SENDING AND RECEIVING FAXES WITH

"WINDOWS FAX AND SCAN" WITH OR WITHOUT A CALLING CARD

OBJECTIVE AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: With many versions of "Windows..", you get a bundled applet called "Windows Fax and Scan". The fax function within this applet is a virtual fax machine that you can use to send and receive faxes using an analog modem that is connected to a landline telephone line. This allows you to avoid the cost of maintaining a real fax machine and its corresponding costs for paper and ink or toner cartridges.

TECHNICAL ADVICE FAX TECHNOLOGY All fax modems at currently "Group 3" and "V.34". See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fax#Group YOU CAN SAVE ON LONG DISTANCE CHARGES BY NOT BUNDLING IN LONG DISTANCE SERVICE WITH YOUR HOME PHONE The friendly folks at your local telephone company will beg you not to do so, but you can save piles of money each year by not having a designated long distance company / service bundled in with your residential home phone. BUYING A CALLING CARD Read the sage advice about calling cards at http://www.savvy-discounts.com/prepaid_long_distance/guide/pre-paid_calling_cards.html and http://www.timedial.net/phone-cards-price-compare/ and

http://www.ehow.com/how_5212317_compare-calling-cards.html and http://money.howstuffworks.com/phone-scam7.htm and http://www.zaptel.com/pages/usacards.html WEB-BASED FAXING If you do not have a fax modem or you want to send faxes with less work than needed for Microsoft's "virtual fax machine", you can fax for free from any Web browser by using the following "Software as a Service" applications: http://faxzero.com or http://www.myfax.com/free/ See http://websearch.about.com/od/usefulsite1/tp/free-fax-online.htm for more free fax options. FAX MACHINES, FAX MODEMS, AND MANY "CREDIT CARD VERIFICATION SYSTEMS" OFTEN DO NOT WORK OVER "VOIP" "INTERNET PHONE SERVICES" SUCH AS "MAGIC JACK" AND "VONAGE" See http://www.3cx.com/PBX/FAX-VOIP.html and http://home.howstuffworks.com/foip.htm and http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=58104 and http://www.soft-switch.org/foip.html SPECIALIZED INTERFACES CAN BE INSTALLED TO MAKE FAX MACHINES, FAX MODEMS, AND MANY "CREDIT CARD VERIFICATION SYSTEMS" WORK WITH VOIP PHONE LINES See http://www.vonage.com/how_vonage_works_adapters/ and

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6788/phones/ps514/ps515/product_data_sheet09186a008007cd72.html IF YOU HAVE A "VOIP" PHONE, TRY THESE TWEAKS: TRY "FORCING" YOUR FAX MODEM SOFTWARE OR YOUR FAX MACHINE TO TRANSMIT AT 9600 BPS OR 7200 BPS, INSTEAD OF 14000 BPS According to Vonage's Web site <start of quote> Can I use my Vonage phone line to send a fax? Yes, you can use your Vonage phone line to send faxes. Simply connect your phone line to your fax machine, ensure that the Baud Rate on your machine is set to 9600 and you are ready to send or receive a fax. Even though you can use your phone line to send faxes, it is highly recommended to have a dedicated fax line. <end of quote> References: http://www.vonage.com/features_available_options.php?feature=fax and http://www.voipmechanic.com/voip-fax-settings.htm and http://www.ehow.com/how_7307006_use-fax-machines-voip.html IN SOME CASES, YOU CAN RESET THE ALLOCATED BANDWIDTH BY DIALING 99 PRIOR TO SENDING OUT A FAX See http://faxanswers.com/answers/can-i-use-a-fax-machine-with-vonage and http://www.ooma.com/products/faqs?tab=usage#faq-348 SET YOUR FAX MODEM OR YOUR FAX MACHINE TO "OVERSEAS MODE" PRIOR TO TRANSMITTING OR RECEIVING A FAX See http://www.voipmechanic.com/faxingissuesandotherdevices.htm SET YOUR "VOIP" CONNECTION INTERFACE TO "G711" OR A "NON-COMPRESSED CODEC

AND/OR TURN OFF "BANDWIDTH SAVER" AND/OR http://www.voipmechanic.com/faxingissuesandotherdevices.htm

