mobile flatbed scanner

[Tommy Trussell]

On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 7:07 PM, Linda <haniganwork at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Anyone have a mobile (uses USB cord for power) flatbed scanner that
> works with Ubuntu? I looked at SANE but everyone I could think of shows
> unsupported.  I do not want the users to have to hassle with power cords
> as you have to pull drawers and string them to reach the outlets not to
> practical for a shared unit.
>                                     Thanks
>                                      Linda

I have an old Canon CanoScan LIDE 30 that works OK with Ubuntu (or it
did last time I tried it). I bought it from an auction site
specifically for its SANE compatibility. I believe both the LIDE 20
and the LIDE 30 work fine. HOWEVER other Canon LIDE models are NOT
compatible, so shop carefully.

I don't know of a scanner currently available in stores, but there
SHOULD be one! Let the list know if you find one.

P.S.: I haven't used my CanoScan in several years because I bought a
Brother scanner / copier / printer. The Brother linux drivers are a
hassle to tinker with, but once it's set up it works very well in
Ubuntu. Unfortunately it's not really "portable" and requires a wall
outlet to power it. You might be able to share such a scanner and
printer among several machines, however. (You could use the scanner
sharing features included in SANE. I haven't tried sharing the
scanner, but I know the CUPS printer sharing features work really
well.)