Mustek ScanExpress A3 USB 1200 Pro Flatbed Scanner

I looked at the Mustek site and didn't see drivers for Mac OS X. It says it is supported, but it was released in 2006, so I'm not sure it would be compatible with Snow Leopard. Nothing from Mustek was listed on the [Snow Leopard Printer and Scanner|http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3669] compatibility page.

All I saw was Windows drivers, but I think I chose the wrong model. When I looked at the right place, they do exist and were recently updated.

Hello, everyone! I am some relieved to see this topic here because I am still unable to get this scanner running on my Mac Snow Leopard.

I've downloaded and installed the new driver and when I hook up the scanner it appears in the USB tree. ImageCapture doesn't see it though. Mustek tech support told me that on the Mac, I must activate the scanner via a photo editing program. So, using Photoshop Elements 8, I opened File/Import and see the scanner on the dropdown menu. BUT, when I choose that, the error message is returned that the scanner is not installed.

Mustek Support had me download a set of legacy plugins from the Adobe site and copy that TWAIN.plugin into the PSE program - no help. The scanner still appears in the dropdown menu, shows on my USB tree, but still says scanner not installed. I sent Mustek screen shots and a coupon for aspirin and came here to look.

On an archived thread on this subject, a user suggested some other graphics programs this newbie has never heard of. Before I try that route, has anyone gotten this unit to work on Snow Leopard? The scanner has been tested on a Windows system and does function so I know it's not DOA - just determinedly uncooperative. Thanks for any guidance! "MJ"

Hello, Hardy

For what it's worth, the work I did on the unit via Windows (approximately 20 scans) was surprisingly good to me. I purchased the unit on Amazon for about $155, a little leery of what that price range could bring for a large bed scanner. It scans quickly, and is quiet. I only tried Mustek's own "Panel" interface a couple of times and hated it, so just used that computer's Paint Shop Pro to import images. I found some color distortion, particularly a yellowing of white/beige and intensifying of color but I think that can be corrected in editing. For the price I am very pleased. I'll be a lot more pleased if it will run on my Macs as promised though 😉 "MJ"

That scanner is a TWAIN-based scanner and I believe, but cannot corroborate, that Snow Leopard removed TWAIN support. It sounds silly to me, but I thought I had read it somewhere. In that case, Image Capture will not be useful.
There is a thing called TWAIN SANE that might work. I looked at VueScan's supported scanners and it doesn't work with the Mac version of VueScan which throws up some red flags for me.

I have been using it with no problems through the full version of Photoshop, but I did need to install the legacy TWAIN drivers first.

Thanks so much for the input. It's strange to me that on the Windows side, it does launch a program, but on the Mac side it is indeed exclusively a TWAIN scanner.

Barney, thanks for suggesting TWAIN SANE - I am going to look into that. The programs that were mentioned on that archived thread were GraphicConverter by lemkesoft and something called Ecatscan (I think). I saved the post because that thread was closed to additional comments.

I
Geoffrey, it works with Photoshop?!? Ohh. Well, I am looking on my intro to Photoshop Elements8 as the one with training wheels and if I can get up and proficient with it, I am going to invest in the Real Deal 🙂 I don't suppose the file structures of the two are anything similar.

The latest: a long phone session with Adobe Support. They had me download a different legacy TWAIN driver than Mustek did, and had me install it in a completely different folder on Photoshop Elements than the one Mustek selected. Then, in the program preferences put a pointer to that folder. Nope. No dice. It just smirked. I don't think the Tech was amused. He used the remote control and tried several things, none of which worked, and now it is escalated to someone else. I'm not really sure what that means beyond they don't know either.

If either Mustek or Adobe come up with something, I'll post it here in case someone else is still trying to get the thing to work. In the meantime, I'll look into Twain Sane and perhaps that GraphicConverter. I think the scanner's worth the effort and I'm sure learning a lot.
MJ

Thanks for the suggestions!

mjr.mac wrote:

Geoffrey, it works with Photoshop?!? Ohh. Well, I am looking on my intro to Photoshop Elements8 as the one with training wheels and if I can get up and proficient with it, I am going to invest in the Real Deal 🙂 I don't suppose the file structures of the two are anything similar.

Not sure if PS and PS-Elements are the same, but the scanner works seamlessly the full version of Photoshop. I actually got it for the same reason you indicated--to scan music. I downloaded this set of legacy plug-ins: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4049 and put the TWAIN legacy plugin in the folder Adobe Photoshop>Plug-ins The scanner showed up the next time I started PS up, no problem at all.

G'morning!

Hardy, I came very close to downloading the wrong driver because the paperwork inside the scanner box was for the 2400 - I realized at the last minute that something didn't sound right and got the correct one.

Geoffrey, oh boy. I think that you have given me something to try and a heads-up to the reason it hasn't worked thus far. The link to the driver you gave is the very one that MUSTEK had me download. The driver that ADOBE had me download was here: (I hope but if the link doesn't work the name of the dmg is in it)

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/search/index.cfm?loc=enus&term=PHSPCS4_ContLS1.dmg&siteSection=support%3Adownloads

In the file structure for PSe8, the folder Plug-Ins has 10 sub-folders. OK. The twain.plugin that came with the original installation of the PSe8 program was placed in a sub-folder called Import Modules (where it remains). The twain.plugin that I downloaded per MUSTEK's instructions, the same one you used, was placed at their instruction in a sub-folder called Extensions. The third twain.plugin (can you believe it?) that ADOBE had me download was placed at their instruction in a sub-folder called File Formats.

The one thing ADOBE had me do that Mustek did not, was to add the folder pointer under Preferences/Plug-Ins in PSe8.

The documentation that came with the package you used, and that MUSTEK recommended directs the plug-in to be placed in Import-Export. That sounds similar to the folder called Import Modules, where the program's own pre-installed plug-in resides.

I hope this is clearer than my own confusion makes it seem to me (keeping all the variations straight is making me dizzy). I am going to try to use the plug-in you are using, place it in the Extensions sub-folder that MUSTEK wanted and then add the folder pointer in preferences. I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough at this point to try replacing the program's original plug-in with the legacy version. I just don't know what other implications that would have.

Of course, I could use all this as the perfect excuse to treat myself to an upgrade to Photoshop. 🙂

I really appreciate the input you all have given me, and your patience with a newbie. While I do want the scanner to work, I am very much enjoying this as an opportunity to learn more about my Mac and how it works. A week ago I had no idea of "TWAIN" and laughed at the "Technology Without An Informative Name" and other versions. If I get something to work, I'll post the specifics of what went where to make it happen.

Thanks! MJ

And so I learn...

I now know that the actual plugin, twain.plugin, on both links is the same file, and the documentation for both links has identical instructions as to where to place the plug-in: a folder called Import-Export.

I have placed the plug in the File Formats folder and in the Extensions folder, and for a third try just in the Plug-Ins folder, each time adding the "additional plug-ins" folder pointer...with no success. The scanner appears in the drop down menu of PSe8 (and on the USB tree) but PSe8 still returns the message that the file cannot be imported because the scanner is not installed.

I'm going to investigate the other program suggestions, such as TWAIN SANE.

MJ

If the plug-in is a PPC plug-in (likely), the problem is that unlike PS, you can't run PSE 8 in rosetta. If you have PSE 6, that can be run in rosetta and it would probably work there.