TWAIN

Software developed by the Twain Working Group (scanner manufacturers and scanning software developers) in order to facilitate scanning of pictures. The TWAIN driver runs between the scanner hardware and the program (Photoshop, PhotoPaint, etc.).According to the Twain Working Group, "TWAIN" is not intended to be an acronym (though there are many "definitions" like "technology without an important name" or "tool without an interesting name").

Acronym for Technology (or Toolkit) Without An Interesting Name, the de facto interface standard for scanners. Nearly all scanners come with a TWAIN driver, which makes them compatible with any TWAIN-supporting software. Unfortunately, not all scanner software is TWAIN-compatible.