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I have a home server running Windows Server 2008 R2, wich has one multi-functional printer.

I can already use the printer from my laptop (Windows 7 Professional RTM), but can I use the scanner tool from my laptop? If so, how?

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    What is the make/model of printer/scanner?
    – Mark
    Commented Dec 10, 2009 at 17:23
  • It's a Cannon MP210...
    – josecortesp
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 3:10

7 Answers 7

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Share a scanner / Twain device via TCP/IP in Win32 with the Network Twain Engine

Network Twain Engine is free open source software.

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  • you're more than welcome :)
    – Molly7244
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 3:16
  • That's maybe a stupid question, but since in the page you're pointing me to, it says "Share a scanner(..) in win32", and both my Server and laptop OS are 64 bits, it will work?
    – josecortesp
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 3:17
  • you might have a problem there :( maybe the developer will reply to a question if you leave a note on his blog: sourceforge.net/blog
    – Molly7244
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 3:25
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    There are no instructions for how to connect to the server once it is up and running.
    – Zian Choy
    Commented Sep 13, 2010 at 21:12
  • What to do after installing the service on machine with scanner. Nothing in readme file.
    – Michael Freidgeim
    Commented Feb 6, 2016 at 1:27
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You can always use remote desktop connection to remotely log in to the Windows Server 2008 R2 machine. Although that doesn't mean you get the images scanned directly to your own computer, you can transfer using shared folders on top of it.

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  • I know that... and that's what I use know, but this is to me like to non best option, i think...
    – josecortesp
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 3:11
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There are at least several solutions:

1) USB over Network - Allows to share any USB device on remote computer and connect it to your computer over network. Virtual USB device is created on your PC. And it appears like if the remote USB device was unplugged from the remote computer and plugged to your one.

2) Scanner for Remote Desktop - It allows to redirect your locally plugged scanner to your remote Windows session. In other words, you can logon to RDP or Citrix session from your local PC and scan within the session.

I hope it will help!

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As far as I know there isn't such function in Windows OS. However You can google for scanner sharing apps (there are some, but works only with some scanners).

Also all in some one printers with network connection have scanner sharing function. For example my HP C6180 allows scanning using web interface.

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I don't quite understand how you intend to use the scanner without physically being at the scanner. Don't you have to be at the scanner to put the document to be scanned on the glass?

Sharing a printer makes sense because the printer is an output, whereas the scanner is an input. You'd have to be at the scanner to use it, but the printer can print and the douments will await your arrival at the printer indefinitely.

However, to answer your question, a program such as RemoteScan can do what you're looking for. As far as I know, there is no free alternative, and no built-in way to make this work.

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    printer/scanner's plugged into the server. user's at the laptop. doesn't mean the user's not physically at the scanner; just means the user doesn't want to monkey with unplugging the device. it makes perfect sense.
    – quack quixote
    Commented Dec 10, 2009 at 17:37
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    My wireless-enabled Brother MFC can send scans to any of the computers it has been told about - you hit the scan button, select the option to send to a computer (forget what it's called exactly), and then select the specific computer. After scanning, the image is sent to the computer, which simply waits for user input about what to do with it. This functionality obviously needs to be built into the printer itself, so this is probably not terribly useful for the OP, but just saying - from a certain point of view, a scanner can be an output device, too.
    – Martha
    Commented Dec 10, 2009 at 19:40
  • Well that's a nice MFC, but i don't have one of those... I just want to avoid the pluggin-unpluggin or worst, the transfering sometimes large photo-scaned images over my Wireless G connection...
    – josecortesp
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 3:15
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I ran into an install like this yesterday. If the printer is connected via USB you may be alright. If your printer is connected vie ethernet, well that's a headache.

If you can scan from the server, meaning the software is correctly installed, then you should be able to share the scanner and connect to it simply via the scanners and cameras section in "My Computer" or whatever that's called in Windows 7.

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    I wish it was that easy... Printer sharing is like the most easy thing you can do in windows, but Scanner Sharing... That's complete another thing
    – josecortesp
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 3:20
  • Yeah I guess you're right. Reading back over my answer, I see the dreaded word "should". Meaning on a Mac it works but on a PC, probably not so much. :) - Sorry.
    – menns
    Commented Dec 11, 2009 at 14:17
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If you have a Ubuntu PC (or are comfortable setting up one), you can have a printer server with a powerful web-based interface using PHP-Scanner-Server.

It is free, open-source and cross-browser, supports OCR, export to PDF, upload to imgur, etc.

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