TWAIN

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TWAIN is a standard software protocol and applications programming interface (API) that regulates communication between software applications and imaging devices such as scanners and digital cameras.

The latest version of the TWAIN standard is TWAIN 2.0, released on November 13, 2008.

Contents 1 History 2 Vision Statement 3 Objectives 4 Supported Technologies 5 TWAIN Working Group Membership 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] History

The word TWAIN is not an official acronym; however, it is widely known as "Technology Without An Interesting Name." The official website notes that "[this name] seems to haunt the standard."

The TWAIN group originally launched in 1992 by several members of the imaging industry, with the intention of standardising communication between image handling software and hardware. The word TWAIN is from Rudyard Kipling's "The Ballad of East and West" — "...and never the twain shall meet..." — reflecting the difficulty at the time of connecting scanners and personal computers.

[edit] Vision Statement

The TWAIN Working Group is a not-for-profit organization which represents the imaging industry. TWAIN's purpose is to provide and foster a universal public standard which links applications and image acquisition devices. The ongoing mission of the organization is to continue to enhance the standard to accommodate future technologies.

[edit] Objectives

Objectives of the TWAIN Working Group and standard include:

• Ensure image-handling software and hardware compatibility
• Keep the specification current with the state of practice software and hardware while maintaining backward compatibility
• Multiple platform support
• Maintain and distribute a no-charge developer's toolkit
• Ensure ease of implementation
• Encourage widespread adoption

[edit] Supported Technologies

TWAIN provides support for:

• Production, high-speed scanning
• ICC Color profiles
• Digital cameras
• Multiple operating system platforms
• Linux Platforms

[edit] TWAIN Working Group Membership

Today the TWAIN standard, including the specification, data source manager and sample code, are maintained by the not-for-profit organization TWAIN Working Group.

Board and associate members of the TWAIN Working Group include:

• Adobe Systems, Inc.
• AnyDoc Software, Inc.
• Atalasoft Inc.
• Avision Inc.
• Eastman Kodak Company
• Fujitsu Computer Products of America
• JFL Peripheral Solutions, Inc.
• Ricoh Corporation
• Epson, Inc.
• Hewlett-Packard, Inc.
• Xerox, Inc.

[edit] See also

• List of computer standards
• An alternative to TWAIN is WIA

[edit] External links

• TWAIN Working Group
• Overview of TWAIN and TWAIN Data Sources
• TWAIN: Linking Applications and Images - A White Paper by Hewlett Packard
• 9 Rules for Evaluating Web TWAIN Components - A White Paper by Dynamsoft
• ScanTWAIN Open Source Example of using TWAIN 2.0 from Linux

This article was originally based on material from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, which is licensed under the GFDL.