New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

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ThumbOne
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New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by ThumbOne »

Yep, I have received a bit of CZUR (https://czur.com/) spam in recent years and often dreamed of having one, but Linux support is the issue.

My use case is not in fact books, though heck book scanning rocks I've scanned quite a few in past but that's a whole other long story. My need today or the thing I'm exploring is overhead scanners, as they have become quite cheap, and do cool stuff like book curvature correction and more ... my context is I use Linux and can use a WIndows VM on Linux, and I have school children, who produce school work. It is collecting in piles and I want an efficient way to scan it, with much of it larger than A4 format (A3 is common, larger still exists but I have stitching solutions).

To wit I just posted this:

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php ... st14074371

But tonight's searching and reading uncovered this site and forum, and the possibility of networking with like-minded folk from the scanning rather than Ubuntu angle.
cday
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Re: New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by cday »

Yes, difficult, but mightn't the least-bad solution at least temporarily be to dual boot one of your Linux laptops with Windows 10, so that you can run the scanner manufacturers software?

From your link but off the immediate topic:
Bernd_Wechner wrote:MS of course provide developer images of Windows and I use those for other spot needs - in my case I have one set up just for Microsoft ICE as alas nothing FOSS, not even Hugin holds a candle to CIE for scan stitching - it's hard even to find ICE anymore as Microsoft discontinued it rather that FOSS it the blighters)
+1 Microsoft Research ICE (Image Composite Editor) is fantastic, I used it recently to scan some archived oversize club accounts very easily and successfully. I'm using Linux too, and looked quickly at the cross-platform Hugin tool which had good reviews, couldn't easily find the simplified mode which would probably have been better suited to flatbed scans, and didn't persist with it.

Unfortunately ICE doesn't run in Windows 10, due I think to in effect a dependency issue, I'm not sure if there could be a way around that by using Windows compatibility mode or another tool. I used my Windows 7 computer. An updated MS PowerToys version has just been released, but whether there is any hope of an updated ICE version compatible with Windows 10/11 I don't know.

One detailed issue I encountered, though, was that the composite images output had a fixed DPI value of 72, irrespective of the original scan resolutions: that caused a problem at first as I wanted to OCR the composite images using Adobe Acrobat Clearscan (the name in Acrobat XI) which wouldn't accept them as input. I eventually deduced that it was necessary to restore the original scan DPI using image editing software, otherwise the page size was probably outside the acceptable limits, resulting in the mysterious Acrobat message 'the image contains editable text' when it certainly does not. I suspect that well-known message should possibly read 'the image does not contain editable text'!

Returning to your main issue: you really as one possible solution need Linux software that will perform the serious image processing required for curvature correction of [open-book] scanner images? Any further processing required could then be completed using existing open source tools, rather than the scanner manufacturer's Windows software. Given those tools you would also have the option of building your own overhead scanner, possibly accepting larger originals if required, maybe using a smartphone. Edit: Some of the smartphone apps might, if you can minimise curvature in your application, go a long way towards outputting images that you could post-process using existing Linux software.
ThumbOne
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Re: New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by ThumbOne »

@cday, thanks. Dual boot is not really an option as I don't have nor want to buy a Windows license ;-). In a VM you can create a snapshot that when reloaded always works (MS even advise that!) while installed versions time out without activation etc.

I really just want to buy a simple overhead scanner as they are so compact (some of them anyhow) but it's not even clear without someone testing them that they will be recognized by Linux.

This for example is old: http://www.johnwillis.com/2016/04/czur- ... linux.html

but suggests CZUR present themselves as a UVC device in in Linux, but then he uses software called UCview that I can't find, though I can find guvcview which likely can do same (capture images). But als it's so dated and CZUR have so many models since etc, nothing is certain without more recent tests and one would always be curious to know if a Windows VM can Linux can see the CZUR. If so, it would be the solution! But it's a fair chunk of money (even if affordably cheap compared to even mid range book scanners etc) to gamble on that and would be so much cooler is someone who had one tried these things. someone perhaps here ;-), who uses Windows usually but wouldn't mind trying a Linux install to do some tests for the Linux community as a kindness.
BruceG
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Re: New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by BruceG »

I have a Czur E16 but not Linux. But I have a son who uses Linux. He is in Gippsland and I am in Melbourne. Speaking to him today we will give connecting the Czur E16 to his machine a go next time we make a visit.

He sent this link that might be of interest, the Czur reference is down the bottom.

https://jpetazzo.github.io/2020/04/17/s ... eras-mics/
BruceG
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Re: New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by BruceG »

We made the trip to Gippsland yesterday. We were able to connect the E16 to his linux machine using Guvcview. The input is video, we were able to get 3072x1728. The max output of the E16 is 4608x3456 but Guvcview was unable to save a Capture Image at this resolution.
I would say the results compared to the windows software are around the 5% range. Not a great resolution, no auto cropping or flatening of double pages and longer process in saving a page. Getting a window license would be the best to get the full potential of a Czur scanner. Getting a license from a old computer with say win7 that someone is throwing out would be the best way to go.
BruceG
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Re: New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by BruceG »

Just received an add from Czur about new scanner that supports Linux

CZUR ET24 Pro is basically a scanner of everything you ever asked us for
• Higher MegaPixels
• Higher DPI
• Sidelights to reduce reflection when scanning colored pages
• HDMI port for higher FPS
• Support Linux and the latest macOS 12 Monterey
• Curve-Flatten Technology
• Super Early Bird $399
And those who join our group will receive a Secret Perk link when we launch, which will be even lower than $399! Join our group now!
Jerzy
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Re: New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by Jerzy »

Hi, thanks for letting me know of the CZUR ET24. I'm seriously considering buying an overhead scanner. Two questions:

1) Where can you buy it for 399 USD?
2) What is practically the difference between "ET" series and "Shine" series of CZUR products in terms of quality of scans and speed? I know that ET18 and ET24 have HDMI output but I won't need that. What other advantages does the ET series provide?
BruceG
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Joined: 14 May 2014, 23:17
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Country: Australia

Re: New from Tasmania, exploring overhead scanner options for Linux

Post by BruceG »

Jerzy
1) The add said join the group which is on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/631670647867398
They say the launch date is March 29 " Join our group now so you can enjoy an even lower Secret Perk price when we launch!"
2) I only have a ET16. It looks like the "Shine" series are very portable. You would need to check the CZUR website to see the differences.

It may be the only scanner that supports Linux in the price range.
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