Scanning from (almost) any scanner on Linux with SANE¶

On Linux, scanners are driven by SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy). The command-line front-end is scanimage; it supports a huge range of USB and network scanners, and many network multifunction printers work driverless via sane-airscan (eSCL/WSD).

The essentials:

sudo apt install -y sane-utils      # scanimage + core backends

scanimage -L                        # list detected scanners and their ids
scanimage -d '<id>' --format=png --resolution 300 > page.png

Rather than duplicate the excellent existing documentation, use these:

• ArchWiki — SANE: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/SANE — setup, backends, permissions, network scanning, troubleshooting. The best single reference even if you're not on Arch.
• SANE supported devices: http://www.sane-project.org/sane-supported-devices.html — check your model and which backend it needs before buying/installing.

Scanner-specific notes on this site:

• Installing the Brother DS-620 on Linux — a scanner whose backend is not in stock SANE.
• FAQ: Why scanimage is slow.