From: George Pajari,pajari@Faximum.COM Reply-To: FAQ Comments,faxfaq@faximum.com Newsgroup: comp.answers,comp.dcom.fax,alt.fax,news.answers,alt.answers Receive-Date: Sonntag, 02-Apr-95 13:35:17 Creation-Date: Freitag, 31-Mär-95 03:59:35 Message-ID: D6ADrC.45B@eclipse.faximum.com Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 03:59:35 GMT Subject: Fax (comp.dcom.fax) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) [Part 1/2] Organization: Faximum Software, Vancouver, B.C., Canada Followup-To: comp.dcom.fax UserFlags: Old ReadAccess GlobalFlags: Exported Link HardLink Archive-name: fax-faq/part1 comp.dcom.fax FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) -- Part 1 of 2 ============================================================= Introduction The comp.dcom.fax FAQ is brought to you by Faximum Software Inc. This article contains the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) often seen in the USENET newsgroup comp.dcom.fax relating to facsimile standards, software, and hardware. It will be posted approximately monthly. Note that the World Wide Web (HTML) version contains additional information that is not part of the monthly posting. Also the WWW version is "master" copy and is updated regularly. The posted version may lag by several months. The WWW version may be reached at http://www.faximum.com/faqs/fax If you would like to make any submissions or corrections to the FAQ, please contact faxfaq@faximum.com. Your input is greatly appreciated. Suggested questions need not be accompanied by suggested answers. Areas that are in particular need of contributions are marked "[Need more information]". Flames and other comments (constructive or otherwise) are also welcomed. Note that this FAQ is primarily concerned with fax standards in general and computer-based fax in particular. It contains little information on commercial fax machines and related paraphenalia. If someone else would like to start and maintain such a section (or separate FAQ) they are more than welcome to do so. Otherwise, please send contributions to this FAQ. My apologies for the somewhat strange format of this FAQ. As mentioned elsewhere, this FAQ is now maintained in HTML (i.e. WWW) format and the posted version is generated automatically using lynx and a shell script. Obviously some more work is required in order to create a more visually pleasing flat-text version. How to Get a Current Copy of This FAQ This FAQ is crossposted to news.answers. As a consequence, this text will also be automatically archived on many FAQ servers all over the world (e.g., anonymous ftp to rtfm.mit.edu in directory /pub/usenet/news.answers). You'll also find there many other answers to frequently asked questions. This faq is stored in the directory fax-faq. Most FAQs (including the posted flat-text version of this FAQ) are available through Thomas Fine's WWW FAQ archive: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu:80/hypertext/faq/usenet/FAQ-List.ht ml. This FAQ is also available on the WWW at http://www.faximum.com/faqs/fax . The WWW version is always the most current version. The text version can lag by up to a month from the html version. The current text version is available by FTP: ftp://ftp.faximum.com/pub/faqs/fax/fax-faq . You can also have the current text version of this FAQ mailed to you. Send any message (content not important) to sendfaxfaq@faximum.com. regards g. George.Pajari@Faximum.COM * http://www.faximum.com/ George Pajari * Faximum Software * Tel: +1 (604) 925-3600 * Fax: ... 926-8182 1497 Marine Drive, Suite 300 * West Vancouver, BC * Canada V7T 1B8 Std. Disclaimers: The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the author(s) and contributors, and does not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of their employers or other companies mentioned. The information provided herein is believed to be correct but the author and contributors cannot accept any liability for errors and omissions. Readers are cautioned to verify any information before making decisions or taking action based upon this information. While every reasonable effort has been taken to maintain an objective and unbiased approach in the collection and presentation of this information, readers are advised that the author and possibly some of the contributors work for or have an interest in commercial organisations involved in the fax and/or computer industry. ============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS A. INTRODUCTION G. GLOSSARY AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION Q. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q.1 Can I use my * data modem to send/receive faxes? Q.1A Can my fax modem transmit data? Q.2 How can I fax PostScript or PCL documents using computer-based fax? Q.3 How can I view incoming faxes on my computer? Q.4 How can I print incoming faxes on my computer? Q.5 Can fax modems also handle data or voice calls? Q.6 What resolution are fax images? Q.7 Can I take a fax file and edit it? Q.8 Is there a standard program interface (API) for fax communications? Q.9 How can I share my single phone line with voice, fax, data, etc. Q.10 How can I send a fax over the Internet? Q.11 What legal restrictions are there on the use of facsimile devices? I. SOURCES OF INFORMATION I.1 Standards Related to Facsimile Communication I.2 Where to Obtain Standards Documents and Related Information I.3 Magazine Reviews of UNIX Fax Software I.4 Magazine Reviews of DOS/Windows Fax Software I.5 Magazine Reviews of Mac Fax Software I.6 Magazine Reviews of Fax Modems (see also O/S specific reviews) I.7 Magazine Reviews of Fax Machines I.8 Publications Devoted to Fax and Telecommunications I.9 Books on Fax I.10 Other Sources of Information on Fax I.11 Conferences on Fax I.12 Associations Related to Fax Technology I.13 Fax-on-Demand Phone Numbers I.14 Related FAQs I.15 Fax-Related URLs P. PRODUCT INFORMATION P.1 List of UNIX Fax Software P.2 List of MS-DOS Fax Software P.3 List of MacIntosh Fax Software P.4 List of Windows Fax Software P.5 List of OS/2 Fax Software P.6 List of Fax Modem Vendors P.7 List of Fax Board Vendors P.8 List of Vendors of Secure Fax Equipment P.9 List of Libraries and Related Information for Writing Fax Servers P.10 List of Vendors of Fax Protocol Test Equipment P.11 List of Vendors of UNIX-Based Fax-On-Demand Software/Systems P.12 List of Vendors of Fax-On-Demand Software/Systems P.13 List of Vendors of Products Delivered by Fax ============================================================================== G. GLOSSARY and BACKGROUND INFORMATION ANSI/AIIM MS53-1993 The American National Standard File Format for Storage and Exchange of Images - Bi-Level Image File Format: Part 1 (ANSI/AIIM MS53-1993) was approved in 1993. The standard defines a format for a file containing one page with one image. Page sizes and image sizes can be specified. Both definite length and indefinite length are supported. Clipping of the image can be specified. Image coding may be according to ITU-T Recs. T.4 (one- and two-dimensional) and Rec. T.6. Bitmap may also be specified. Both facsimile style least significant bit and industry style most significant bit mapping are supported. (Definition courtesy of hrs1@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (herman.r.silbiger) APPLI/COM The name for the ITU-T API for computer-based facsimile. See T.611 below for more information. Bell 103 A standard for 300 bps full duplex dial-up modems. Popular in the U.S. and Canada. In Europe the preferred standard is V.21. (Not used in fax but frequently supported by modems that handle fax.) BFT or Binary File Transfer A method of transferring files using fax modems (as an extension to the fax protocol). The ITU-T standard for BFT is T.434. The US version is TIA/EIA-614. Brooktrout Patent (taken from a press release from Brooktrout) Brooktrout's patent (number 4,918,722), issued by the US patent office in 1990, covers generally any method for the selection of facsimile messages and their deliver to a particular telephone number under control of commands entered through a telephone, for example in the form of signals generated from the telephone's touch-tone keypad. This method is employed in many fax-on-demand systems, which provide business users and service providers the ability to offer automated fax delivery of specified information in response to requests from customers, subscribers or other callers. [Editor's note: this patent is the subject of litigation and the current status or validity of this patent is not known.] CAS An API for fax devices invented by Intel and DCA and tied to the Intel and MS-DOS architectures. The full text of the specification may be obtained from ftp://ftp.faximum.com/pub/documents/cas.txt. CCITT Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique (a.k.a. The