FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TWAIN ANNOUNCES OVER 2500 DEVELOPER DOWNLOADS OF NEW VERSION OF INDUSTRY
STANDARD FOR MACINTOSH PLATFORM
New version of image acquisition standard provides Mac developers access to
latest features of digital cameras and scanners
BOULDER CREEK, Calif. – May 10, 2000 – The TWAIN Working Group today
announced that the TWAIN Toolkit for Mac, targeted at developers, has
received almost 3000 downloads since its release in February. The updated
Macintosh version of the industry standard TWAIN interface enables
Macintosh application developers to acquire images from digital cameras and
scanners for use in their imaging applications. The new version of the
standard application program interface (API), called Macintosh TWAIN Data
Source Manager Version 1.7, is a free download currently available online
at (http://www.twain.com/)www.twain.com.
The Data Source Manager (DSM) is the industry standard cross-platform
(Windows and Mac) API for image acquisition. The Macintosh DSM Version 1.7
is PowerPC native and supports Mac OS 8.0 and above. The new version is
fully compatible with previous TWAIN specifications and existing data
sources, and provides the same functionality as the Windows DSM that is
shipped standard with the Windows platform by Microsoft. Using TWAIN,
developers can manage interactions between various image acquisition
devices (scanners, camera, etc.) in a standard way, which is important
given the growing popularity of low cost image capture devices. For
example, when a desktop publishing program acquires a picture from a
digital camera, the Macintosh TWAIN DSM Version 1.7 acts as a translator
between the camera and the desktop publishing program, providing a standard
way to acquire the image.
“Our work on the Mac DSM will benefit Macintosh consumers, hardware and
software vendors involved in image acquisition,” said Gene Rogalski, Chair
of the Mac Subcommittee of the TWAIN Working Group and Project Manager for
Xerox Corporation. “The TWAIN Standard makes it easier for Macintosh
developers and users to easily interact with a broad range of image
acquisition devices.”
“This large number of developer downloads confirms our belief that the
adoption of the TWAIN DSM for Macintosh will grow in similar proportion to
the widespread adoption TWAIN now enjoys in the Windows environment,” said
Pamela Doyle, Chair of The TWAIN Working Group and Director, Imaging Market
Development, Fujitsu Computer Products of America. “We are pleased to
enhance our standard on the Macintosh, which is a very popular platform for
creative professionals working with digital content.”
About The TWAIN Working Group
The TWAIN Working Group is a not-for-profit organization developing
standards for the image acquisition industry. TWAIN’s purpose is to provide
and foster a universal public standard which links applications and image
acquisition devices.
The TWAIN initiative was originally launched in 1992 by leading industry
vendors who recognized a need for a standard software protocol and
applications programming interface (API) that regulates communication
between software applications and imaging devices (the source of the data).
TWAIN defines that standard. The three key elements in TWAIN are the
application software, the Data Source Manager software and the Data Source
software. The application uses the TWAIN toolkit, which is included for
free.
By endorsing this royalty free standard for image capture, The TWAIN
Working Group hopes to enhance software development and allow cost savings
to the customer. Current members of the TWAIN Working Group include Adobe
Systems, Digimarc, Eastman Kodak, Fujitsu Computer Products of America
Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, JFL Peripheral Solutions, Ricoh Corporation,
and Xerox Corporation. More information about the TWAIN API and imaging
standard can be obtained on The TWAIN Working Group’s Web site at
(http://www.twain.com/)http://www.twain.com.