HP6200C Flatbed Scanner

[Lester Thorpe]

I just pulled an HP 6200C flatbed scanner out of storage.

Holy moley! This device is ancient, as far as scanners go.
But it has very good capabilities and I want to use it.

What options do I have? Let's consider them.

Microshit Winblows:

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Tough luck asshole. We don't support
that old thing. You are a fool with your money, so just go
and buy a brand new scanner. We only support brand new
scanners. Asshole.

GNU/Linux:

Don't you worry. With a little knowledge and understanding,
GNU/Linux can do anything and everything.

SANE fully supports the HP6200C, and I mean FULLY.

The following script will scan a document in high res
grayscale, threshold to bi-tonal using the best parameters,
compress with the highly efficient JBIG2 algorithm, and
then produce a PDF.

Of course, you can archive the original high res grayscale
if desired, and do virtually any-fucking-thing else, by
a suitable adjustment of the script.

Step 1 -- discover all relevant scanner parameters with:

scanimage --help --device hp:libusb:major:minor

Step 2 -- program these into the bash script

Step 3 -- execute the bash script as follows:

doc2pdf.sh outputfile.pdf gamma major minor

===================================================
doc2pdf.sh for the HP6200C
===================================================

#! /bin/bash
# HP6200C
# scans to 12-bit 300dpi gray scale pgm
# doc2pdf.sh file.pdf gamma major minor

gamma=$2
outfile=$1
major=$3
minor=$4

scanimage -p -d hp:libusb:$major:$minor --format pnm --mode Gray --depth 12 \
--resolution 300 --speed="Normal" --output-8bit="no"\
--source Normal \
--custom-gamma="yes" \
--gamma-table `gamma4scanimage $gamma 0 255 255 255` \
| pamthreshold | pnmtopnm > ${outfile%.pdf}.pbm

jbig2 -s -p ${outfile%.pdf}.pbm > ${outfile%.pdf}.jb2
python pdf.py output > $outfile

========================================================================

All done!

Requirements: SANE, netpbm, jbig2enc

[Paul]

Post by Lester Thorpe
I just pulled an HP 6200C flatbed scanner out of storage.
Holy moley! This device is ancient, as far as scanners go.
But it has very good capabilities and I want to use it.
What options do I have? Let's consider them.

There is Vuescan

https://www.hamrick.com/

( https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/hp_scanjet_6200c.html )

"Version 9.7.27.
Updated March 31, 2020.
Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP
Download VueScan for other operating systems or older versions"

"Try VueScan for Free

https://www.hamrick.com/download.html
"

And, there is a thing called persistence. Where a few
individuals manage to get just ancient kit going again.
People do this more for the bar bet, than because they
need that exact scanner to work.

My scanner doesn't work under Linux. I tried it on the
"mature" driver, and the scanner was burbling along while
simplescan had exited. A lack of synchronization.

But that's the thing with bar bets. "Here, hold my beer".
And when you come back, your beer is gone. Just about
anything can happen with scanner projects. Even new
AIOs are not immune to surprises.

Paul

[Rene Lamontagne]

Post by Paul

Post by Lester Thorpe
I just pulled an HP 6200C flatbed scanner out of storage.
Holy moley!  This device is ancient, as far as scanners go.
But it has very good capabilities and I want to use it.
What options do I have?  Let's consider them.

There is Vuescan
https://www.hamrick.com/
( https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/hp_scanjet_6200c.html )
   "Version 9.7.27.
    Updated March 31, 2020.
    Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP
    Download VueScan for other operating systems or older versions"
   "Try VueScan for Free
    https://www.hamrick.com/download.html
   "
And, there is a thing called persistence. Where a few
individuals manage to get just ancient kit going again.
People do this more for the bar bet, than because they
need that exact scanner to work.
My scanner doesn't work under Linux. I tried it on the
"mature" driver, and the scanner was burbling along while
simplescan had exited. A lack of synchronization.
But that's the thing with bar bets. "Here, hold my beer".
And when you come back, your beer is gone. Just about
anything can happen with scanner projects. Even new
AIOs are not immune to surprises.
   Paul

You know it Paul, As you saw a couple weeks ago all the hoops I went
through to try and get my scanner working in MXLinux, Forget it, Life is
just too short for that crap , My old scanner works fine in Windows 10.

Rene

[Paul]

Post by Rene Lamontagne

Post by Paul

Post by Lester Thorpe
I just pulled an HP 6200C flatbed scanner out of storage.
Holy moley! This device is ancient, as far as scanners go.
But it has very good capabilities and I want to use it.
What options do I have? Let's consider them.

