Thanks Alan & Johannes, I didn't know about HPLIP, and didn't realise that it is included with my Ubuntu distro! Scanning seems to work fine, both with the Simple Scan frontend and x-sane (not installed by default). Seems that's the end of my driver writing project then ;-) Never mind, I have an old Primax Colorado scanner kicking around somewhere, so maybe I'll have a play with that.....
On 11 November 2010 14:19, Johannes Meixner <jsmeix at suse.de> wrote: > > Hello, > > On Nov 10 18:59 Robert Charlesworth wrote (shortened): > > I have an old HP C3180 all-in-one Printer Scanner Copier, >> which no longer prints, but I still want to retain as a scanner. >> The SANE database online lists it as 'unsupported' >> > > It seems what the SANE database online shows at > > http://www.sane-project.org/cgi-bin/driver.pl?manu=&model=3180&bus=any&v=&p= > is a contradiction in itself: > > It lists the HP Photosmart C3180 as explicitly "unsupported" by SANE > (actually the device is listed for the "unsupported" backend) > but also as "good" supported by the external backend "hpaio" > which is provided by HP's HPLIP software, see > > http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/models/photosmart/photosmart_c3100_series.html > > I think that devices which are supported by an external backend > should not be listed for the "unsupported" backend in SANE. > > I think the "unsupported" backend in SANE is only for devices which > are known to be neither supported by a built-in backend in SANE > nor by an external backend for SANE. > > At least this is how I understand the "Comment" for > the "unsupported" backend in SANE: > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > Backend: unsupported > ... > Comment: The devices mentioned here are not supported by > any SANE backend. However, there may be links to information > about them or stand-alone programs. > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > For me "any SANE backend" means both built-in backends in SANE > and external backends for SANE. > > In contrast a real built-in backend in SANE like "hp" might list > the HP Photosmart C3180 with status "unsupported" in compliance > to what a particular backend's status "unsupported" for a > particular device means: > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > Legend: > ... > Status: > ... > unsupported means the device is not supported at least by > this backend. It may be supported by other backends, however. > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > Kind Regards > Johannes Meixner > -- > SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, Maxfeldstrasse 5, 90409 Nuernberg, Germany > AG Nuernberg, HRB 16746, GF: Markus Rex > -- Robert -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/sane-devel/attachments/20101112/4d42f4d5/attachment.htm>