International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee). The old name for ITU-T, the body responsible for setting the international standards for telecommunications equipment. See ITU below. CED or Called Station Identifier The distinctive tone generated by a Group III fax machine when it answers the phone (2100 Hz). Class 1 The Class 1 fax modem standard describes an extension to the "Hayes Modem Command Set" to permit computers to send and receive faxes using fax modems. The Class 1 standard is a low-level specification in which most of the protocol work (i.e. T.30) as well as image generation (rasterising and T.4 compression) must be done by the computer (in software) while the modem only handles the basic modulation as well as converting the asynchronous data from the computer into the synchronous packets used in fax communications. The primary advantage of Class 1 modems is that fax protocol is implemented in software which means that new extensions to the fax protocol standard (i.e. T.30) can be implemented without requiring a ROM change in the modem (or without waiting for the modem manufacturer to get around to supporting the new feature). Also software developers are not dependent on the quality of the T.30 firmware in the modem (as are developers who use Class 2 modems). The primary disadvantages are (a) the software vendor has to handle the complexity of the T.30 protocol and (b) Class 1 is very sensitive to timing and multi-tasking operating systems (such as *IX) have great difficulty in reliably meeting the tight timing constraints and maintaining the fax connection. Lifting this timing limitation is the primary motivation behind the new proposed Class 4 standard. The official standard for Class 1 is EIA/TIA-578. (Note that if you are purchasing a copy of EIA/TIA-578 be sure to purchase also the TIA/EIA Telecommunications Systems Bulletin 43 (TSB43) which provides additional information missing from, or incorrect in, the original EIA/TIA-578 standard. Although the official standard is copyright EIA/TIA/ANSI, a draft version has been published electronically by Supra and is available from their BBS and FTP sites (see sections I.10, and I.15) and from Sam Leffler at SGI (retrieve his FlexFax package, described in section P.1). Class 2 The Class 2 fax modem standard describes an extension to the "Hayes Modem Command Set" to permit computers to send and receive faxes using fax modems. The Class 2 standard is a higher-level specification in which most of the protocol work (i.e. T.30) is done by the modem while the computer is responsible for managing the session and providing the image data in the appropriate format (i.e. T.4). The priimary advantage of Class 2 is that the low-level detail work is handled by the modem. Not only does this mean that software developers do not have to be burdened with having to support the T.30 protocol, it also relieves the host computer of all of the time-critical aspects of fax communications, making support of Class 2 modems under *IX systems possible. The biggest headache for software developers is that the Class 2 standard took a long time to be approved (more for political than technical reasons, IMHO) and many companies did not wait for the final version to be approved before shipping modems. As a result we have a situation (as of 93Q4) in which all shipping Class 2 modems adhere (more or less) to the first draft of the TR29.2 committee (document SP-2388) and not to the standard as it was approved. To compensate for this, the "new" Class 2 is referred to as Class 2.0 and the "old" as plain Class 2. (Warning - flame from a frustrated fax programmer on...) Even more disconcerting is the fact that most companies who have implemented (the old) Class 2 have done one or more things wrong (they must have been smoking *and* inhaling) so we have a further division of the standard into "true, old Class 2" (which includes the Everex 24/96D and MultiTech modems) and everything else (mostly based on the Rockwell chip which differs from SP-2388 in a number of ways, although some other chip makers, such as EXAR, have found even more ways than Rockwell to depart from SP-2388). It's so bad that most modem companies now implement the Rockwell version of Class 2 just because so many of the *%#& things have been shipped (i.e. Multitech has a special command which switches their modem from proper Class 2 operation to Rockwell-like operation just so they can interoperate with DOS software that expects Rockwell-like operation). And of course no one at Rockwell or EXAR or the other companies bothered to write down the difference between their version of Class 2 and the TR29.2 document. (Flame off.) The draft standard for the "old" Class 2 is SP-2388, Document TR-29/89-21R8, dated March 21, 1990. This is available by contacting the EIA/TIA directly. This is the standard implemented by all Class 2 modems on the market prior to the end of 1993. The official standard for the "new" Class 2 (also referred to as Class 2.0) is EIA/TIA/ANSI-592. This document is available from Global Engineering Documents (see below). As of 94Q4 the only modems known to the editor of this FAQ that support 2.0 are those produced by USRobotics and ZyXEL. Note that although many modems that implement Class 2 also support Class 1, Class 1 is *not* a subset of Class 2. Also, there are some modems that only support Class 2 and many that only support Class 1. Although the official standard is copyright EIA/TIA/ANSI, a draft version has been published electronically by Supra and is available from their BBS and FTP sites (see sections I.10, and I.15) and from Sam Leffler at SGI (retrieve his FlexFax package, described in section P.1). Class 3 A class number reserved for a project to define a standard for fax modems that would, in addition to handling the T.30 protocol (i.e. Class 2), also handle the conversion of ASCII data streams into images (i.e. T.4). Although there are a couple of fax modems that handle the ASCII to fax conversion, no draft document has been circulated and the future of this project is in doubt. Class 4 Class 1 with intelligent buffering to reduce the need for the host computer to respond instantly to the fax modem. Class 8 Not a fax standard at all but an extension to the Hayes command set to support voice. CNG or Calling Tone The distinctive tone that a fax machine ought to generate when placing a fax call (1100 Hz on for 1/2 second, off for 3 seconds). Note that the Group 3 fax standard only requires fax machines in "automatic operation" to generate this tone so that machines which require you to dial the number (either on the keypad of the fax machine or using an attached phone) need not generate this tone. The lack of CNG can cause some fax switches (see Q.9 below) problems. There has been a proposal to change the Group 3 standard to mandate CNG on all fax calls. CSI or Called Subscriber Information The "name" of the answering fax machine. An optional frame of information sent to the calling fax machine during Phase B (see T.30 below). Although many fax machines permit ASCII information, the T.30 standard states that this is to contain the international phone number of the fax machine, including the plus symbol, the country code, the area code, and the subscriber number using only digits, the plus symbol, and a space. (i.e. the North American fax number (604) 926-8182 ought to be programmed into the fax machine as +1 604 926 8182). DID or Direct Inward Dialling A special type of phone line (trunk) provided by the telco which associates multiple phone numbers with a single telephone line and which send a signal down the line when a call arrives which indicates which number was used to place this call. In some sense DID can be viewed as the opposite of Caller ID. With Caller ID the signal indicates which number placed the call (i.e. the phone number of the originator of the call). With DID the signal indicates which number was dialled (i.e. the phone number of the destination of the call). Note, however, that the signalling mechanism used for Caller ID is different from the method used for DID. In other words, equipment that can decode the Caller ID signals will not work on a DID trunk. Historically DID has been used by PBXs that provided direct dialling to internal extensions. For example, dialling 555-1201 would ring on extension 101. Dialling 555-1202 would come in on the same trunk to the PBX but the PBX would route the call to extension 102. Now DID is also used with fax modems and boards to provide routing of inbound faxes. Each employee or department is given a different fax number but all of the calls come in on the same DID trunk. The fax board (or external DID decode box) decodes the signal from the telco central office which indicates which number was dialled and uses this number to route the fax to the appropriate