How to Send a Fax
Identify Your Recipient
When sending a fax message ensure you have indicated your recipient's name on a cover sheet to avoid it falling in the wrong hands. You can also indicate the number of pages and any special instructions you want to convey on the cover page. This is especially helpful if you are working in a highly staffed organization. Also, proofread your message to ensure you have corrected all mistakes before sending the fax. Getting your recipient's information right also ensures that you get your response promptly. It is also necessary to include your name and the fax number so that your recipient will know its origin.
Feed the Machine with Material
A fax machine features an optical scanner that scans documents that have a width of either 8.5 or 10.1 inches. As the document goes through the feed roller, information is converted from analog to digital by a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor. This numerical pattern is computed into binary zeros and ones that represent the black and white aspects of the document.
If you are sending multiple sheets, align them in order of how you want your message to be received. Ensure that you also place the materials in the correct direction to avoid sending blank sheets. A small icon or illustration will usually indicate the direction for placing your material on the fax machine. Usually it would require you to place the material facing down for privacy and confidentiality concerns.
Key in Your Recipient's Fax Number
You need to have your receiver's fax machine number to be able to relay your message. Press the destination number on the machine's keyboard and press ‘SEND.’ In most countries, you may not be required to start with the country code while dialing your recipient’s number if you are within the same area code. However, it is necessary to start with a country code of your recipient if he is outside the country.
Some fax machines may not require you to key in the area code, so it is essential to have your fax machine manual for reference. Additionally, it is also critical to know the difference between the fax number of your recipient and their personal phone numbers.
Wait for the ‘Handshake’
After pressing send, the first sound you will receive is a dial tone, then followed by a sequence of beeps to signal the scan and send operation. To know whether your message is sent successfully, you will hear a long and plain beep after a couple of minutes. Alternatively, to know whether your message delivery is unsuccessful, you will hear a dreadful sound coming from the machine. It is important to remove your material and access the problem. Enhanced fax machines will in most cases print out error information for you which you can refer to from your manual or online sources.
Confirm Receipt of Fax
Advanced fax machines will be able to print out a transmission verification report as evidence of a received fax. These machines also have an option for whether you require an automatic report after every fax activity or you want to set it to manual mode. It is important to configure your machine to produce automatic validation reports to avoid missing out on crucial information. The time, date, receiver's fax machine number and number of pages are essentially some of the information that is printed out in a confirmation report. Moreover, these reports are beneficial when used as evidence in legal processes.