Are many scanners compatible with linux?

[Trisha]

I've got a scanner and printer hooked up to my old windows computer, but not yet for my linux laptop, which is slowly becoming my main computer.

My scanner is around 5 years old, and I had a difficult enough time getting the drivers for it for NT, I doubt it will work with linux. And that's not even considering the actual scanning software. Plus, it only scans up to 1200, - I am working on some cafepress items and from what I've heard scanning at a higher resolution is best. There's no point in getting a new scanner for the old machine, it's pretty slow anyway and can't handle large files.

So, 'm left with needing a scanner for my linux computer. I haven't starting looking yet - but I wonder if many are compatible with linux and if they have linux software to use it with?

[Trisha]

Did I not get any replies because very few are compatible or because they all are?

[bird]

Check the compatibility list here: [sane-project.org...]

[Trisha]

Thanks, I followed that through to this page: [buzzard.me.uk...] Unfortunately, it still sounds pretty complicated. According to that site, Epson scanners work best with linux, but I was looking through the gentoo forum and it looks like many people are still having problems getting their scanners to work.

And I'm also going to need a digital camera and photo printer for this computer too - not looking forward to getting all this set up and working.

It's a shame there isn't more support for linux.

[avirup dasgupta]

What is the model of your scanner?

I have been scanning using Hp PSC 1210 for last 1 yr without any trouble.

[nalin]

I have had 3 scanners over the last some odd years, an astra something or other and two bundled into hp psc printers, all worked fine (or perhaps better stated tolerably).

As for digital cameras and printers:

Most digital cameras (and cardreaders) work well under linux, even 'unsupported' ones (to my recollection most if not all recent usb ones are mountable as vfat devices, so even those models listed as uncompatible with say gphoto, can be mounted and have their images retrieved).

A lot of printers work well too. LinuxPrinting.org [linuxprinting.org] has very good compatability trees.

Given that all the devices you mention are often incorperated into multifunction printers (with cardreader) your best bet might be looking up such devices on linuxprinting.org. I have had good luck with HP usb devices (but devices is plural because the construction left, in my case, something to be desired).