user or department. ECM or Error Correcting Mode An extension to T.30 to permit the receiving fax machine to request that portions of an image that were received with errors be retransmitted. Normally the T.4/T.30 protocol is error detecting but not error correcting. The receiving fax machine can usually tell when an error has impaired the image but cannot selectively request retransmission of the damaged portions of the image. The only options are to (a) ignore the errors (if few in number), (b) request that the page be resent (ignored by most fax machines), or (c) give up. EIA/TIA The Electronics Industry Association and the Telecommunications Industry Association. The U.S. bodies responsible for the development of standards related to telecommunications in general and for fax in particular. EIA/TIA-465 The US version of T.4 (will probably be accepted as T.4 in the near future). EIA/TIA-466 The US version of T.30 (will probably be accepted as T.30 in the near future). EIA/TIA-530 The US version of something or other related to fax. Need more information. EIA/TIA-578 See the definition of Class 1 (above). EIA/TIA-592 See the definition of Class 2 (above). EIA/TIA-602 The ANSI/EIA/TIA standard for the for modems. EIA/TIA-614 The ANSI/EIA/TIA standard for Group I Fax An old (now obsolete) standard for fax machines in which a page was transmitted in about six minutes at a resolution of 98 scan lines/inch. Group I devices frequently worked by attaching the page to be transmitted to a rotating drum (at 180 rpm) along which a photocell moves. Either amplitude modulation (the blacker the pixel the louder the tone) or frequency modulation (the blacker the pixel the higher the tone) can be used. The gory details may be found in ITU-T Recommendation T.2. Group II Fax An old (now almost obsolete) standard for fax machines in which a page was transmitted in about three minutes at a resolution of 100 scan lines/inch. Group II uses vestigial sideband amplitude modulation with phase shifts. A white pixel is represented by a louder tone. Group III One of the current standards for fax machines in which a page is transmitted in about one minute. See the definition of T.30 (below) for more details. Group IV A standard for fax transmission using ISDN at 64kbps. IS-101 The Interim Standard developed and published by the TIA 29.2 committee for voice modems (a set of extensions to the AT modem command set to support voice recording and playback with modems). ITU and ITU-T The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency dealing with telecommunications. The purposes of the ITU as defined in the Convention are: + to maintain and extend international cooperation for the improvement and rational use of telecommunication of all kinds; + to promote the development of technical facilities and their most efficient operation with a view to improving the efficiency of telecommunication services, increasing their usefulness and making them, so far as possible, generally available to the public; + to harmonize the actions of nations in the attainment of those common ends. The ITU works to fulfil these basic purposes in three main ways: 1. international conferences and meetings; 2. technical cooperation; 3. publication of information, world exhibitions. The ITU is an organization, a union, of Member countries. As of 1993 there were 166 Members. The Union's headquarters are in Geneva, in the Place des Nations. Before 1993, the ITU consisted organizationally of five permanent organs: the General Secretariat, the International Frequency Registration Board (IFRB), the International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR), the International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) and the Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT). In early 1993, the ITU was reorganized into the General Secretariat and three Sectors: Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development. The standards-making activities of the CCITT and CCIR have been consolidated into the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). The remainder of CCIR activities were integrated with the activities of the IFRB into the Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). The Development Sector (ITU-D) facilitates telecommunications development by offering technical cooperation and assistance. The ITU General Secretariat supports the activities of the three Sectors. (This description has been taken from material published by the ITU.) The standards promulgated by the ITU-T are called Recommendations and the recommendations of relevance to the fax world are the T series which govern the fax protocols and the V series which govern modem operation. (See also T.*, and V.*, below.) For more information on the ITU and the publications available from them, see the description of ITUDOC in section I.10 in Part 2 of this FAQ. MH or Modified Huffman compression Also known as Group III one-dimensional compression. See T.4. MR or Modified READ compression Also known as Group III two-dimensional compression. See T.4. One-Dimensional Compression See T.4 PostScript Fax PostScript Fax has to be considered in two pieces: First, we added G3 fax compatability to printers. The device accepts PS jobs from the Mac, PC, and Unix hosts (we have host driver support for all three) rasterizes these jobs at G3 resolutions with optional cover pages and captions, and then sends the fax. You get all of the usual bells and whistles like broadcast, delay, whatever. This differs from a "normal" fax machine in that you avoid printing and rescanning and thus get to transmit very high quality without extra effort. It differs from a PC fax modem because it is network shareable thus saving hardware and phone line charges. Our testing shows that our imaging is higher quality than popular PC fax programs, but there's no intrinsic reason they couldn't do just as well. Also, the fax modems tend to drag down the PC while sending or receiving, whereas we offload the really hard work of controlling the modem to the printer (yes, you can still print while transmitting). When we receive a G3 we automatically print it out, scaled to fit the available paper if necessary. This plain paper output is much nicer than a roll-fed device can produce. There's a trade-off vs. a PC fax modem. With PS Fax you don't have to leave your PC on to receive faxes, just your printer (which probably has a sleep mode), and you don't have to deal with the very slow printing speed that many fax modem packages seem to suffer from. But, if you wanted that file on the PC so you could edit it or re-transmnit it or... Well, we don't support receiving back to the PC yet. One obvious difference from a traditional fax machine is that PS Fax printers do not yet offer a scanner. Unless you have a scanner for your PC, there's no way to fax clippings or handwritten documents with PS Fax. Obviously, the "wonder box" printer, fax, copier, scanner is our next target. The other half of the equation is a thing called Postscript File Transfer. If both you and the person you're communicating with have PS Fax devices then the PS file gets sent rather than a G3. This usually results in a shorter phone call and it always results in significantly higher document quality including high resolution (ex 600 dpi), large format, color, etc. Compared to 30 million G3 units the PS Fax installed base is small, so the PSFT trick is only likely to work in closed environments. It's been most successful either in big corporations who use it to communicate between offices or for consultants who have a need to transmit very high quality output to their clients and can talk their clients into buying a PS Fax receiver. Courtesy of mparker@mv.us.adobe.com (Mike Parker). You can also obtain more information on PostScript Fax from Adobe's WWW server: http://www.adobe.com/PS/PSFax.html. SP-2388 The first draft standard for Class 2 that was implemented by many companies while waiting for the final standard to be approved (see also the definition for Class 2 above). T.2 See Group I Fax. Not to be confused with T-1, a digital telephony standard that runs at 1.544 Mb/s (at least in North America). T.3 See Group II Fax. T.4 One of the ITU-T recommendations (i.e. standard) for Group III fax. In particular, this recommendation covers the page size, resolution, transmission time, and coding schemes supported for Group III fax. (See also the definition of T.30 below.) The basic coding scheme (called in the recommendation "One-dimensional coding scheme" but also known in the industry as MH or Modified Huffman) takes each scan line of pixels and compresses it by (a) converting the raster in a sequence of run lengths (the number of white pixels followed by the number of black pixels followed by the number of white pixels etc. and etc. until the