Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
A few years in the past, I made a decision to spend money on a high-quality scanner. The concept was to digitize and archive dozens of previous picture albums from my childhood that have been scattered round in bins. You know the way these tasks go. Beginning is straightforward. Seeing it by means of, not a lot. Through the years, I’ve saved coming again to it in bursts. However yr on yr, I’ve been working into roadblocks. Particularly, driver assist. You see, what began as a purposeful scanner became a scanner that considerably labored, and eventually right into a scanner that simply gained’t present up on my MacBook in any respect.
If you realize me and my relationship with tech, you’ll perceive why simply tossing the scanner didn’t really feel proper. It nonetheless powered on. It nonetheless had worth. However the software program world had moved on, and like lots of completely usable tech, it was left behind. That bought me pondering. There’s bought to be a greater approach. I had a Raspberry Pi 4 mendacity round that I’d beforehand used for a Pi-hole venture. It wasn’t doing a lot anymore. I remembered studying that the SANE venture supported a variety of scanners, together with Canon’s older LiDE collection.
So, if I might get the Pi to behave as a intermediary, dealing with the USB connection and sharing the scanner over the community, I’d be capable of carry it again to life. It sounded just like the form of barely overengineered weekend venture that’s simply difficult sufficient to tickle my fancy. Clearly, I dived proper in.
Setting all of it up
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
I began by putting in Raspberry Pi OS Lite as I didn’t want a GUI, simply terminal entry to achieve SSH entry and set up drivers. As soon as the Pi was arrange and up to date, I put in the SANE utilities. For these unfamiliar with it, SANE goals to carry open-source entry to any, if not all, scanners by means of a standard API. To my shock, the Canon LiDE 220 confirmed up instantly with a easy “scanimage” command. That’s the second that gave me confidence that the venture would possibly simply work. From there, I configured the Pi to reveal the scanner over the community utilizing saned, which is actually a light-weight daemon that shares SANE-compatible units throughout your LAN. I added the suitable IP ranges to the config information, made positive the service was working, and confirmed that I might detect the scanner from my Mac.
Open-source would not should imply terminal scripts, you will get a near-native expertise too.
I might have stopped there and constructed some small scripts to work together with it remotely, or triggered a scan over the terminal, however I wished a cleaner, browser-based answer that will let me scan from anyplace on the community. That’s the place scanservjs got here in. It’s an open-source internet frontend for SANE, constructed with a contemporary UI and a deal with simplicity. Even higher, I might host it on my Synology NAS, which already ran Docker and had loads of sources to spare.
Deploying scanservjs was easy. I pulled the container utilizing Docker’s CLI, handed within the Pi’s IP utilizing an surroundings variable, and configured it to run in host networking mode so it wouldn’t run into port mapping points. I additionally mounted a shared folder from the NAS so I might retailer scanned information in a central location. Inside minutes, I had a completely purposeful internet interface that allow me management the Canon scanner from any browser. I might preview, scan, change codecs, and modify decision — all with out touching the scanner or coping with a local app.
Imagine me, I did a bit of soar when that first scan got here by means of. I hadn’t actually anticipated this venture to work out in addition to it did. The web page got here by means of clear and sharp, identical to utilizing the deprecated native app, and saved on to a shared folder, able to electronic mail or archive. I didn’t have to reinstall drivers, mess with compatibility layers, or plug the scanner into my Mac. It simply labored. And it’s continued to work each time I’ve wanted it since.
Respiratory new life into old-hardware
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
Look, I’ve at all times had a delicate spot for good {hardware}. Not flashy or over-designed tech, however easy instruments that do their job nicely. My Canon LiDE 220 scanner is a kind of. It’s why I selected it over an all-in-one. It’s a USB-powered photo-focused flatbed that at all times delivers razor-sharp scans, runs silently, and simply does one job. It didn’t take up an excessive amount of area, nor did it require a devoted energy adapter; each of that are glorious conveniences. And most significantly, I’ve but to discover a true substitute for it that doesn’t value tons of extra.
The issue wasn’t with the scanner itself. It was the software program ecosystem round it. As macOS advanced with structure modifications and main working system upgrades, driver assist slowly vanished. For lack of higher phrases, my completely purposeful scanner now not works with my pc. Then I attempted third-party instruments like VueScan, which form of labored however got here with limitations like a excessive worth and a clunky interface that didn’t really feel prefer it belonged on a contemporary Mac. I actually shouldn’t should pay for one more software program to get my {hardware} up and working. Finally, I gave up and shoved the scanner onto a shelf. It sat there for months whereas I relied on telephone apps to scan paperwork. And whereas they have been superb in a pinch, I by no means stopped lacking the clear edges, excessive decision, and consistency I used to get from my scanner.
Scanserver and SANE made my decade-old scanner higher than its ever been.
Utilizing this identical scanner now feels higher than it ever did when it was plugged straight into my pc. It’s utterly decoupled from any single machine. Anybody on the community can use it, and it doesn’t matter whether or not they’re on a Mac, PC, or perhaps a pill or smartphone. The browser interface is responsive and clear, and it handles every thing from fundamental doc scans to high-resolution TIFF output. The scanner itself continues to be doing the identical work it at all times did, however it’s turn out to be a wiser, extra accessible a part of my workspace.
What’s attention-grabbing about this venture is that none of this looks like a hack. The expertise is clean and constant. The Pi handles scanning duties quietly within the background. The NAS takes care of storage. scanservjs wraps every thing in a clear interface. It feels much less like a workaround and extra like a contemporary, modular approach to make use of older {hardware}.
It additionally jogged my memory how succesful these open-source instruments actually are. With out SANE and scanservjs, this setup wouldn’t have labored. Docker and the Raspberry Pi ecosystem made it even simpler to sew every thing collectively with out having to put in writing customized scripts or compile something from the supply. One of the best half is that every one of it runs quietly within the background. I don’t have to consider it anymore. I open a browser, scan, and transfer on.
Previous {hardware}, new methods
I simply wished a dependable technique to scan paperwork, and within the course of, I ended up with one thing higher than any out-of-the-box scanner software program I’ve used. It’s quick, constant, and works from any machine in the home. I didn’t should improve or substitute something.
I wouldn’t say that is for everybody. Should you scan a few instances a yr and have already got a more moderen printer with a scanner built-in, you’re most likely superb. However for those who’ve bought previous gear mendacity round and a Raspberry Pi you’re not utilizing, it is a genuinely helpful venture to tackle. It’s easy sufficient to complete in a day, and the tip result’s surprisingly polished.
