Thanks Alan & Johannes, I didn't know about HPLIP, and didn't realise that it is included with my Ubuntu distro!<br>Scanning seems to work fine, both with the Simple Scan frontend and x-sane (not installed by default).<br>
Seems that's the end of my driver writing project then ;-)<br>Never mind, I have an old Primax Colorado scanner kicking around somewhere, so maybe I'll have a play with that.....<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 11 November 2010 14:19, Johannes Meixner <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jsmeix@suse.de">jsmeix@suse.de</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"><br>
Hello,<br>
<br>
On Nov 10 18:59 Robert Charlesworth wrote (shortened):<div class="im"><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
I have an old HP C3180 all-in-one Printer Scanner Copier,<br>
which no longer prints, but I still want to retain as a scanner.<br>
The SANE database online lists it as 'unsupported'<br>
</blockquote>
<br></div>
It seems what the SANE database online shows at<br>
<a href="http://www.sane-project.org/cgi-bin/driver.pl?manu=&model=3180&bus=any&v=&p=" target="_blank">http://www.sane-project.org/cgi-bin/driver.pl?manu=&model=3180&bus=any&v=&p=</a><br>
is a contradiction in itself:<br>
<br>
It lists the HP Photosmart C3180 as explicitly "unsupported" by SANE<br>
(actually the device is listed for the "unsupported" backend)<br>
but also as "good" supported by the external backend "hpaio"<br>
which is provided by HP's HPLIP software, see<br>
<a href="http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/models/photosmart/photosmart_c3100_series.html" target="_blank">http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/models/photosmart/photosmart_c3100_series.html</a><br>
<br>
I think that devices which are supported by an external backend<br>
should not be listed for the "unsupported" backend in SANE.<br>
<br>
I think the "unsupported" backend in SANE is only for devices which<br>
are known to be neither supported by a built-in backend in SANE<br>
nor by an external backend for SANE.<br>
<br>
At least this is how I understand the "Comment" for<br>
the "unsupported" backend in SANE:<br>
------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Backend: unsupported<br>
...<br>
Comment: The devices mentioned here are not supported by<br>
any SANE backend. However, there may be links to information<br>
about them or stand-alone programs.<br>
------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
For me "any SANE backend" means both built-in backends in SANE<br>
and external backends for SANE.<br>
<br>
In contrast a real built-in backend in SANE like "hp" might list<br>
the HP Photosmart C3180 with status "unsupported" in compliance<br>
to what a particular backend's status "unsupported" for a<br>
particular device means:<br>
-------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Legend:<br>
...<br>
Status:<br>
...<br>
unsupported means the device is not supported at least by<br>
this backend. It may be supported by other backends, however. -------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
<br>
Kind Regards<br>
Johannes Meixner<br><font color="#888888">
-- <br>
SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, Maxfeldstrasse 5, 90409 Nuernberg, Germany<br>
AG Nuernberg, HRB 16746, GF: Markus Rex<br>
</font></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Robert<br><br>