entire raster has been converted into runlengths) and (b) encoding each run length into a unique variable-length bit string. The code words used for white and black runlengths are different and have been chosen in order to do a reasonable job of compressing a "typical" fax page. For example, in one dimensional encoding the following raster: OOOOOOOOOO****OOOOOO**OOOOOOO*OOOOOOOOO***... converted into run lengths: 10 4 6 2 7 1 9 3 ... encoded into MH bit strings: 00111 011 1110 11 1111 010 10100 10 (spaces have been added for readability and are not part of the MH bit string) Since our example has unusually short white run-length it does not accurately illustrate the degree of compression which can be achieved. For example, a normal fine resolution fax image contains about 3,800,000 pixels (464K). Using one-dimensional encoding this can be reduced to between 20K - 50K. In two-dimensional encoding, the first line of a group of lines is compressed using one-dimensional coding (see above) and subsequent lines are compressed using an algorithm that describes line n in terms of line n-1. Since there is usually a high-degree of correlation between the pixels of adjacent scan lines, this usually results in significant compression. Since the basic fax protocol (T.30) is error detecting (but not error correcting), there is a limit on the number of two-dimensionally compressed scan lines that can follow a 1-D line. This is to limit the propagation of errors through an image. This limit is referred to as 'k' in the standard and is 2 for standard-resolution faxes and 4 for high-resolution faxes. Unfortunately, this method of compression is computationally intensive and most (inexpensive) fax machines do not support it. See Standards Related to Facsimile Communication for information on how to obtain a copy of the T.4 standard. T.6 The recommendation that covers the image compression algorithm used for Group IV fax machines. T.6 is essentially the two-dimensional compression algorithm from T.4 (see above) except that 'k' is infinite (i.e. all lines are two dimensionally compressed). This can be done because Group IV fax machines operate over an error-free communications channel. See Standards Related to Facsimile Communication for information on how to obtain a copy of the T.6 standard. ITU-T recommendations (i.e. standard) for Group III fax. In particular, this recommendation covers the protocol used to manage the session and negotiate the capabilities supported by each fax machine. The details of the image format are covered by the T.4 recommendation (see above). The protocol describes each fax call as proceeding through five phases: A: Call Set-Up This phase covers the placing of the call on the PSTN and the distinctive tones the calling and called stations are to emit. B: Pre-Message Procedure for Identifying and Selecting Facilities During this phase the two fax machines: o agree on whether to use tones or binary codes to exchange information on capabilities (most current fax machines use binary codes) o (optionally) the called machine sends a CSI frame identifying it to the calling machine. o the called machine sends a DIS frame telling the calling machine what capabilities it has (i.e. resolution, page size, receiving speed, etc.) o (optionally) the calling machine sends a TSI frame identifying it to the called machine. o the calling machine sends a DCS frame telling the called machine what capabilities are in effect for this document (based on the calling machine's capabilities and the information received in the DIS frame). o the two machines determine the maximum baud rate that the communications link will reliable sustain (training & phasing) C: Message Transmission The fax is sent. The end of the last scan line is marked by a RTC code (return to control). D: Post-Message Procedure including End-of-message, Confirmation, and Multi-Page Procedures o the calling machine indicates what it wants to do next (send another page, terminate the call, request operator intervention, etc.). o the called machine indicates its response to the page and command just received (o.k., o.k. but retrain, not o.k., give up, etc.) At this point the machines go to one of phase B, C, or E depending on the exchange of commands and responses during phase D. E: Call Release Hang up the phone. See Standards Related to Facsimile Communication for information on how to obtain a copy of the T.30 standard. Gray Associates (manufacturers of fax protocol testing equipment) also have an in-depth discussion of fax protocols at http://www.grayfax.com/faxsminar.html. T.411 - T.418 Open document architecture (ODA) and interchange format standards. See Standards Related to Facsimile Communication for information on how to obtain a copy of the T.41x standards. T.434 The standard for Binary File Transfer Format (a method of encoding documents and sending them by fax without converting them to image format first. See Standards Related to Facsimile Communication for information on how to obtain a copy of the T.434 standard. T.611 Programmable communication interface (PCI) APPLI/COM for facsimile group 3, facsimile group 4, teletex and telex services. (i.e. an API for fax services). See Standards Related to Facsimile Communication for information on how to obtain a copy of the T.611 standard. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) The TIFF specification was developed by Aldus (now part of Adobe) and Microsoft as a general file format for storing raster images. A PostScript version of the specification may be obtained from ftp://ftp.faximum.com/pub/documents/TIFF6.ps The relevance of TIFF to fax is explained in the following entry. TIFF/F (Tagged Image File Format, Class F) The TIFF specification is an extremely general and extensible one which makes it difficult to write programs which can dependable handle all possible TIFF files. To simplify the problem somewhat the authors of the TIFF specification have developed the concept of TIFF classes. A TIFF class defines the tags that are required to be written by TIFF writers (i.e. those tags that TIFF readers may depend upon) and defines those tags (and tag values) which all TIFF readers of that class must be able to handle. TIFF Class F was developed by Joe Campbell while he was at Everex developing the first Class 2 fax modem. The Class F specification defines those tags (and by extension, those TIFF file formats) which ought to be used and supported by fax software. Many fax software companies support TIFF F files and some use it as their native file format for received and transmitted faxes (i.e. Faximum Software). A flat-text version of the TIFF-F specification may be obtained from i ftp://ftp.faximum.com/pub/documents/tiff_f.txt TSI or Transmitting Subscriber Information The "name" of the calling fax machine. An optional frame of information sent by the calling fax machine during Phase B (see T.30 above). See CSI (above) for details on the recommended format. Two-Dimensional Compression See T.4. V.17 The ITU-T recommendation for 14,400 bps *synchronous* half-duplex modems. Used during the image transmission phase of fax communications. Optional (most fax machines do not support V.17). V.21 The ITU-T standard for 300 bps full duplex dial-up modems. Popular in Europe. In U.S. and Canada the preferred standard is Bell 103. (Not used in fax but frequently supported by modems that handle fax.) V.22bis The ITU-T recommendation for 2400 bps asynchronous full-duplex modems. (Not used in fax but frequently supported by modems that handle fax.) V.27ter The ITU-T recommendation for 2400 and 4800 bps *synchronous* half-duplex modems. Used during the image transmission phase of fax communications. V.29 The ITU-T recommendation for 7200 and 9600 bps *synchronous* half-duplex modems. Used during the image transmission phase of fax communications. V.32 The ITU-T recommendation for 9600 bps asynchronous full-duplex modems. (Not used in fax but sometimes supported by modems that also handle fax.) V.32bis The ITU-T recommendation for 14,400 bps asynchronous full-duplex modems. (Not used in fax but sometimes supported by modems that also handle fax.) V.42 The ITU-T recommendation for error-checking and correction. (Not used in fax but sometimes supported by modems that also handle fax.) V.42bis The ITU-T recommendation for data compression. (Not used in fax but sometimes supported by modems that also handle fax.) X.5 The ITU-T recommentation for a Fax PAD facility in a public data network. X.38 The ITU-T recommentation for a Group 3 fax equipment/DCE interface for equipment accessing the fax PAD facility in a public data network. X.39 The ITU-T recommentation for procedures for the exchange of control information and user data between a fax PAD facility and a packet mode DTE. ============================================================================== FAX