and determine their Unix
device files. See
.BR sane-find-scanner (1).
.PP
Also, have a look at the
.B sane-frontends
package (including
.BR xscanimage ", " xcam ", and " scanadf )
and the frontend information page at
.IR http://www.mostang.com/sane/sane-frontends.html .

.SH "BACKENDS FOR SCANNERS"
.TP 2
.B 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
.BR sane-abaton (5)
for details.
.TP
.B agfafocus
This backend supports AGFA Focus scanners and the Siemens S9036 (untested).
See
.BR sane-agfafocus (5)
for details.
.TP
.B apple
The SANE backend for Apple flatbed scanners supports the following scanners:
AppleScanner, OneScanner and ColorOneScanner. See
.BR sane-apple (5)
for details.
.TP
.B artec
The SANE Artec backend supports several Artec/Ultima SCSI flatbed scanners as
well as the BlackWidow BW4800SP and the Plustek 19200S. See
.BR sane-artec (5)
for details.
.TP
.B artec_eplus48u
The SANE artec_eplus48u 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
.BR sane-artec_eplus48u (5)
for details.
.TP
.B as6e
This is a SANE backend for using the Artec AS6E parallel port interface
scanner. See
.BR sane-as6e (5)
for details.
.TP
.B 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 ScanPartnerm, some Mitsubishi and
Minolta film-scanners.
See 
.BR sane-avision (5)
for details.
.TP
.B bh
The bh backend provides access to Bell+Howell Copiscan II series document
scanners. See
.BR sane-bh (5)
for details.
.TP
.B canon
The canon backend supports the CanoScan 300, CanoScan 600, and CanoScan
2700F SCSI flatbed scanners. See
.BR sane-canon (5)
for details.
.TP
.B canon630u
The canon630u backend supports the CanoScan 630u and 636u USB scanners.  See
.BR sane-canon630u (5)
for details.
.TP
.B canon_pp
The canon_pp backend supports the CanoScan FB330P, FB630P, N340P and N640P
parallel port scanners.  See
.BR sane-canon_pp (5)
for details.
.TP
.B coolscan
This is a SANE backend for Nikon Coolscan film-scanners. See
.BR sane-coolscan (5)
for details.
.TP
.B coolscan2
This is a SANE backend for Nikon Coolscan film-scanners.
See
.BR sane-coolscan2 (5)
or
.I http://coolscan2.sourceforge.net
for details.
.TP
.B epson
The SANE epson backend provides support for Epson SCSI, parallel port and USB
flatbed scanners. See
.BR sane-epson (5)
for details.
.TP
.B fujitsu
The fujitsu backend provides support for Fujitsu 3091, 3093, 3096 and
fi-4340 SCSI scanners. See
.BR sane-fujitsu (5)
for details.
.TP
.B 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. See
.BR sane-gt68xx (5)
for details.
.TP
.B hp
The SANE hp backend provides access to Hewlett-Packard ScanJet scanners which
support SCL (Scanner Control Language by HP). See
.BR sane-hp (5)
for details.
.TP
.B hpsj5s
The SANE backend for the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 5S scanner. See
.BR sane-hpsj5s (5)
for details.
.TP
.B leo
This backend supports the Leo S3 and the Across FS-1130, which is a re-badged
LEO FS-1130 scanner. See
.BR sane-leo (5)
for details.
.TP
.B ma1509
The ma1509 backend supports the Mustek BearPaw 1200F USB flatbed scanner. See
.BR sane-ma1509 (5)
for details.
.TP
.B matsushita
This backend supports some Panasonic KVSS high speed scanners. See
.BR sane-matsushita (5)
for details.
.TP
.B microtek
The microtek backend provides access to the "second generation" Microtek
scanners with SCSI-1 command set. See 
.BR sane-microtek (5)
for details.
.TP
.B microtek2
The microtek2 backend provides access to some Microtek scanners with a
SCSI-2 command set. See
.BR sane-microtek2 (5)
for details.
.TP
.B mustek
The SANE mustek backend supports most Mustek SCSI flatbed scanners including
the Paragon and ScanExpress series and the 600 II N (non-SCSI). Some Trust
scanners are also supported. See 
.BR sane-mustek (5)
for details.
.TP
.B mustek_pp
The mustek_pp backend provides access to Mustek parallel port flatbed
scanners. See
.BR sane-mustek_pp (5)
for details.
.TP
.B mustek_usb
The mustek_usb backend provides access to some Mustek ScanExpress USB flatbed
scanners. See
.BR sane-mustek_usb (5)
for details.
.TP
.B nec
The SANE nec backend supports the NEC PC-IN500/4C SCSI scanner. See
.BR sane-nec (5)
for details.
.TP
.B pie
The pie backend provides access to Pacific Image Electronics (PIE) and Devcom
SCSI flatbed scanners. See
.BR sane-pie (5)
for details.
.TP
.B plustek
The SANE plustek backend supports Plustek parallel port and LM983[1/2/3] based
USB flatbed scanners. See 
.BR sane-plustek (5)
for details.
.TP
.B ricoh
The ricoh backend provides access to the following Ricoh flatbed
scanners: IS50 and IS60. See
.BR sane-ricoh (5)
for details.
.TP
.B s9036
The s9036 backend provides access to Siemens 9036 flatbed scanners. See
.BR sane-s9036 (5)
for details.
.TP
.B sceptre
The sceptre backend provides access to the Sceptre S1200 flatbed scanner. See
.BR sane-sceptre (5)
 for details.
.TP
.B sharp
The SANE sharp backend supports Sharp SCSI scanners. See
.BR sane-sharp (5)
for details.
.TP
.B sm3600
The SANE sm3600 backend supports the Microtek ScanMaker 3600 USB scanner. See
.BR sane-sm3600 (5)
for details.
.TP
.B snapscan
The snapscan backend supports AGFA SnapScan flatbed scanners. See
.BR sane-snapscan (5)
for details.
.TP
.B sp15c
This backend supports the Fujitsu FCPA ScanPartner 15C flatbed scanner. See
.BR sane-sp15c (5)
for details.
.TP
.B st400
The sane-st400 backend provides access to Siemens ST400 and ST800. See
.BR sane-st400 (5)
for details.
.TP
.B tamarack
The SANE tamarack backend supports Tamarack Artiscan flatbed scanners. See
.BR sane-tamarack (5)
for details.
.TP
.B 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
.BR sane-teco1 "(5), " sane-teco2 "(5) and " sane-teco3 (5)
for details.
.TP
.B umax
The sane-umax backend provides access to several UMAX-SCSI-scanners and some
Linotype Hell SCSI-scanners. See
.BR sane-umax (5)
for details.
.TP
.B umax_pp
The sane-umax_pp backend provides access to Umax parallel port flatbed scanners
and the HP 3200C. See 
.BR sane-umax_pp (5)
for details.
.TP
.B umax1200u
The sane-umax1220u backend supports the UMAX Astra 1220U (USB) flatbed scanner
(and also the UMAX Astra 2000U, sort of). See
.BR sane-umax1220u (5)
for details.
.PP
Also, have a look at the backend information page at
.I http://www.mostang.com/sane/sane-supported-devices.html
and the list of projects in
.IR @DOCDIR@/PROJECTS .

