Chapter 6
Sending Faxes


This chapter describes how to send a fax using FaxTalk Phone or FaxTalk Messenger. It also covers related information such as rescheduling a fax, creating a coversheet, attaching files to a fax and sending binary files.

Sending a Fax from FaxTalk Phone
You can send a fax directly from FaxTalk Phone by selecting the
File > Send Fax command. This opens the Send a Fax dialog where you can schedule the fax, select recipients, attach files, or fill in a coversheet.

Sending a Memo from FaxTalk Phone
FaxTalk Phone includes the ability to send just a coversheet with a "Quick Memo". To send a
"Quick Memo" select the File > Send Memo command. The Edit Coversheet window will display. Fill in the coversheet and click OK. The Send a Fax dialog will display for selecting a recipient or scheduling the fax.

Sending a Fax from FaxTalk Messenger
You will normally send faxes from within a Windows application. There may be times, however, that you will want to send a fax directly from FaxTalk Messenger. To access the Send a Fax window from FaxTalk Messenger, click on the
Send Fax button (it looks like a fax machine) located under the FaxTalk Messenger menu bar, or choose the File > Send New command.

Sending a Fax from a Windows Application
Sending a fax from any Windows application is as simple as printing a document. When you install FaxTalk Messenger, a "printer" named FaxTalk Messenger is added to Windows. Once you have created a document you would like to fax, you simply indicate you want to
"print" using the FaxTalk Messenger driver. The Send a Fax dialog box appears (Figure 6-1).


Figure 6-1. Send a Fax Window

To send the fax, choose the scheduled send time, fill in the coversheet information, select the recipients from a phonebook (or add a new recipient), select files for attachment to this fax, and click the Send button at the bottom of the Send a Fax window. See the following sections of this chapter for detailed instructions on how to set the Send a Fax window parameters.

Selecting Fax Recipients
Select the fax recipient names from the current Phonebook list (displayed on the right side of the window) by clicking on the desired name to highlight it, and then clicking the
Add button.

The selected recipient name is displayed in the Recipient list (located on the left side of the window). You can select more than one recipient. The recipient name(s) are now displayed in the Recipients list on the left side of the Send a Fax window.

Phonebook
If the desired recipient name is in a different phonebook, you can open another phonebook. To select a new phonebook, click on the down arrow next to Phonebook to select from other phonebooks stored in the FaxTalk Messenger User directory. You can also click on the file folder next to Phonebook. A list of phonebook files displays. Click on the desired phonebook. The new phonebook entries appear in the Phonebook List area.

Recipient names that are not from the selected phonebook are italicized when they appear in the recipient list. If you are sending a fax to someone that you do not plan to fax to again, you can create a new recipient without adding it to a phonebook.

Creating Recipient Names
You can send faxes to people not currently listed in a phonebook by clicking on the New button from the Send a Fax window.

The new phonebook entries include First and Last Name, Company, Fax Phone Number, Voice Phone Number, and a Comments section. Enter the recipient's information in the appropriate text boxes.

If you want to add the name to your phonebook, be sure that an X appears in the checkbox next to Add Recipient to the Phonebook. To poll the recipient's fax machine when you are sending a fax, click the Options button to specify the polling information. Click OK to add a single recipient and return to the Send a Fax window, or click OK/Add to add this recipient and continue adding entries.

Recipient Options
If you want to poll a particular recipient when you send him or her faxes, click the
Options button when editing or adding a new phonebook entry. You can select the following polling parameters:

Poll Recipient
Check this box if you want to poll this recipient when you send him or her faxes. You can control the polling mode whenever you create an outgoing transaction; selecting this field gives you the ability to poll only those recipients who have this field checked.

Use Password
Check this box if you must send a password to poll this recipient. Enter the password in the text box, then retype it to confirm.

Removing Recipients from the Recipients List
You can remove a recipient name from the list by clicking on the name to highlight it, then clicking the
Remove button. The name is removed from the Recipient list and placed back in the Phonebook list.

Modifying Phonebook Recipients
You can change the information listed in your phonebook about the selected recipient by clicking the
Modify button. This opens the Modify Recipient window.

Scheduling a Fax
The current time and date display in the schedule area of the Send a Fax window. If you want to send the fax at a later time, or on another day, change the time and date.

To change the Send Time and Date:

  1. Click in the Time text box, then enter the new time. Be sure to indicate AM or PM following the time. You can also change the time by clicking on the up or down arrow next to the Time text box, to scroll to the appropriate minutes setting. Press the Ctrl button and click the up or down arrows to scroll through the hour settings.
  2. Click in the Date text box, then enter the new date. You can also change the date by clicking on the up or down arrow next to the Date text box to scroll to the desired day.

Note: When the time comes for the scheduled fax to be sent, your system and modem must be on with FaxTalk Messenger loaded. If they are not, FaxTalk Messenger will try to send the fax immediately the next time FaxTalk Messenger is loaded.

Attaching Files to a Fax
Many times you may want to send several files in a single fax transmission. You can attach a mix of .FAX, bitmap, and BFT files in the same transmission. To attach files to the fax you are about to send, click the Files... button from the Send a Fax window. To attach files to your outgoing fax:

  1. From the Send a Fax window, click the Files button. The Attach Files window opens over the Send a Fax window.
  2. Click the down arrow next to List Files of Type and select All Files. If needed, use the folder button to select a different drive and/or directory. When you locate the file or files needed, click the Add button to add them to the Attached Files list. Click the Remove button to remove a file from the Attached Files list. To view a .FAX file before attaching it, you can click the View button to display it in the Fax Viewer.
  3. Use the Options button to define the type of file(s) you want to attach and set a variety of file options. To set the options of a file, click on a file in the Attached Files list to highlight it and click the Options button. The Options dialog box elements vary depending on the highlighted file type.