FAQ LEGAL NOTICE COPYRIGHT 1994, 1995 George Pajari ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The FAQ has been written in part, and compiled by, George Pajari. While reasonable efforts have been made to verify the information in this document, no liability can be accepted by George Pajari, Faximum Software, or the many contributors for the correctness of the information herein. Readers are cautioned to take such measures as they deem necessary to verify the information herein before taking any action based on this information. Limited permission is granted to copy or distribute this faq for non-commercial purposes as long as: (a) the FAQ is reproduced in its entirety (including this NOTICE) without any changes, and (b) the distribution is done for non-commercial purposes. Electronic distribution of this FAQ (in its entirely) as part of electronic mail and the Usenet Netnews system is specifically permitted. Including this FAQ in a printed book or CD-ROM is specifically not permitted without prior permission from the author and copyright holder. Permission is almost always granted. It is just considered polite to ask. From: George Pajari,pajari@Faximum.COM Reply-To: FAQ Comments,faxfaq@faximum.com Newsgroup: comp.answers,comp.dcom.fax,alt.fax,news.answers,alt.answers Receive-Date: Sonntag, 02-Apr-95 13:35:18 Creation-Date: Freitag, 31-Mär-95 04:01:03 Message-ID: D6ADts.479@eclipse.faximum.com Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 04:01:03 GMT Subject: Fax (comp.dcom.fax) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) [Part 2/2] Organization: Faximum Software, Vancouver, B.C., Canada Followup-To: comp.dcom.fax UserFlags: Old ReadAccess GlobalFlags: Exported Link HardLink Archive-name: fax-faq/part2 comp.dcom.fax FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) -- Part 2 of 2 ============================================================= This part of the FAQ (part 2) contains lists of: - questions and answers; - sources of information; and - information on products. Part 1 contains the introduction to the FAQ, the disclaimer, and the definitions of common terms and various background information on fax. How to Get a Current Copy of This FAQ (Especially if you are missing Part 1) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ is crossposted to news.answers. As a consequence, this text will also be automatically archived on many FAQ servers all over the world (e.g., anonymous ftp to rtfm.mit.edu in directory /pub/usenet/news.answers). You'll also find there many other answers to frequently asked questions. This faq is stored in the directory fax-faq. Most FAQs (including the posted flat-text version of this FAQ) are available through Thomas Fine's WWW FAQ archive: . This FAQ is also available on the WWW at . The WWW version is always the most current version. The text version can lag but up to a month from the html version. The current text version is available by FTP: . You can also have the current text version of this FAQ mailed to you. Send any message (content not important) to sendfaxfaq@faximum.com. ============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS A. INTRODUCTION G. GLOSSARY AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION Q. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q.1 Can I use my * data modem to send/receive faxes? Q.1A Can my fax modem transmit data? Q.2 How can I fax PostScript or PCL documents using computer-based fax? Q.3 How can I view incoming faxes on my computer? Q.4 How can I print incoming faxes on my computer? Q.5 Can fax modems also handle data or voice calls? Q.6 What resolution are fax images? Q.7 Can I take a fax file and edit it? Q.8 Is there a standard program interface (API) for fax communications? Q.9 How can I share my single phone line with voice, fax, data, etc. Q.10 How can I send a fax over the Internet? Q.11 What legal restrictions are there on the use of facsimile devices? I. SOURCES OF INFORMATION I.1 Standards Related to Facsimile Communication I.2 Where to Obtain Standards Documents and Related Information I.3 Magazine Reviews of UNIX Fax Software I.4 Magazine Reviews of DOS/Windows Fax Software I.5 Magazine Reviews of Mac Fax Software I.6 Magazine Reviews of Fax Modems (see also O/S specific reviews) I.7 Magazine Reviews of Fax Machines I.8 Publications Devoted to Fax and Telecommunications I.9 Books on Fax I.10 Other Sources of Information on Fax I.11 Conferences on Fax I.12 Associations Related to Fax Technology I.13 Fax-on-Demand Phone Numbers I.14 Related FAQs I.15 Fax-Related URLs P. PRODUCT INFORMATION P.1 List of UNIX Fax Software P.2 List of MS-DOS Fax Software P.3 List of MacIntosh Fax Software P.4 List of Windows Fax Software P.5 List of OS/2 Fax Software P.6 List of Fax Modem Vendors P.7 List of Fax Board Vendors P.8 List of Vendors of Secure Fax Equipment P.9 List of Libraries and Related Information for Writing Fax Servers P.10 List of Vendors of Fax Protocol Test Equipment P.11 List of Vendors of UNIX-Based Fax-On-Demand Software/Systems P.12 List of Vendors of Fax-On-Demand Software/Systems P.13 List of Vendors of Products Delivered by Fax ============================================================================== Q.1 Can I use my * data modem to send/receive faxes? In a word, no. Unless your data modem has specific additional support for fax, you cannot communicate with fax devices using a data (only) modem. Simply put, the problem is that the modulation methods (tones) used to communicate data are different from those used to communicate faxes. Typically the modulation schemes used for fax are synchronous half-duplex while those used for data (at least by most UNIX and PC people) are asynchronous and full-duplex. Also, data modems, once they have negotiated a modulation scheme, tend to continue with the same one through out the session. Fax modems switch before and after each page between a high-speed modulation scheme used to transmit the image data and a lower (300 or 2400 bps) scheme to exchange control information. The following table outlines this briefly (see also part 1 of this FAQ for definitions of V.*). Data Rate Data Modulation Std. Fax Modulation Std. ========================+==========================+======================== 9,600 bps | V.32 | V.29 ------------------------+--------------------------+------------------------ 14,400 bps | V.32bis | V.17 ========================+==========================+======================== _________________________________________________________________ Q.1A CAN MY FAX MODEM TRANSMIT DATA? In a word, maybe. There is a standard proposed by the EIA/TIA/ANSI called Binary File Transfer (BFT) that extends the fax Group III modulation and protocols for bulk data transfer. The problem, of course, is that few fax modems or software packages provide support for this mechanism. Q.2 How can I fax PostScript or PCL documents using computer-based fax? In addition to the basic software to drive your fax modem/board, you will need specific software that can convert PostScript or PCL files into a raster image format compatible with your fax software package. GhostScript, for example, is a publically available software package that can convert PostScript into raster image format (although there are varying opinions on the quality of the font support). In the commercial world, most of the vendors of fax software provide software that can handle PostScript and/or PCL. When purchasing such software (a) check how many different fonts are supported (it's a pain to be able to use, say, NewCentury on your laser printer only to find it is not included in your fax package), and (b) in the case of PCL, check which level of the language is supported (PCL-4 does not support scalable fonts, PCL-5 does). _________________________________________________________________ Q.3 How can I view incoming faxes on my computer? In the PD world, there are a number of image-viewing packages available for X (such as xv). In the commercial world, most fax vendors provide support for the commonly available devices (in the case of UNIX, X; in the case of PC-UNIX, VGA and HGA support. Some vendors support other graphics-capable terminals such as the Wyse WY-160.) _________________________________________________________________ Q.4 How can I print incoming faxes on my computer? Most fax software packages include software to convert fax images into print data streams compatible with dot matrix, HP PCL, or PostScript printers. Also the publically available (where?) pbmplus filter kit will handle most image formats. _________________________________________________________________ Q.5 Can fax modems also handle data or voice calls? Not all fax boards can handle data (some are fax only). Most (all?) external fax modems can handle data as well as fax. Some (but not all) fax modems and software can automatically distinguish between data and fax calls and answer them appropriately. Some DOS/WINDOWS based products can automatically distinguish between voice and fax/data calls and operate as a digital answer machine as well as a fax machine. Also, several companies sell devices which can switch incoming calls between a fax machine, a telephone answering machine, and a modem. [Suggestions anyone?] _________________________________________________________________ Q.6 What resolution are fax images? The standard resolution for faxes is 3.85 scan lines/mm (approx. 