Scans are black

[keithm]

Hi, I am using FlexiPDF 2022 and Windows 11.
When using 'new document>open>import from scanner' the resultant scan is totally black.
The scanner Canon MG3650 is working fine, other scanning apps produce true results.
Any suggestions as to what is going on?
Keith M

[Woody44]

Do you have the scanner set (in FlexiPDF) to import as an image, or as editable text?

[keithm]

Hi, Woody44, I have tried with both, image comes out black, editable text comes out white.
Softmaker suggested I try all the scanner options listed but only three were, HP TWAIN and my Canon MG3650 in two guises, and none of them gave me a usable result (or any result except a blank page).
Keith M

[Woody44]

Perhaps try updating or reinstalling the scanner?

I have a Canon MF230 laser printer/scanner installed as a network device. Scanning from that to FlexiPDF 2019 works perfectly.

[keithm]

Thanks again Woody, I have uninstalled all my listed printers in Windows and reinstalled the MG3650, and get exactly the same result, blank white page.
I would think the scanner might be the problem, were it not that any other scanning programme I try gives me perfect results.
I have gone so far as to download a free OCR programme called Boxoft, which though odd in its use, does scan perfectly well with my scanner.
Keith M

[miguel-c]

Are you scanning in BW? Please try color just as a test.

[keithm]

Miguel-c, good to see you are still active.
I am at a loss to understand your suggestion of changing to colour, as I cannot find any option to do so. When asking to 'import from scanner' the only options are to select the scanner and the output, and I have studied the online manual and can find no reference to the scan process giving options.
What am I missing?
Keith M

[miguel-c]

Unfortunately, in some rare cases, we get the black scans issue. We couldn't reproduce it ourselves, as we don't own all scanner models in the world

Our scanning dialog doesn't offer a color dropdown, but It comes from the scanner dialog that opens afterward.
However, it has a dropdown called Device. There you can try a different scanning method for your scanner (Twain, WIA, and maybe some others). Give them a try.
Also, you could try virtual scan drivers from VueScan to see if they don't cause the issue. VueScan has a trial version will all features, but a watermark is added... just for testing

Alternatively, you can use NAPS2 to scan to PDF. It's free

[keithm]

Thanks for your response. My version doesn't offer a scanner dialog, it just goes straight to the scanning process.
See Thursday's message above, you will see that I have tried all the listed scanners, with no result.
As it happens, because I had an urgent document I needed to deal with, I had used NAPS2 to scan and OCR the document, and then I discovered that MS Word will convert the PDF into an editable text.
So, I wonder, what was the point of my buying FlexiPDF Pro?
Would Softmaker like to refund the cost of my upgrade from earlier this year?
Keith M

[miguel-c]

MS Word is much more expensive and does a bad job when editing PDFs that are not scanned images.

See for yourself in the attached file:
- MS Word will convert most of it into an image that can't be edited ✖. The final file has a different look than the original ✖, things are out of alignment ✖, and it will be 2 pages instead of 1 ✖.
- FlexiPDF will allow you to edit every single element on file and will preserve its original appearance ✔

[keithm]

That's if I can get it to work!

[Jossi]

I admit that this is a very annoying error. But as the SoftMaker people can't reproduce it either, how about a workaround: Instead of importing from scanner into FlexiPDF, why not do the scan with any scanning program, save as PDF and open the PDF in FlexiPDF?

[keithm]

Thanks, Jossi for your interest.
It may seem an old fashioned view, but I think if a vendor is charging money for a product, it ought to do what it is supposed to do.
For many people, it seems that this is so, but for me, with a perfectly ordinary multi purpose printer/scanner/copier from one of the world leading makers, it doesn't.
My workaround is to vote with my feet and go to another product.
Keith M