xsane(1)

NAME
xsane - scanner frontend for SANE

SYNOPSIS
xsane [--version|-v] [--device-settings file |-d file] [--scan|-s] [--copy|-c] [--fax|-f] [--no-mode-selection|-n] [--Fixed|-F] [--Scrolled|-S] [--display d] [--no-xshm] [--sync] [--debug-level n] [devicename]

DESCRIPTION
xsane provides a graphical user-interface to control an image acquisition device such as a flatbed scanner. It allows previewing and scanning invidual images and can be invoked either directly from the command-line or through The GIMP image manipulation program. In the former 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), 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 @BINDIR@/xsane ~/.gimp/plug-ins/

and for gimp 1.1.x the command:

    ln -s @BINDIR@/xsane ~/.gimp-1.1/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..." or through "File->Acquire->XSane->Device dialog..." menu entry. You'll also find that the "Xtns->XSane"/"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 @BINDIR@/xsane") or delete the plugin cache (e.g., "rm ~/.gimp/pluginrc"). Either way, invoking gimp(1) afterwards will cause the pluginrc to be rebuilt.

OPTIONS

If the --version or -v flag is given xsane prints a version information, some information about gtk+ and gimp version it is compiled against and lists the supported fileformats, then it exits.

The --scan or -s flag forces xsane to start in scan mode.

The --fax or -f flag forces xsane to start in fax mode.

The --copy or -c flag forces xsane to start in fax mode.

The --no-mode-selection or -n flag disables the menu for xsane mode selection (scan, copy, fax).

The --device-settings or -d flag reads the next option as default filename for device settings. The extension ".drc" must not be included.

If the --Fixed or -F flag is given then xsane uses a fixed, non resizable main window. The flag overwrites the preferences value.

If the --Scrolled or -S flag is given then xsane uses a scrolled, resizable main window. The flag overwrites the preferences value.

The --display flag selects the X11 display used to present the graphical user-interface (see X(1) for details).

The --no-xshm flag requests not to use shared memory images. Shared memory images usually enhance performance but cause problems with some buggy X11 servers. Unless your X11 server dies when running this program, there is no need or advantage to specify this flag.

The --sync flag requests a synchronous connection with the X11 server. This is for debugging purposes only.

ENVIRONMENT

SANE_DEFAULT_DEVICE
    is used to preselect the device in the device dialog. This way you only have to accept the device (<ENTER> or OK-Button).

FILES

$HOME/.sane/xsane/xsane.rc
    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.

$HOME/.sane/xsane/devicename.rc
    For each device, there is one rc-file that holds the saved settings 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" menubar entry.

@SANEDATADIR@/xsane/xsane-style.rc
    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.

$HOME/.sane/xsane/xsane-style.rc
    This file serves the same purpose as the system-wide style file. If present, it takes precedence over the system wide style file.

SEE ALSO
gimp(1), xscanimage(1), scanimage(1), sane-dll(5), sane-net(5), sane-scsi(5), sane-"backendname"(5)

AUTHOR
Oliver Rauch <Oliver.Rauch@rauch-domain.de>