98 dpi vertically) with 1728 pixels across a standard scan line of 215 mm (approx. 204 dpi horizontally). The optional "fine" resolution is 7.7 scan lines/mm (approx. 196 dpi vertically) with the same horizontal resolution. Many Group III fax machines use non-standard frames to negotiate higher resolutions (typically 300x300 dpi and 400x400 dpi) with other fax machines by the same manufacturer. Two fax machines (or modems) must negotiate a common resolution, page width, and page length before sending each page. The standard requires that all Group III fax machines suppport at least standard resolution and A4 size so that common ground can always be found. Extensions to the Group III standard to support these higher resolutions in a standard way have been proposed. Their current status is not known [Need more information]. [Need more information on resolutions supported by Group IV]. _________________________________________________________________ Q.7 Can I take a fax file and edit it? When faxes exchange information, it is done in the form of compressed images (with the exception of BFT). If you wish to edit or otherwise manipulate a received fax file you have two options: 1. edit the file using a "paint" program that will accept the fax file (unfortunately there is a wide range of file formats for image files and you may have to work to find a format that is common between your fax application and your paint program). 2. pass the file through an OCR program that will attempt to convert the image into ASCII (or word processing file format). The problem here is that most OCR programs are tuned to work with 300x300dpi images and faxes are either 98x204 or 196x204. _________________________________________________________________ Q.8 Is there a standard program interface (API) for fax communications? There are many API's that are used for fax communications. Words marked by -word- are further explained in the glossary in Part 1 of this FAQ. At the hardware level, the two standards that govern the exchange of commands between a host computer and a fax modem are EIA-578 (-Class 1-) and EIA-592 (-Class 2-). At the software level there is one "official" standard and a number of "industry standards". The one "official" standard is ITU-T T.611 ([need more information on this standard]). The most widely known industry standards are -CAS- (Communicating Applications Standard (?)) invented by Intel and DCA and tied closely to the Intel architecture, and -FaxBios- (developed by an industry consortium) which is less machine-dependent (implementations for MS-DOS and WINDOWS have been published and sporadic work on UNIX and other bindings is underway). _________________________________________________________________ Q.9 How can I share my single phone line with voice, fax, data, etc. There are a number of devices on the market (suggestions from happy campers welcome) that will try to distinguish between an incoming voice, fax, or data call and route the call appropriately. These fax switches attach to the phone line and then the other devices (your normal voice phone/answering machine, fax machine, data modem, etc.) are attached to the fax switch). All devices work on one of two general principles: listening for CNG or voice, or listening for distinctive ring patterns (cadences). In the first case the device will answer the phone and try to guess what it should do based on what it hears. Some machines play back a sound of a phone ringing so that humans dialling in think the phone is still ringing when in fact the fax switch is listening to see if the call is from a fax machine or a human. If the CNG tone (see Part 1 for a definition of CNG) from the calling fax machine is heard, then the switch connects the call to the fax machine, otherwise the call is deemed to be a voice call and is connected to your phone/answering machine. A slightly more sophisticated approach is for the fax switch to answer the phone and play a short recorded announcement. If, during the announcement the CNG tone is heard, then the call is switched to the fax machine. If no CNG tone is heard but sound is heard after the announcement, then the call is assumed to be voice and switched appropriately. If nothing is heard then the switch either considers the call a data call and switches it to a modem or considers it a fax call from a machine that does not generate a CNG and switches it to the fax machine. The other approach relies upon an optional service available from some telcos called "SmartRing", "Distinctive Ring", "RingMaster", "Ident-a-Ring", etc. This feature allows one to have more than one phone number associated with the same phone line. Incoming calls using the different phone numbers can be differentiated by the different ringing patterns (i.e. one long ring, two short rings, three short rings, etc.) The fax switch distributes the call based on the ring cadence it detects. The advantage of the first approach is that one does not have to send more money to the phone company (or depend upon the availability of the "SmartRing" feature being available). The disadvantage is that it is not always reliable (especially in the face of fax machines that do not generate CNG tones). The advantage of the second approach is that it is very very reliable. The disadvantage is that it requires the availability of the "SmartRing" feature from one's telco as well as sending more money to the telco every month. _________________________________________________________________ Q.10 How can I send a fax over the Internet? There are several services (commercial as well as free) that offer to accept e-mail messages and fax them to the specified phone number. To obtain information on the free service, send email to tpc-faq@town.hall.org To obtain information on the commercial services, contact: InterFax PO Box 162, Skippack, PA 19474 USA (610) 584-0300; FAX: (610) 584-1038 FAXiNET 32 Woodland Road, Boston, MA 02130. (617) 522-8102 E-mail: sales@awa.com Information courtesy of savetz@rahul.net (Kevin M. Savetz). For more information, FTP Kevin's FAQ from: * ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/fax -faq * ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/Net_info/Technical/net-fax.faq _________________________________________________________________ Q.11 What legal restrictions are there on the use of facsimile devices? ***** FCC January 11, 1993 Public Notice ***** FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION PUBLIC NOTICE (31291 / DA 92-1716) January 11, 1993 INDUSTRY BULLETIN TELEPHONE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT TELEPHONE SOLICITATIONS, AUTODIALED AND ARTIFICIAL OR PRERECORDED VOICE MESSAGE TELEPHONE CALLS, AND THE USE OF FACSIMILE MACHINES The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a federal statute that was enacted on December 20, 1991, to address concerns about the growing volume of unsolicited telephone marketing calls and the increasing use of automated and prerecorded telephone calls. The TCPA imposes restrictions on the use of automatic telephone dialing systems ("autodialers"), artificial or prerecorded voice messages, and telephone facsimile machines to send unsolicited advertisements. The TCPA also directs the FCC to adopt regulations to protect residential telephone subscribers' privacy rights to avoid receiving telephone solicitations to which they object. The FCC adopted rules and regulations, effective December 20, 1992, implementing the TCPA. The FCC will be monitoring complaints about automated calls and unwanted telephone solicitations to determine whether additional action to limit or to prohibit such calls would be appropriate. DO FCC RULES BAN UNSOLICITED ADVERTISEMENTS TO TELEPHONE FACSIMILE MACHINES? Yes. Effective December 20, 1992, FCC rules ban the transmission of unsolicited advertisements to telephone facsimile machines. An "unsolicited advertisement" is defined as a transmission advertising the commercial availability or quality of property, goods or services without the prior express invitation or permission of the person or entity receiving the transmission. Unsolicited advertisements may not be transmitted by any device to a telephone facsimile machine unless the person receiving the