.SH "BACKENDS FOR DIGITAL CAMERAS"
.TP 2
.B dc210
Backend for Kodak DC210 Digital Camera. See
.BR sane-dc210 (5).
.TP
.B dc240
Backend for Kodak DC240 Digital Camera. See
.BR sane-dc240 (5).
.TP
.B dc25
Backend for Kodak DC20/DC25 Digital Cameras. See
.BR sane-dc25 (5).
.TP
.B dmc
Backend for the Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera. See
.BR sane-dmc(5).
.TP
.B gphoto2
Backend for digital cameras supported by the gphoto2 library package.  (See
.I 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
.B SANE
backend.  See
.BR sane-gphoto2 (5).
.TP
.B qcam
Backend for Connectix QuickCam cameras. See 
.BR sane-qcam (5).
.PP
Also, have a look at the backend information page at
.I http://www.mostang.com/sane/sane-supported-devices.html
and the list of projects in
.IR @DOCDIR@/PROJECTS .

.SH "MISCELLANEOUS BACKENDS"
.TP 2
.B dll
The sane-dll library implements a
.B SANE
backend that provides access to an arbitrary number of other
.B SANE
backends by dynamic loading. See
.BR sane-dll(5).
.TP
.B net
The 
.B SANE
network daemon saned provides access to scanners located on different
computers in connection with the net backend. See
.BR sane-net "(5) and " saned (1).
.TP
.B pnm
PNM image reader pseudo-backend. The purpose of this backend is primarily to
aid in debugging of
.B SANE
frontends. See
.BR sane-pnm (5).
.TP
.B pint
Backend for scanners that use the
.B PINT
(Pint Is Not Twain) device driver.  The
.B PINT
driver is being actively developed on the OpenBSD platform, and has been
ported to a few other *nix-like operating systems. See
.BR sane-pint (5).
.TP
.B test
The
.B SANE
test backend is for testing frontends and the
.B SANE
installation.  It provides test pictures and various test options. See
.BR sane-test (5).
.TP
.B v4l
The sane-v4l library implements a
.B SANE
backend that provides generic access to video cameras and similar equipment
using the
.B V4L
(Video for Linux) API. See
.BR sane-v4l(5) .
.PP
Also, have a look at the backend information page at
.I http://www.mostang.com/sane/sane-supported-devices.html
and the list of projects in
.IR @DOCDIR@/PROJECTS .

