Recently, VueScan released a version of its software that works on Raspberry Pi, so we decided to check it out on Raspberry Pi OS.
Problem solver
Getting VueScan is pretty easy – head to hamrick.com and it will recommend you a version to download for the OS you’re using. There are instructions on how to install the version from this download; however, we recommend hitting the link for other versions and finding the ARM32 DEB file for installation. It’s a bit easier, only involves a single file, and will then appear in the program menu under Accessories. VueScan can be used for free, although it will embed a watermark onto your scans. It’s a good way to test if your scanner will work with it, though, especially as we had some issues with a scanner that was listed as being supported.
Troubleshooting was quite easy, however. Common problems are listed and, once you’re through that shortlist, you’re taken to the website to find out more. The developers behind the software are a contact form away from giving you some support on the software.
Once you have the scanner working, while you can just hit Scan and get a good picture, you have a lot of options to play with as well. Any function the scanner has, you can change, and you can even add some post-processing to the scanned images: fixing colours, making the imager sharper, and even allowing for character recognition (OCR) so the text of the image can be highlighted. Your mileage might vary on how well that OCR works, though – it’s highly dependent on how good your scanner is and the item you’re scanning.
Verdict
8/10
It’s a great piece of software that makes scanning on Raspberry Pi much easier than it’s ever been.