There is Vuescan
https://www.hamrick.com/
( https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/hp_scanjet_6200c.html )
"Version 9.7.27.
Updated March 31, 2020.
Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP
Download VueScan for other operating systems or older versions"
"Try VueScan for Free
https://www.hamrick.com/download.html
"
And, there is a thing called persistence. Where a few
individuals manage to get just ancient kit going again.
People do this more for the bar bet, than because they
need that exact scanner to work.
My scanner doesn't work under Linux. I tried it on the
"mature" driver, and the scanner was burbling along while
simplescan had exited. A lack of synchronization.
But that's the thing with bar bets. "Here, hold my beer".
And when you come back, your beer is gone. Just about
anything can happen with scanner projects. Even new
AIOs are not immune to surprises.
Paul

You know it Paul, As you saw a couple weeks ago all the hoops I went
through to try and get my scanner working in MXLinux, Forget it, Life is
just too short for that crap , My old scanner works fine in Windows 10.
Rene

With webcams, there is at least one standard (UVC), and
chances are good you can at least get a 640x480 picture
on your screen.

Scanners are a lot different. It doesn't really
matter what platform you're on -- there are
good chances of a fuss.

*******

To keep these things in perspective, I like to think
back to some of the "famous" hardware acquisitions I've made.

Back in the day, there was a "frame grabber" for sale.
Connect an SVideo camera to the grabber, and voila,
you could take a picture.

So I figured, "this thing has a SCSI interface, and computers
will always have SCSI interfaces, how can I lose?"

And the very next thing, the company selling the $500 frame
grabber goes out of business, and then a "new issue" comes
along, where SCSI busses have numbers, and the driver is set
for a SCSI bus number that doesn't exist on the new computer.
Bam. Dead in the water frame grabber. $500 down the toilet.

Why should a scanner be any different ? Even for USB scanners,
I don't think there is a standard "Class" for the things, and
it's custom driver country.

Paul

[Charlie Gibbs]

Post by Lester Thorpe
I just pulled an HP 6200C flatbed scanner out of storage.
Holy moley! This device is ancient, as far as scanners go.
But it has very good capabilities and I want to use it.
What options do I have? Let's consider them.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Tough luck asshole. We don't support
that old thing. You are a fool with your money, so just go
and buy a brand new scanner. We only support brand new
scanners. Asshole.
Don't you worry. With a little knowledge and understanding,
GNU/Linux can do anything and everything.
SANE fully supports the HP6200C, and I mean FULLY.

I've had the same experience with an old HP 3970
which I occasionally pull down off a dusty shelf.
I don't do anything fancy with it, so it's plug & play,
just like the Epson WF-2760 all-in-one that I use now.

Microsoft can take their planned obsolescence and stuff it
wherever their ingenuity may devise and complacency permit.

[Allodoxaphobia]

Post by Lester Thorpe
I just pulled an HP 6200C flatbed scanner out of storage.
SANE fully supports the HP6200C, and I mean FULLY.
The following script will scan a document in high res
grayscale, threshold to bi-tonal using the best parameters,
compress with the highly efficient JBIG2 algorithm, and
then produce a PDF.
Of course, you can archive the original high res grayscale
if desired, and do virtually any-fucking-thing else, by
a suitable adjustment of the script.
scanimage --help --device hp:libusb:major:minor
Step 2 -- program these into the bash script
doc2pdf.sh outputfile.pdf gamma major minor

Thanks! I may have use for this!

Minor suggestion:
Assign defaults for $outfile, $gamma, $major, and $minor

Again, Thanks
Jonesy

Post by Lester Thorpe
===================================================
doc2pdf.sh for the HP6200C
===================================================
#! /bin/bash
# HP6200C
# scans to 12-bit 300dpi gray scale pgm
# doc2pdf.sh file.pdf gamma major minor
gamma=$2
outfile=$1
major=$3
minor=$4
scanimage -p -d hp:libusb:$major:$minor --format pnm --mode Gray --depth 12 \
--resolution 300 --speed="Normal" --output-8bit="no"\
--source Normal \
--custom-gamma="yes" \
--gamma-table `gamma4scanimage $gamma 0 255 255 255` \
| pamthreshold | pnmtopnm > ${outfile%.pdf}.pbm
jbig2 -s -p ${outfile%.pdf}.pbm > ${outfile%.pdf}.jb2
python pdf.py output > $outfile
========================================================================
All done!
Requirements: SANE, netpbm, jbig2enc