I am running a KDE desktop and have installed an HP Color Laser MFP179fnw.
With a lot of help I was able to get this installed using the HP uld download and with help was able to scan with Skanlite. I have two remaining problems.
The first is the worst. I can readily scan the first page and save the output but when I try and scan the next page, I am loading one sheet at a time, nothing happens for a minute or so and then I get a pop up error “scanner busy.” The only way to scan the next page is to close Skanlite and re start, check the settings and then scan.
I have tried re-detecting the scanner but this fails.
I have Skanlite installed but the MFP is not easily detected as it is on a different subnet so I use the command which was suggested to me by deano_ferrari earlier:-
skanlite -d "smfp:net;192.168.105.41"
This works OK and I have edited the command line in the Skanlite properties to include this command so I can open from my desktop without having to go to cli but I have not solved the problem of scanning more than one page.
My second problem is related to the first in that the MFP has a multi sheet feeder for copying but I have not yet found out how to have the feeder accept several sheets. This may be beyond the capabilities of the driver and is certainly beyond me.
With our HP MFP M127fn, drivers installed via hplip, leap 15.4 KDE and Skanlite Version 21.12.3, in Skanlite Basic options tab, set Scan source to ADF. On our MFP, with two sheets in the ADF, clicking “Scan” feeds both sheets. Skanlite then shows a preview of the first sheet. Save it, the preview closes, and after a pause the preview of the second sheet appears. Save that and the preview closes.
If you save as multiple pdfs and need a single file, pdftk can merge them. Alternatively, use Xsane to create a multi-page pdf file directly.
Using Skanlite with the flatbed, placing one sheet and scanning, then placing a second sheet and scanning works fine, so I cannot comment on your problem.
Hi and many thanks for the info. I have the same OS and Skanlite version but the printer is not yet supported on hplip so I had to use the community? hp site which HP provide and there is an install.sh but not vey well documented. The driver should be OK and your advice was most helpful in that I can scan several pages but for reasons I do not understand after a while I get an error and there is some process going on in the background causing delays. Very strange.
Your help has enabled me to get what had to be done completed but only by having to re-start every few sheets. Better than singles so many thanks.
Your reference to Xsane is interesting but how on earth do I use that? Will need to check the man pages as it doesn’t find the scanner at present.
Hi Dean,
Many thanks for your advice. After many problems trying to stay with the app I had been used to I have found simple-scan much easier to use and more reliable. It has no trouble with multi-page documents and sheet feeder and puts all the scans into a pdf without any problems. The configuration pages are very simple but do the business so, all in all, my vote is to change my default to simple-scan.
Many thanks once more.
Alastair.
xsane, simple-scan, scanpage and gscan2pdf. has an option to scan multiple pages.
In my case I am using a brother scanner, I put all the documents to the automatic document feeder and do the multiple page scan and save after all the scanning is done.
Hi,
I am returning to this thread because I still have a problem with scanning and have not explained myself clearly.
I am not attempting to scan a multi page document using the auto feed, I am trying to scan a stack of single pages, one at a time, on the flat bed.
If I run scan I can save the scanned image no problem but when I replace the first page with the next from the stack and try and scan there is a notice “Waiting for the scan to start” and after a long wait I get a pop-up with “Device busy” with an OK button, at which point it stalls.
Clearing the OK sometimes repeats but if I keep waiting then eventually I can scan the next sheet.
I really would like to fix this please so I can scan without the 2 minute wait between sheets!
Using Dean’s advice above and trying to use simple-scan again I have failed.
I run the command and the Document Scanner window opens the “ready to scan” window but when I try and scan I get a Failed to scan message and a message “Unable to connect to scanner.” I have no idea why this worked when I posted last and now doesn’t.
I don’t care which works so long as one does.
Any ideas?
Skanlite (for images) is pre-installed, Scanpage (for documents) seems to made by the same as Skanlite and is great. Scanpage should be pre-installed as well.
Hi Dean,
Not yet found out what the issue is with Skanlite but the issue with simple-scan was my error omitting the quotes on first efforts. It is fine now thanks.