facsimile has given prior express invitation or permission to receive it. If the sender and the recipient have an established business relationship, an invitation or permission to receive unsolicited facsimile advertisements is presumed to exist. However, the recipient may end an established business relationship by requesting that no further unsolicited advertisements be sent, thus revoking any invitation or permission to receive further transmissions. WHAT OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLY TO THE USE OR MANUFACTURE OF TELEPHONE FACSIMILE MACHINES? FCC rules require that each transmission to a telephone facsimile machine must clearly contain, in a margin at the top or bottom of each transmitted page or on the first page of the transmission, (1) the date and time the transmission is sent (2) the identity of the sender and (3) the telephone number of the sender or of the sending machine. All telephone facsimile machines manufactured on or after December 20, 1992 must have the capacity to clearly mark such identifying information on the first page or on each page of the transmission. [Note, according to the FCC January 13, 1993 Public Notice, the requirement to mark faxes with the above identifying information on applied to fax machines and not for fax cards used in computers pending reconsideration proceedings.] WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLIANCE WITH FCC RULES ON TELEPHONE FACSIMILE TRANSMISSIONS? The person on whose behalf a facsimile transmission is sent will ultimately be held liable for violations of the TCPA or FCC rules. DO THE TCPA AND THE FCC'S RULES PREEMPT STATE LAW? The TCPA specifically preempts state law where it conflicts with the technical and procedural requirements for identification of senders of telephone facsimile messages or automated artificial or prerecorded voice messages. The TCPA and the FCC's rules do not preempt state law which imposes more restrictive requirements or regulations for (1) the use of facsimile machines or other electronic devices to send unsolicited advertisements, (2) the use of autodialers, (3) the use of artificial or prerecorded voice messages, or (4) the making of telephone solicitations. Thus, depending on state law, the TCPA, the FCC's rules and/or state laws could apply to your company's services. You should contact the state public utilities commission in each state where your company provides the services listed in the previous paragraph to determine what laws apply in those states. WHERE CAN I ORDER A COMPLETE COPY OF THE TCPA AND THE FCC'S ORDER EXPLAINING IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT ACT? Copies can be ordered from the FCC's contractor for public records duplication: Downtown Copy Center, 1990 M Street, N.W., Suite 640, Washington, D.C. 20036 (telephone: (202) 452-1422). You should ask for copies of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Report and Order in CC Docket No. 92-90 released by the Commission on October 16, 1992 (In the Matter of Rules and Regulations Implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991). ============================================================================== SOURCES OF INFORMATION I.1 Standards Related to Facsimile Communication CCITT (now renamed ITU-T) The Blue Book, Volume VII - Fascicle VII.3 Recommendation T.0 - T.63 EIA/TIA/ANSI EIA/TIA-602 Data Transmission Systems and Equipment-Serial Asynchronous Automatic Dialing and Control "This is the standard for the basic Hayes command set." TIA PN-2388 Asynchronous Facsimile DCE Control Standard (DRAFT), Service Class 2, (also known as Document TR-29/89-21R8, March 21, 1990) "The first draft of the Class 2 standard, voted down, but the basis for all current (93Q1) Class 2 modems." EIA/TIA-578 Asynchronous Facsimile DCE Control Standard, Service Class 1 EIA/TIA-592 Asynchronous Facsimile DCE Control Standard, Service Class 2 _________________________________________________________________ I.2 Where to Obtain Standards Documents and Related Information VENDORS OF PRINTED STANDARDS Bellcore (Bell Communications Research) 1 800 521 CORE Source of telephony standards (i.e. detailed information on how the telephone system works included DID, Caller ID, etc. Does not provide information on facsimile equipment and standards.) EIA/TIA (202) 457-4942 (Yvette Bottoms) Source of draft EIA/TIA standards (final stds available from Global) Global Engineering Documents (800) 854-7179 fax: (202) 331-0960 Distributor for published EIA/TIA standards, as well as ITU-T (CCITT) and standards docs from 400 other organisations and institutions. EIA catalog of standard available at no charge National Technical Information Service (NTIS) (703) 487-4650 Philips Business Information Inc. (has acquired assets of OMNICOM) (301) 424-3338 or 1 (800) 777-5006, FAX: (301) 309-3847 Source of ITU-T (CCITT) and ISO publications UN Bookstore ITU-T (CCITT) Publications +1 (212) 963-7680 or +1 (800) 553-3210 Action Consulting Source of draft communications standards Human Communications (203) 746-4367 FAX: (203) 746-4367 Source of draft communications standards International Telecommunications Union electronic document distribution service (ITUDOC) For more information, send a message with the line HELP in the body to: itudoc@itu.ch. Or telnet to info.itu.ch and type gopher as username (no password needed). Or connect to their gopher server directly: gopher://info.itu.ch/. COMMONLY REFERENCED FAX STANDARDS [E.451] Recommendation E.451 - Facsimile call cut-off performance [E.450] Recommendation E.450 - Facsimile quality of service on PSTN - General aspects [E.452] Recommendation E.452 - Facsimile modem speed reductions and transaction time [F.162] Recommendation F.162 - Service and operational requirements of store-and-forward facsimile service [F.163] Recommendation F.163 - Operational requirements of the interconnection of facsimile store-and-forward units [F.190] Recommendation F.190 - Operational provisions for the international facsimile service between public bureaux and subscriber stations and vice versa (bureaufax-telefax and vice versa) [F.180] Recommendation F.180 - General operational provisions for the international public facsimile service between subscriber stations (telefax) [F.182] Recommendation F.182 - Operational provisions for the international public facsimile service between subscribers' stations with Group 3 facsimile machines (Telefax 3) [F.87] Recommendation F.87 - Operational principles for the transfer of messages from terminals on the telex network to Group 3 facsimile terminals connected to the public switched telephone network [F.160] Recommendation F.160 - General operational provisions for the international public facsimile services [T.611] Recommendation T.611 - Programmable communication interface (PCI) APPLI-COM for facsimile group 3, facsimile group 4, teletex and telex services [T.4] Recommendation T.4 - Standardization of Group 3 facsimile apparatus for document transmission [T.30] Recommendation T.30 - Procedures for document facsimile transmission in the general switched telephone network [T.22] Recommendation T.22 - Standardized test charts for document facsimile transmissions [U.207] Recommendation U.207 - Technical requirements to be met for the transfer of messages between terminals of the international telex service and Group 3 facsimile terminals connected to PSTN [V.17 SUMMARY] Summary of Recommendation V.17 - A 2-wire modem for facsimile applications with rates up to 14 400 bit-s [V.17] Recommendation V.17 - A 2-wire modem for facsimile applications with rates up to 14 400 bit-s _________________________________________________________________ I.3 Magazine Reviews of UNIX Fax Software UNIX WORLD, August 1991, pp. 52-60, "Four Fitting Fax Packages", Rick Farris Reviews DigiFax, Faximum, TruFax, and VSI-Fax UNIX REVIEW, V10n11, Nov 1992, pp. 63-76, "Just the Fax, Ma'am", Tim Parker Reviews ArnetFAX, DigiFax, Faximum, FaxLink, FaxTrax, VSI-Fax _________________________________________________________________ I.4 Magazine Reviews of DOS/Windows Fax Software PC Magazine, 8 Dec 1992, v11n21, p275-342, "The Fax Solution", by Joel Dreyfus Reviews BitFax, DosFax Pro, Eclipse FAX, FAXability Plus, Faxit for DOS Faxit for Windows, FaxMaster, Fax Talk Plus, The Fax Window, Mirror III Fax, MTEZ Standard with ExpressFax, PaperWorks, and SuperFax for Windows. PC World, Feb 1993 v11n2, "Windows Fax Software", by Bryan Hastings The article discusses: Bit Software Bit Fax/OCR for windows v2.05; Caere Fax Master 1.01; Delrina WinFax Pro 3.0; Ellipse Fax 1.2; Intel Faxability plus/OCR 1.0; Softnet Faxit 2,.15e; and Zsoft Ultrafax for Windows 1.0. BYTE, Jan 1993, v18n1, p62-64, "First Impressions", by David Andres Discusses Delrina's WinFax Pro 3.0 BYTE, Jan 1993, v18n1, p68, "First Impressions", by Dick