About SpreadsΒΆ

spreads is a software suite for the digitization of printed material. Its main focus is to integrate existing solutions for individual parts of the scanning workflow into a cohesive package that is intuitive to use and easy to extend.

At its core, it handles the communication with the imaging devices, the post-processing of the captured material and its assembly into output formats like PDF or ePub. On top of this base layer, we have built a variety of interfaces that should fit into most use cases: A full-fledged and mobile-friendly web interface that works on even the most low-powered devices (like a Raspberry Pi, through the spreadpi distribution), a graphical wizard for classical desktop users and a bare-bones command-line interface for purists.

As for extensibility, we offer a plugin API that allows developers to hook into almost every part of the architecture and extend the application according to their needs. There are interfaces for developing a device driver to communicate with new hardware, for writing new postprocessing or output plugins to take advantage of a as of yet unsupported third-party software. There is even the possibility to create a completely new user interface that is better suited for specific environments.

The spreads core is completely written in the Python programming language, which is widespread, easy to read and to learn (and beautiful on top of that). Individual plugins also contain parts written in JavaScript and Lua. Through the web-plugin it also offers a REST(-ish) API that can be accessed with any programming language that has a HTTP library.

To get started with the software, we suggest you begin by reading the Introductory Notes that lay out the general workflow of the application and explain some of the terminology used across all interfaces. Then, if you want to install and configure the software yourself, head over to the Installation and Setup guide. If you are a user of the spreadpi distribution or plan on using it, use the spreadpi guide.

Note

In case you’re wondering about the choice of mascot, the figure depicted is a Benedictine monk in his congregation’s traditional costume, sourced from a series of 17th century etchings by the Bohemian artist Wenceslaus Hollar, depicting the robes of various religious orders. The book he holds in his hand is no accident, but was likely delibaretely chosen by the artist: The Benedictines used to be among the most prolific copiers of books in the middle-ages, preserving Europe’s written cultural heritage, book spread for book spread, in a time when a lot of it was in danger of perishing. spreads wants to help you do the same in the present day. Furthermore, the Benedictines were (and still are) very active missionaries, going out into the world and spreading ‘the word’. spreads wants you to do the same with your digitized books (within the boundaries of copyright law, of course).