Troubleshooting scanning problems in Linux

Q: I’m having problems when trying to scan into PDF Studio in Linux.  What can I do?

A: Using PDF Studio, you can directly scan your paper documents into PDF documents. This will allow you to work towards a paperless office and save time and trees. PDF Studio, like many other cross-platform applications, uses SANE to communicate with a scanner. SANE is a standard framework allowing applications to communicate with scanners independently of the scanner itself or the operating system. If you’re experiencing issues when scanning from PDF Studio, please try our troubleshooting tips below:

  • Tip 1: Update to the latest drivers
    • This is the most important tip. Download the latest driver for your scanner from the manufacturer website. A listing of computer scanner manufacturers and links to the drivers pages can be found on this page http://www.computerhope.com/drivers/scanner.htm
    • Even if you have already used your scanner from other applications don’t assume you have the latest twain drivers. PDF Studio connects to your scanner using the SANE driver.  Other applications may use a different driver to connect to your scanner so it is possible that your driver needs to be updated.
  • Tip 2: Reset your scanner
    • If your scanner used to work in PDF Studio but stopped working:
    • Turn off your scanner
    • Unplug the scanner from your computer
    • Wait a few minutes
    • Plug it back in and turn it back on
    • Try again
  • Tip 3: Make sure your scanner works in other applications
    • Make sure that your scanner is installed properly and works in other applications starting by the software that comes with your scanner. You can also try to scan using XSane or Gimp.
  • Tip 4: Try another scanner driver 
    • Sometimes you will have multiple drivers installed for your scanner and will see a list of available scanners in the selection dialog. Make sure you try another driver if the first one doesn’t work.
  • Tip 5: Try Scanning with “Sane Daemon” 
    • PDF Studio 2018 and up offers two options to communicate with your scanner: Sane Direct and Sane Daemon.
    • By default, PDF Studio will scan using Sane Direct which is the recommended option.
    • Try scanning with Sane Daemon if Sane Direct does not work for you.
    • Click on Scan dropdown from the top quick toolbar and select “Scan to PDF (Sane Daemon)”
       

If none of the tips above worked for you and you’re still having errors when trying to scan from PDF Studio:

  1. Email us from within PDF Studio from the top menu Help > Email Support. Please do so immediately after trying to scan from PDF Studio. This will send us your log file with possible errors logged so we can review them.
  2. Alternatively, you can always use other applications to import scans into PDF Studio:
    • Convert Images to PDF into PDF Studio:
      • Use your standard scanning software to scan your documents to image files
      • Then Go to Pages > Insert > Import Images as Pages from the top menu bar to convert the scanned images to PDF pages.
      • Or Drag and drop the scanned images into PDF Studio’s main pane or thumbnail pane.
    • Or
    • Download gscan2pdf which can scan documents directly to PDF
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