[sane-devel] gamma-table value

[F J Brooks]

I am a very new Linux newbie. I have recently installed SuSE 8.1 and am
trying to get my HP Scanjet 5300C Scanner to work.

The first thing I found out was that my scanner wasn't an HP machine at
all - it's a re-badged Avision! I also found that it's not a USB machine at
all - it's an SCSI machine with a USB interface!

On advice, I deleted existing SANE-1.0.8-47, XSane-0.87, glib-1.2.9, and
gtk+-1.2.9 using YaST2. I then opened new directory
/home/<username>/scanner, went to ftp.mostang.com and downloaded into it
sane-backends-1.0.11, xsane-0.90, glib-2.2.1 and gtk+-2.2.1 (all .tar.gz). I
then, in turn, unzipped them and gave them the './configure, make, and make
install' treatment (all in the /home/<username>/scanner directory). In the
process I had to overcome some problems with 'Error: make:*** No targets
specified...' etc, and 'Error: make install:*** No rule to make target...'
etc, and to download and install 'pkgconfig-0.15.0', and install 'gtk-devel'
(latter using YaST2)

I've downloaded/read reams and reams of paper with titles like 'INSTALL',
'PROBLEMS' and'README' for sane-frontends, backends and xsane, 'Xsane
Beginners Information', 'sane-avision.5' and 'The SANE Avision backend'.
I've tried the articles in the April 2003 issue of Linux Journal, and in the
December 2002 issue of Linux Format. I've downloaded the Yolux tutorial :
'Scanners and Linux', and Steve Sheriff's 'Quick & Simple HOWTO...', and
I've studied the 'Sane FAQ' and 'FAQs about SANE hp-backends', which has a
question: 'My scanner works with USB on Windows, but not with Linux', which
seemed to represent my situation, but, having followed through the
instructions, it was all to no avail. I've consulted several Sane pages from
the SuSE manual. There is definitely a market niche for good, simple, clear
documentation that supposes no previous knowledge, and actually matches
current versions of Linux.

On Sunday, the response to my command $sane-find-scanner was:
'found SCSI scanner "HP Scanjet 5300C 6.00" at /dev/scanner
found SCSI scanner "HP Scanjet 5300C 6.00" at /dev/sg2'

The response to $scanimage -L was:
'device 'avision:/dev/scanner' is a Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 5300C flatbed
scanner
device 'avision:/dev/sg2' is a Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 5300C flatbed
scanner'

This all looked promising (altho I'm a bit worried as to why there should be
two items in each case, and wonder if I should delete one!), but, when I try
to launch scanner [as 'root'] by clicking desktop 'Scanner'
icon, I get:
'KDElnit could not launch "xscanimage": Could not find "xscanimage"
executable'.

So, yesterday, I downloaded and installed 'sane-frontend-1.0.11'
(./configure, make, and make install).

Then, when I clicked the 'Scanner' icon on the desktop, I got a small window
offering two alternatives:
'avision/scanner' and 'avision/sg2'. I tried them both in turn, with the
same result in each case:
On 'Acquire Preview', the scanner grunts and whirrs a bit, then I just get a
black bar across the top of the 'Preview' window. When I click 'Scan', the
scanner whirrs a bit, then I get error message:
'Error: Failed to set value at option gamma-table'.

I do not understand this at all, and cannot find any trace of it in all the
literature I've listed above - or any solution on Google.

You'll forgive my cynicism if, after all these 'adventures', I give a hollow
laugh when I note that 'SANE' is an acronym for 'Scanner Access Made Easy'
[!!!]

During the past three weeks, I've torn out what little hair I had, and am
just about at my wit's end.

I seem to be so close... and yet so far!

I should be most grateful if someone could help, please.

Best

Fred