Python TWAIN Module

The Python TWAIN module provides an interface to scanners, digital cameras and other devices which implement TWAIN, for the Windows platform. It provides the functionality to allow a Python application to connect to the scanner/camera and to retrieve images from that device.

The Python TWAIN module supports 32bit Windows only. It does not run on Apple Computer Platforms or on UNIX based Platforms. Python versions 2.1 through 2.5 are supported.

The Python TWAIN project includes an 'explorer' program which allows a user to experiment with their TWAIN device. This is useful in finding the non-standard functionality of a particular TWAIN device. This program is available as a binary distribution, which does not require a Python installation.

The twain module was originally implemented for the developing world charity Gorta. The twain module was developed by Kevin Gill, at Movie Extras Ireland, the Irish Online Extras Casting Agency. You can email Kevin at kevin at movieextras dot ie, or contact him through the project forums.

Feedback

The Python TWAIN module enabled us to write Python scripts that exercised our TWAIN driver, including features that are under development.

The TWAIN module's interface is a perfect compromise between high-level accessibility to TWAIN, and supporting low-level functions (via DSM_Entry) for all custom aspects of the TWAIN driver you wish to utilize.

The straight-forward interface, clear documentation, and examples make it trivial to interface with a TWAIN driver from a Python script. It was easy and fun to use the Python TWAIN module to get my job done.

-A. Rossi