xsane - scanner frontend for SANE
xsane [--version|-v] [--license|-l] [--device-settings file |-d file]
[--viewer|-V] [--save|-s] [--copy|-c] [--fax|-f] [--mail|-m] [--no-
mode-selection|-n] [--Fixed|-F] [--Resizable|-R] [--print-filenames|-p]
[--force-filename name |-N name] [--display d] [--sync] [devicename]
xsane provides a graphical user-interface to control an image acquisi-
tion device such as a flatbed scanner. It allows previewing and scan-
ning invidual images and can be invoked either directly from the com-
mand-line or through The GIMP image manipulation program. In the for-
mer case, xsane acts as a stand-alone program that saves acquired
images in a suitable PNM format (PBM for black-and-white images, PGM
for grayscale images, and PPM for color images) or converts the image
to JPEG, PNG, PS or TIFF. In the latter case, the images are directly
passed to The GIMP for further processing.
xsane accesses image acquisition devices through the SANE (Scanner
Access Now Easy) interface. The list of available devices depends on
installed hardware and configuration. When invoked without an explicit
devicename argument, xsane presents a dialog listing all known and
available devices. To access an available device that is not known to
the system, the devicename must be specified explicitly. The format of
devicename is backendname:devicefile (eg: umax:/dev/sga).
RUNNING UNDER THE GIMP
To run xsane under the gimp(1),youshouldatfirstmakesurethatxsaneis com-
piled with gimp support by entering "xsane -v" on a shell. If xsane is
compiled with gimp support then simply set a symbolic link from the
xsane-binary to one of the gimp(1) plug-ins directories. For example,
for gimp-1.0.x the command
ln -s /usr/bin/xsane ~/.gimp/plug-ins/
for gimp 1.2.x the command:
ln -s /usr/bin/xsane ~/.gimp-1.2/plug-ins/
and for gimp 2.0.x the command:
ln -s /usr/bin/xsane ~/.gimp-2.0/plug-ins/
adds a symlink for the xsane binary to the user’s plug-ins directory.
After creating this symlink, xsane will be queried by gimp(1) the next
time it’s invoked. From then on, xsane can be invoked through
"Xtns->XSane->Device dialog..." (gimp-1.0.x) or through
"File->Acquire->XSane->Device dialog..." (gimp-1.2.x and 2.0.x) menu
You’ll also find that the "Xtns->XSane" or "File->Acquire->XSane" menu
contains short-cuts to the SANE devices that were available at the time
the xsane was queried. Note that gimp(1) caches these short-cuts in
~/.gimp/pluginrc. Thus, when the list of available devices changes
(e.g., a new scanner is installed or the device of the scanner has
changed), then it is typically desirable to rebuild this cache. To do
this, you can either touch(1) the xsane binary (e.g., "touch
/usr/bin/xsane") or delete the plugin cache (e.g., "rm ~/.gimp/plug-
inrc"). Either way, invoking gimp(1) afterwards will cause the plug-
inrc to be rebuilt.
When xsane is started from the gimp then it is not possible to add a
devicename explictly. You have to make the devices known to the system
by configuring sane-dll, sane-net and saned.
If the --version or -v flag is given xsane prints a version informa-
tion, some information about gtk+ and gimp version it is compiled
against and lists the supported fileformats, then it exits.
when the --license or -l flag is igven xsane prints license information
The --device-settings or -d flag reads the next option as default file-
name for device settings. The extension ".drc" must not be included.
The --viewer or -V flag forces xsane to start in viewer mode.
The --save or -s flag forces xsane to start in save mode.
The --copy or -c flag forces xsane to start in copy mode.
The --fax or -f flag forces xsane to start in fax mode.
The --mail or -m flag forces xsane to start in mail mode.
The --no-mode-selection or -n flag disables the menu for xsane mode
selection (viwer, save, copy, fax, mail).
If the --Fixed or -F flag is given then xsane uses a fixed, non resiz-
able main window. The flag overwrites the preferences value.
If the --Resizable or -R flag is given then xsane uses a scrolled and
resizable main window. The flag overwrites the preferences value.
If --print-filenames or -p flag is given then xsane prints the names of
created files to the standard output.
When the flag --force-filename or -N is given then xsane reads the next
option as default image filename. The name should be of the format
"name-###.ext". The selection box for filenames is disabled. This
option normally should be used with the option --no-mode-selection and
The --display flag selects the X11 display used to present the graphi-
cal user-interface (see X(1) for details).
The --sync flag requests a synchronous connection with the X11 server.
This is for debugging purposes only.
is used to preselect the device in the device dialog. This way
you only have to accept the device (<ENTER> or OK-Button).
This files holds the user preferences. Normally, this file
should not be manipulated directly. Instead, the user should
customize the program through the "Preferences" menu.
For each device, there is one rc-file that holds the saved set-
tings for that particular device. Normally, this file should
not be manipulated directly. Instead, the user should use the
xsane interface to select appropriate values and then save the
device settings using the "Preferences->Save Device Settings"
This system-wide file controls the aspects of the user-interface
such as colors and fonts. It is a GTK style file and provides
fine control over the visual aspects of the user-interface.
This file serves the same purpose as the system-wide style file.
If present, it takes precedence over the system wide style file.
gimp(1), xscanimage(1), scanimage(1), sane-dll(5), sane-net(5),
saned(1), sane-scsi(5), sane-usb(5), sane-"backendname"(5)
Oliver Rauch <Oliver.Rauch@rauch-domain.de>
15 Jun 2002 xsane(1)
Man(1) output converted with