    For .FAX and Bitmap files select the desired page size, resolution, and/or orientation.

    For Binary Files select Data File from the Send File As dropdown. Click OK to return to the Attach Files window.

  4. You can mix .FAX, bitmap, and BFT files in the same transmission, Click OK to return to the Send a Fax window.

Note: You cannot send files that are not in the file formats listed above. For instance sending a file created in Word for Windows will not work unless you convert the Word document into a fax file.

Sending a Fax to a File
When sending a fax from a Windows application you can select to have to output saved to the fax file format. To create a fax file from a Windows application:

  1. Open a document in the application it was created in.
  2. Select FaxTalk Messenger as your print driver.
  3. Choose File > Print.
  4. Click Send Fax to a File under Options in the Send a Fax dialog box.
  5. Click Send. The file is stored in the File Cabinet.

You can attach files that you have previously converted to .FAX format or have saved in the File Cabinet. To attach a fax file from the Attach File window:

  1. Highlight the files you want to send by clicking on the desired file name listed in the File Name list. Click the Add button. The file name appears in the Attach Files list.
  2. When a .FAX file in the Attached Files list is highlighted, you can click the Options button to select which pages you want to send. The default is to send all of each file's pages.
  3. When a .FAX file is highlighted, you can click the View button to display it using the Viewer.

Working with Coversheets
FaxTalk Messenger lets you create coversheet templates so that when you are ready to send faxes, you just fill in the desired information.

Generating a Coversheet
Indicate whether you want to send a coversheet by clicking on the checkbox next to Generate in the Coversheet section of the Send a Fax window. For each coversheet you send, you can specify which coversheet template to use, the logo file you want displayed on the coversheet, the
"fax address" (name, company, etc., of the recipient - normally filled in automatically by FaxTalk Messenger), your "return address", and type a short memo. To fill in the template click on the Edit... button that is located next to Generate in the Send a Fax window. The Edit Coversheet window opens (Figure 6-2).


Figure 6-2. New Coversheet Window

Recipient information (name and company) is filled in automatically at send time using the recipient information stored in the Phonebook.

  1. Select the desired template or logo.
  2. To include a short text message for the recipient(s), type the text into the message box area at the bottom of the Edit a Coversheet window. To save the text message for future use, click the Save Text button next to the message text box.

To use memo text that you have previously saved, click on the Load Text button next to the text message.

To check what the finished coversheet will look like, click the Preview button. An image of the temporary coversheet displays without the recipient information filled in (this information is automatically added at the time of sending). Select the File > Exit to return to the Edit Coversheet window. Click OK to return to the Send a Fax window.

Creating a New Coversheet Template
If you find you are modifying a template often, it might be a good idea to create a new template. To create a coversheet template, choose the
Configure > User command. The User Configuration window opens. Click the New button.

  1. Click on the down arrow to select a new logo. If the logo you want to use is in a different directory, click the folder next to Logo to display the Open Logo dialog box.
  2. Indicate the logo file type by clicking the down arrow next to List of File Type. Click on the desired logo file name. Click on the appropriate file type (.PCX or .BMP). Click OK to return to the New Coversheet window. The selected file is shown in the Logo box. Click OK to return to the Edit Coversheet window.

    Note: Logo files should be no more than 3" high by 8-3/8" wide, and saved at 200 dpi black and white. When designing the logo a .3" space at the top must be left to allow enough room for your fax header information.

  3. Leave the basic address information (Name and Company) blank. It is filled in automatically from the recipient information when you send a fax.
  4. Fill in the From information.
  5. To view the new coversheet template, click the Preview button.

You can also create a new coversheet template by selecting an existing template file and clicking on the Edit button. It can then be saved under a new name using the Save As button.

Selecting a Default Coversheet Template To load a different coversheet template as the default template, select the Configure > User command.

The default coversheet template file is listed. Click on the down arrow next the default coversheet to display a list of all saved coversheet templates.

Using Polling
Polling lets you pick up any outgoing faxes waiting for you when you call another fax machine, or lets you post faxes on the FaxTalk Messenger Polling list so you can leave faxes for other people to pick up when they are sending you a fax.

Polling the Receiving Fax Machine
You can set the Polling Mode for each transaction. FaxTalk Messenger uses the password information (if any) that you entered in each recipient's phonebook entry.

To set up the polling parameters for a transaction, click on the down arrow next to Polling in the Options section of the Send a Fax window. The polling options are:

Editing Scheduled Fax Transmissions
To modify a fax transaction open the OutBox, double-click on the desired transaction, or select the
Edit > Transaction command. The Edit OutBox Transaction window appears (Figure 6-3).


Figure 6-3. Edit OutBox Transaction Window

You can reschedule a fax transmission by clicking the up or down arrows to change the day and minute settings, and the Ctrl + up or down arrow keys to change the hour setting. You can send it immediately or manually by clicking on the Immediately or Manual Dialing button. You can also modify the polling mode, the number of retries, files attached for this transaction, recipients, and the fax coversheet.

Canceling a Fax
If you have scheduled a fax to be sent and decide that you no longer wish to send it, you can cancel the transmission by deleting the scheduled transaction in the OutBox window.

To cancel or delete a send fax transaction, click on the desired OutBox entry to highlight it, and press the Delete button in the button bar, or choose the File > Delete command. A confirmation box displays verifying that you want to delete this fax file transmission.

To cancel a fax transaction while it is sending, click the Hangup button from the FaxTalk Messenger Button bar, or select the Modem > Hangup command. This cancels this send attempt only.


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