TRY DISABLING "ERROR CORRECTION MODE" IN THE FAX MACHINE See http://www.voipmechanic.com/voip-fax-settings.htm

SOME FAX MACHINE MODELS DO NOT WORK WITH VOIP PHONE LINES http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/phone/incompatible-equipment-phone/

T.38 (G.711) "FAX OVER IP" OPTION When analog faxing fails, you can buy or rent "Fax over IP" ("FOIP:) equipment from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). "FOIP" is based on the T38 and G.711 standards to do digital faxing. See http://www.voipnow.org/features/fax and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.38 and http://www.3cx.com/PBX/t38.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.711

T.37 "FAX-TO-EMAIL" OPTION

See http://voip.about.com/od/faxingoverip/a/HowToSendFaxOverIP.htm

"FAXLOGIC" DEVICE AND SERVICE TO CONNECT ANY FAX MACHINE TO THE INTERNET http://www.faxlogic.com/features/how-faxlogic-hosted-internet-fax-works.php

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS For most home computer users, this procedure can only be used in "Windows 7.." since "Windows Vista Home Premium" does not have fax functions. (Levels of "Windows Vista" above "Windows Vista Home Premium" have fax capability but most home users of "Windows Vista" have "Windows Vista Home Premium".) If the document that you wish to fax is a paper document, scan the document that needs to be faxed and save each page as a .TIF file. If there is more than one page, convert it to a multi-page file in a office document file format that your computer can view or open (such as .DOC, DOCX, .WPD, WPS, .PDF, or RTF. If you have a choice, do not select the PDF file format, since it will appear fuzzier to the recipient relative to the other file formats.) Attach a telephone instrument that is labeled "Fax phone" to the exact same telephone cord that goes to your fax modem. (If your fax modem has both a "Line" jack and a "Telephone" or "Phone" or "Extension" jack, you cannot attach the "Fax phone" to this jack.) If you are using a calling card (or have any similar special procedure for getting access to your long distance access), check to make sure that the modem is set to dial without waiting for dial tone: In "Windows 7..": Go to the "Control Panel":

Click on "Phone and Modem".

Click on the "Modems" tab:

Click on the fax modem:

Click on the "Properties" button:

Click on the "Modem" tab:

If you find a checkmark for "Wait for dial tone before dialing" under "Dial Control", remove it by clicking on it:

Click on the "OK" button. Click on the "Diagnostics" tab:

Run basic diagnostics on the modem by clicking on the "Query Modem" button:

Look at the "Command and Response" section and make sure that the modem is communicating with your computer:

Click on the "OK" button.

Click on the "OK" button.

Close the "All Control Panel Items" window by clicking on the "x" button in its upper right-hand corner. Click on the "Windows 7" Start button. Click on "Devices and Printers" on the right column of the "Start menu". *

* Double-click on the "Fax" icon in the "Printers and Faxes" section. A "Windows Fax and Scan" window will be displayed.

Close the "Devices and Printers" window by clicking on the "X" icon in the upper right-hand corner. Click on "File" on the "Menu bar". Click on "New Fax". A "New Fax" window will be displayed.

Type in a bogus 7-digital fax number in the "To:" field. Any 7-digital number will suffice. For example, you can use "777-1234". Enter in a subject. Enter some content for the cover page that will be sent. Leave the "Cover Page" field set to "(None")--"Windows Fax and Scan" will be sending a cover page anyway. Click on "Insert". Click on "File" to locate the scanned document.

* If you have a default long distance carrier on your telephone line and want to use it, use your "Fax phone" telephone instrument to dial the entire phone number of the remote fax machine. If you have no default long distance carrier on your telephone line, use a 1-800-type calling card: dial the 1-800 or 1-888 number of the calling card, type in your "PIN" number when asked to do so, and touchpad in the phone number of the receiving fax machine. When the remote fax machine answers with a fax squeal, click on the "Send" button. Listen in the "Fax phone" for all dialed digits. Wait 2 seconds. Hang up the "Fax phone" instrument. Click on "Tools" in the "Windows Fax and Scan" window. Click on "Fax Status Monitor..". Watch the progress of your sent fax in the "Fax Status Monitor" window:

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