If you have ever had a fax not go through and wonder what the deal is, this article will help you solve that mystery. If your fax went through, great! I hope it was something you needed to know for reference in the future.
I wrote this expecting most people would be using one of three kinds of devices: an inexpensive fax machine, a fax-enabled laser printer, or your personal computer equipped with software to send and receive faxes.
These devices are all old enough technology that they can still do their job extremely well to transmit documents quickly and easily through the phone line.
What are the Different Types of Faxes?
There are two main types of faxes- a black and white fax and a color fax. Black and white faxes use one transmission channel, while color faxes require three transmission channels.
Fax machines in the past could only send and receive black and white faxes, but modern day fax machines can send and receive both black and white faxes and color faxes.
How Does the Receiver Know the Difference?
If you’re wondering how it even makes a difference, let’s say you send a color fax and it goes through as black and white then the receiver has no idea that there was ever color in that document to begin with. You can’t afford to lose any details or accuracy in your faxes, so make sure you’re sending the right type to the right machine!
Fax Machine Settings
Some fax machines have different settings that may need to be changed before faxing. The most common setting is Page Format. This setting will determine how the fax machine prints the document. There are three different Page Format settings:
- Standard (Default): Most fax machines are set to Standard. In this format, the fax machine will print the entire document on one page.
- Duplex: Duplex prints the document on two pages, side by side. This is good for sending or receiving faxes with multiple pages.
- N-Up: N-Up prints the document multiple times on one page. This is good for faxes with large images or tables.
The other common setting that may need to be changed is Contrast. This setting adjusts how light or dark the fax image appears on the recipient’s fax machine.
How do i Know if my Fax Went Through?
There are a few ways to tell if your fax went through. The first way is to look at the fax machine or printer. If there are any new faxes, they will usually have a printout of the cover sheet and the fax image.
Another way to tell if your fax went through is to check your phone bill. The phone bill will show if there were any faxes sent or received in the past month.
The final way to tell is to check the recipient’s fax machine. If the fax image prints, it means the fax went through successfully. If there is no image, it means the fax did not go through.
Why Did my Fax Not Go Through?
There are a few factors that may cause your fax not to go through. One factor is low battery on either your fax machine or the recipient’s, but it’s important to know that even though there is low power, the receptionist or person who answers the phone will be able to hear the fax tone and let you know if there is a line down or any other issue.
Conclusion
Hopefully this article was able to help you understand more about faxing and why your fax may not have gone through. If you still have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below!