.SH PROBLEMS
Please note that the default configuration uses
.B sane-dll
as the top-level backend.  Hence it is probably a good idea to start with
reading
.BR sane-dll (5).
The top-level backend can be changed by copying or linking a backend to
.B libsane.so
in
.IR @LIBDIR@ .
.PP
If you encounter any problems with getting your device(s) recognized, try
setting the various environment variables that are available to assist in
debugging such problems.  The environment variables are documented in the
relevant manual pages.  For example, to get the maximum amount of debug
information when testing a Mustek SCSI scanner, set environment variables
.BR SANE_DEBUG_DLL ", " SANE_DEBUG_MUSTEK ", and " SANE_DEBUG_SANEI_SCSI
to 128 and then invoke 
.B scanimage
or whatever program you're trying to debug.  For a Mustek scanner at
.IR /dev/scanner,
you might want to invoke
.B scanimage
as follows:
.IP
.B scanimage \-d
.I mustek:/dev/scanner
.B \-h
.TP
If this works, you could try to acquire an image with:
.IP
.B scanimage \-d 
.IR mustek:/dev/scanner " >t.pnm"
.PP
To check that the
.B SANE
libraries are installed correctly you can use the test backend, even if you
don't have a scanner or other
.B SANE
device:
.IP
.B scanimage \-d
.I test
.B \-T
.TP
You should get a list of PASSed tests.
.PP
If you are not sure what generic SCSI or USB device your scanner is connected
to, try the command
.BR sane-find-scanner .
Usually, It's sufficient to invoke the program without any arguments.
Invoking this command should produce output similar to this (informational
messages are ommitted):
.IP
found SCSI scanner "SCANNER  2.01" at /dev/sg1
.br
found USB scanner (vendor=0x05d8, product=0x4002) at libusb:001:012
.PP
Note that sane-find-scanner will find any scanner that is connected to a SCSI
or USB bus.  It will even find scanners that are not supported at all by
.BR SANE .
.PP
There may be several causes for the following messages from the frontends:
"scanimage: no SANE devices found" or "xscanimage: no devices available.".
.TP 2
*
Your scanner is not recognized by any backend. It is not supported. You may
ask the maintainer of your backend (see
.IR @DOCDIR@/AUTHORS )
or the
.B SANE
mailing list (see above) if support is planned.
.TP
*
.B SANE
can't access the device files (e.g
.IR /dev/sg0 ).
Check the permissions.
.TP
*
Your backend is not listed in
.I @CONFIGDIR@/dll.conf
(or commented out).
.TP
*
There are older installations of
.B SANE
on your system. If you installed the
.B SANE
libraries in
.I /usr/local/lib
(default) you should check if there are older
.B SANE
libraries at
.IR /usr/lib .
Remove them using your distribution's package manager or manually 
.RB ( "rm \-r"
.IR "/usr/lib/libsane* /usr/lib/sane" ).
.TP
*
If you can use
.B SANE
with
.B scanimage
but not with other (graphical) frontends, check that
.I /etc/ld.so.conf
contains
.I /usr/local/lib
and does
.B not
contain
.IR /usr/local/lib/sane .
See also the documentation of the frontends.

.SH FILES
.TP
.I @CONFIGDIR@/*.conf
The backend configuration files.
.TP
.I @LIBDIR@/libsane-*.a
The static libraries implementing the backends.
.TP
.I @LIBDIR@/libsane-*.so
The shared libraries implementing the backends (present on systems that
support dynamic loading).
.TP
.I @DOCDIR@/*
.B SANE
documentation: The standard, READMEs, text files for backends etc.

.SH "REPORTING BUGS"
If you think you found a bug in a backend, contact the author of your
backend. Usually the email address can be found in the
.I @DOCDIR@/AUTHORS
file or the backend's manpage. If the author isn't marked as `active
maintainer' or doesn't answer, you can also contact the
.B SANE
mailing list sane-devel (see
.I http://www.mostang.com/sane/mail.html
for details). You must be subscribed to the list, otherwise your mail won't be
sent to the subscribers.
.PP
If you want to report bugs concerning security, compilation, installation,
porting, and documentation of
.BR SANE ,
you can also contact the author of this manual page:
<henning@meier-geinitz.de>.

.SH AUTHOR
David Mosberger-Tang and many many more (see
.I @DOCDIR@/AUTHORS
for details).  This man page was written by Henning Meier-Geinitz. Quite a lot
of text was taken from the
.B SANE
standard, several man pages, and README files.