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JKT · Dec 19, 2003, 01:44 PM

I came across this URL somewhere recently (may have been in a comment at MacFixIt.com, but I can't remember). It is an open source project that has been ported to OS X where SANE stands for Scanner Access Now Easy and (should) allow many unsupported scanners to be usable in OS X... I guess an analogous project would be gimp-print for printers.

Anyway, I have a UMAX Astra 3400 that has been unusable in OS X since day one and (allegedly) it is supported in full by this SANE software. Unfortunately, from what I can gather in the reams of info at the various links, my model UMAX requires a different "backend" (plustex and not UMAX) to most other UMAX models and therefore doesn't simply show up once all the software has been installed (if, indeed, any scanner is simply meant to show up!).

Unfortunately, like most OS projects the actual instructions for setting the thing up are complete gobbledygook to anyone vaguely human (as well as being for Linux) and I can't work out how to get it to function. The software apparently recognises that my scanner is attached and tells me that it is a UMAX and that it is a 3400, but fails to recognise it as capable of scanning. So...

1) if anyone else has an unsupported scanner out there, this software may help. Give it a whirl and if anyone succeeds in getting it to work with their scanner, could they post here.

2) if anyone has the time, OS knowledge and patience to look into the UMAX 3400 for me, I'd be enormously grateful for some simple, plain English instructions on how to get it working

.

Note to Moderators - probably the wrong forum for this, but as it is possibly quite relevant to a lot of OS X users and is OS X software related, I thought it best to put it in the busiest OS X based forum. Feel free to move it if you disagree.

vidiot1701 · Dec 19, 2003, 06:13 PM

Originally posted by JKT:
I came across this URL somewhere recently (may have been in a comment at MacFixIt.com, but I can't remember). It is an open source project that has been ported to OS X where SANE stands for Scanner Access Now Easy and (should) allow many unsupported scanners to be usable in OS X... I guess an analogous project would be gimp-print for printers.

Anyway, I have a UMAX Astra 3400 that has been unusable in OS X since day one and (allegedly) it is supported in full by this SANE software. Unfortunately, from what I can gather in the reams of info at the various links, my model UMAX requires a different "backend" (plustex and not UMAX) to most other UMAX models and therefore doesn't simply show up once all the software has been installed (if, indeed, any scanner is simply meant to show up!).

Unfortunately, like most OS projects the actual instructions for setting the thing up are complete gobbledygook to anyone vaguely human (as well as being for Linux) and I can't work out how to get it to function. The software apparently recognises that my scanner is attached and tells me that it is a UMAX and that it is a 3400, but fails to recognise it as capable of scanning. So...

1) if anyone else has an unsupported scanner out there, this software may help. Give it a whirl and if anyone succeeds in getting it to work with their scanner, could they post here.

2) if anyone has the time, OS knowledge and patience to look into the UMAX 3400 for me, I'd be enormously grateful for some simple, plain English instructions on how to get it working .

Note to Moderators - probably the wrong forum for this, but as it is possibly quite relevant to a lot of OS X users and is OS X software related, I thought it best to put it in the busiest OS X based forum. Feel free to move it if you disagree.

I'm in the same boat. I also have a UMAX Astra 3400 that has NEVER worked in OS X. Fortunately it does work in Classic mode using the UMAX VistaScan DA 3.7.5 software. Granted it's buggy, and sometimes it's just easier to boot directly in OS 9, but it can work.

Sure would be nice if SANE program supported us as well. UMAX sure doesn't.

aaanorton · Dec 19, 2003, 06:50 PM

Have you tried VueScan? If VS doesn't work, then that SANE driver probably won't work for the same reason: it's a parallel scanner with an internal USB adaptor.

vidiot1701 · Dec 19, 2003, 07:21 PM

Originally posted by aaanorton:
Have you tried VueScan? If VS doesn't work, then that SANE driver probably won't work for the same reason: it's a parallel scanner with an internal USB adaptor.

Sadly, Vuescan doesn't support this particular UMAX model either.

Not a major loss, like I said, Classic works. And really, the scanner only cost me $80 3 years ago. If it were that important to me personally, I'd go buy a new one. Of course it would NOT be UMAX. Never again.

JellyBeen · Dec 20, 2003, 12:49 AM

I have a Microtek 3600 thats SANE supported!!!! I would love to give this a whirl but I'm all confused as to what to do. Can anyone help us?
TIA

tooki · Dec 20, 2003, 12:43 PM

I swear to you people, the UMAX 3400/3450 scanners DO work in VueScan -- I've done it!

Those models are native USB -- no parallel internally. (Edit: ... as far as I know.)

That said, I continue to use my 3450 in Classic, since VueScan is too expensive for how seldom I scan things.

::closing thread now, since there's already a thread in the peripherals forum on this subject:: (titled Astra MX3)

tooki

P.S. A lot of us mods are no longer moving threads -- it's too time-consuming. There are too many, and so we just close 'em now.