scanner produces only gray blank

[bezdomny]

Scanner is successfully detected by OS, SANE backend, and SANE frontends, yet attempts to scan with frontends produce only a gray blank.

# sane-find-scanner=

found USB scanner (vendor=0x03f0 [hewlett packard], product=0x2405 [hp scanjet]) at libusb:002:002

# scanimage -L=

device `hp3900:libusb:002:002' is a Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 4070 Photosmart flatbed scanner

# scanimage -d test -T=

scanimage: scanning image of size 157x196 pixels at 8 bits/pixel
scanimage: acquiring gray frame, 8 bits/sample
scanimage: reading one scanline, 157 bytes...	PASS
scanimage: reading one byte...		PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 2 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 4 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 8 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 16 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 32 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 64 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 128 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 256 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 255 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 127 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 63 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 31 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 15 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 7 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 3 bytes... 	PASS

# scanimage -d hp3900:libusb:002:002 -T=

scanimage: scanning image of size 433x590 pixels at 24 bits/pixel
scanimage: acquiring RGB frame, 8 bits/sample
scanimage: reading one scanline, 1299 bytes...	PASS
scanimage: reading one byte...		PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 2 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 4 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 8 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 16 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 32 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 64 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 128 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 256 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 512 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 1024 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 2048 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 2047 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 1023 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 511 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 255 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 127 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 63 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 31 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 15 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 7 bytes... 	PASS
scanimage: stepped read, 3 bytes... 	PASS

See sig for system details.

Any ideas? The gray blank image is the result with both frontends XSANE as well as Kooka.

Thanks for your time and insight. Please let me know if I can provide more info.

[Grandebasta]

I suggest you test the scanner with a Windows operation system, and see how the print quality is. If it is just as bad, then the hardware/scanner might be no good anymore.

How many scans did the scanner totally do, ca., till now?

How many times have you installed the scanner? Is this your second time?

Your scanner is installed correctly. But the hardware makes the scans much to light, makes them faded.

If your scanner is the Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 4070 Photosmart flatbed scanner, you are probably only wasting your precious time: The model is faulty, and after a while it creates problems, that mostly can't be solved.

The follow up model, has solved all the bad issues.

You should probably buy a new scanner.

[bezdomny]

You should probably buy a new scanner.

Ouch! OK, I'll boot into Windows XP and check it out over there. Thanks.

[Grandebasta]

How well is the scanner working under Windows? - Is the result the same?

[bezdomny]

Yeah, it errs out immediately with the HP software. Works OK with the Windows scanner wizard...but that's useless for backlighting negatives or slides. Going back to the HP site to check for a patch, keep you posted.

[Grandebasta]

If the problem is really due to faulty hardware and construction failure, and bad design, I doubt that a such a patch would be available.

Look around for a new scanner. The follow up model is ok.

If your attempts stay fruitless, you will already know, which model you want to buy for a replacement scanner.

However, one should never give up, as long as it does not look like a hopeless case.
But keep in mind, that the issue could be a time waster for you.

You could keep it a project for tinkering: You might be able to find some replacement hard ware pieces for the scanner. But it would take ages to fix the hardware, I guess.