Dev Center
Table of contents

Thanks for Downloading Dynamic Web TWAIN 30-Day Trial!

Your download will start shortly. If your download does not begin, click here to retry.

Capture/Image Source

What are the differences between TWAIN and WIA drivers?

TWAIN is the most widely used protocol for physical document scanners. Almost all scanners in the market come with a TWAIN driver and are supported by TWAIN applications like the Dynamic Web TWAIN SDK.

WIA stands for Windows Image Acquisition, which is a Microsoft driver model for capturing digital images from various devices, such as scanners, cameras and other imaging devices. The WIA protocol is built-in and supported by Windows OS, so no extra driver installation is required. WIA offers standardized hardware compatibility and a stable driver environment, making it easier to integrate imaging capabilities into web scanning applications.

Prior to Dynamic Web TWAIN version 18.2, WIA drivers are not officially supported. But WIA devices can be used by TWAIN applications like Dynamic Web TWAIN through a TWAIN compatibility layer. This means WIA is not supported natively; therefore, when a device supports both TWAIN and WIA, TWAIN is the better option.

As of Dynamic Web TWAIN version 18.2, we officially support WIA 2.0 drivers. To make sure your web application works with WIA scanner drivers, please refer to the article: How do I support WIA scanner drivers in my application?

Is this page helpful?

YesYes NoNo

In this article:

latest version

    • Latest Version (18.4)
    • Version 18.3
    • Version 18.1
    • Version 18.0
    • Version 17.3
    • Version 17.2.1
    • Version 17.1.1
    • Version 17.0
    • Version 16.2
    • Version 16.1.1
    Change +