also have a look here -
http://www.buzzard.org.uk/jonathan/scanners-usb.html
it's a wee bit out of date, but never mind..
fyi, i use an epson perfection 1250 which works, well, perfectly under suse 9; my father uses a umax astra 1220u, which, again, works fine. these are both older models, but i'd certainly be inclined to suggest looking at epson kit in the first instance - they tend to be very sympathetic to linux, with good support for scanners and printers. just remember to check the suse hardware compatibility list before parting with your money...