Pountain Discusses Trio's Datafax _________________________________________________________________ I.5 Magazine Reviews of Mac Fax Software MacWorld, Feb 1994 v11n2, "Delrina FaxPro for Macintosh 1.0", by Gene Steinberg MacWorld, Nov 1993 v10n11, "SupraFaxModem 144PB", by Gene Steinberg Discusses SupraFaxModem for the Powerbook Information courtesy of wilbe007@gold.tc.umn.edu. _________________________________________________________________ I.6 Magazine Reviews of Fax Modems (see also O/S specific reviews) MacWorld, Oct 1993 v10n10, "High-Speed Fax Modems", by Matthew Clark Discussion and review of 30 modems that run at 9600 bps or faster NeXTWorld Magazine, Winter 1992, v2n4, p59-60, "Just the Fax" by Simson L. Garfinkel Reviews Dove, HSD, and ZyXEL. PC Magazine, 8 Dec 1992, v11n21, p343-361, "Negotiating the Fax Modem Jungle" by Rick Ayre Reviews Computer Peripherals, Hayes, Intel, Practical Modem, Supra, U.S. Robotics, and Zoom. _________________________________________________________________ I.7 Magazine Reviews of Fax Machines Consumer Reports, Nov. 1993, v58n11, p722-728, "Fax machines" A general consumer product review of various fax machines. The article reviews in detail 13 lower-end (i.e thermal paper) fax machines and comments on a couple of higher-end (i.e. plain paper) machines. The Panasonic KX-F230 and the Brother 600 were rated "Best Buys". Get the article to see where the rest ended up and why (reprinting the entire list of ratings would exceed my interpretation of "fair use" w.r.t. copyright). _________________________________________________________________ I.8 Publications Devoted to Fax and Telecommunications Communications Standards Review [10-12/year, $695/year in N.A.; partial or shorter subs avail., contact publisher] 757 Greer Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303-3024 USA Phone: +1-415-856-9018 Fax: +1-415-856-6591 e-mail: 72540.113@Compuserve.Com Communications Standards Review is a journal providing current technical information on work in progress on communications standards (including fax) in US and international standards forums. EMMS [Bi-weekly, $595 per year] published by Telecommunications Reports 1333 H Street, 11th Floor Washington DC 20005 Phone: (202) 842-0520 Fax: (202) 842-3047 Human Communications Digest, [Quarterly, $195 per year within US, contact publisher for outside US] published by Human Communications 12 Kevin Drive, Danbury CT, 06811-2901 Phone: (203) 746-4367 FAX: (203) 746-4367 A digest of recent developments with fax and related standards. NetFax News, published by Davidson Consulting [Monthly, $contact publisher] 530 N. Lamer Street, Burbank, CA, 91506 Phone: (818) 842-5117 FAX: (818) 842-5488 Also publishes Scouting Reports and Buyers' Guides Fax Focus [weekly, $250, free with membership in the AFA) published by the American Facsimile Association Phone: (215) 963-9110 Fax: (215) 451-1156 _________________________________________________________________ I.9 Books on Fax "FAX: Digital Facsimile Technology & Applications", 2nd Ed. 338pp. by Kenneth R. McConnell, Dennis Bodson, Richard Schaphorst 1992, Artech House, Norwood, MA. ISBN: 0-89006-495-5 (Order Book No. H04495, $78, Phone: 1 800 225 9977 or 1 617 769-9750) "C Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications.", 2nd Ed. by Joe Campbell; SAMS Publishing; 1994; ISBN: 0-672-30286-1 (The main addition of the second edition was a monster chapter on facsimile including redrawn T.30 flow charts and narratives to walk the reader through various scenarios (e.g., EOP, EOM, MPS). It's got good source code for T.4 encoding and decoding. In general, I believe it's the only intelligible discussion of the subject available to programmers.) Information supplied by the author, Joe Campbell (joec@calon.com). "C++ Communications Utilities" by Michael Holmes and Bob Flanders; Ziff-Davis (Contains a good description of fax software and includes C++ source and exe code for Class 1 fax sending and receiving. Courtesy Bruce Seiler, Bruce.Seiler%porch@cjbbs.com) _________________________________________________________________ I.10 Other Sources of Information on Fax More detailed information on image file formats and compression may be obtained from the comp.graphics FAQ. The latest version of this FAQ is available as ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/graphics/faq . Information on the Microsoft Windows Telephony API spec is kept in the following FTP directory: ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developr/TAPI Information on the Internet/fax gateway project may be obtained by sending e-mail to: tpc-faq@town.hall.org A mailing list related to the Internet/fax gateway project may be reached through: tpc-rp-request@aarnet.edu.au The full text of the DCA/Intel Communicating Applications Specification (CAS) may be obtained from ftp://ftp.faximum.com/pub/documents/cas.txt. If you want comprehensive information on fax-on-demand and/or broadcast fax suppliers, contact Sarah Stambler at Techprose, 370 Central Park West, #210, New York, NY, 10025, (212) 222 1765, Fax: (212) 678-6357. She sells a number of reports on FoD and fax broadcast technology. See also the section on related FAQs and URLs (below). VENDORS BBSS ZyXEL BBS: (714) 693-0762 Supra BBS: (503) 967-2444 Intel BBS: (503) 645-6275 _________________________________________________________________ I.11 Conferences on Fax BIS STRATEGIC DECISIONS BIS Strategic Decisions runs several conferences on fax and related technologies. Historically they ran the "Facsimile and Image Communications Conference" every spring and every fall they held the "Annual Computer Fax Conference). In 1995, however, BIS is planning to merge these two conferences into a single "FAXWORLD'95" conference. Current plans are to hold this in San Francisco from June 5-7th, 1995 but rumours abound that it will be pushed back to the first week in December, 1995. EUROFAX'95 is planned for Amsterdam in October'95. For more information on BIS conferences, call: (800) 874-9980 ext 178 or (617) 982-9500 ext 178, (Fax: 617 982-1724) _________________________________________________________________ I.12 Associations Related to Fax Technology American Facsimile Association Phone: (215) 963-9110 Fax: (215) 451-1156 International Computer Fax Association Phone (617) 982-9500 _________________________________________________________________ I.13 Fax-on-Demand Phone Numbers This is a list of collected fax-on-demand numbers for various major computer companies. Please email any additions or corrections to: faxfaq@faximum.com * Hewlett-Packard 1 800 333 1917 All Products (?) * Intel 1 800 525 3019 All Products (?) * WordPerfect 1 801 228-9923 WordPerfect Solutions Guide * Frame Technology 1 408-428-6153 FrameFacts _________________________________________________________________ I.14 Related FAQs FAQS RELATED TO FAX FAQ: How can I send a fax from the Internet? ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/f ax-faq FlexFax Frequently Asked Questions http://www.vix.com/flexfax/FAQ GammaLink intelligent fax boards, Frequently Asked Questions. ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/fax-faq/GammaLink Mgetty+Sendfax with Vgetty Extensions (FAQ) ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/fax-faq/mgetty+send fax+vgetty Object-Fax Frequently Asked Questions ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/fax-faq/Object-Fax Windows NT Fax Solutions Frequently Asked Questions http://www.mcs.net:80/~sculptor/NTFAX-FAQ.HTML FAQS RELATED TO MODEMS Digicom Frequently Asked Questions ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/Digicom-faq NetComm Frequently Asked Questions List ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/NetComm-faq Practical Peripherals Frequently Asked Questions ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/practical-pe ripherals-FAQ Configuring the Telebit Trailblazer for Use with UNIX ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/trailblazer- faq ZyXEL Modems Frequently Asked Questions List ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/ZyXEL/FAQ/pa rt1 ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/ZyXEL/FAQ/pa rt2 ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/ZyXEL/FAQ/pa rt3 ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/ZyXEL/FAQ/pa rt4 ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/ZyXEL/FAQ/pa rt5 ZyXEL U1496 series modems resellers FAQ ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/ZyXEL/resale rs-FAQ OTHER FAQS OF RELATED INTEREST comp.graphics Frequently Asked Questions (Information on compression algorithms) ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/graphics/faq _________________________________________________________________ I.15 Fax-Related URLs For the URLs of vendors, please see the Product Information section of this FAQ. STANDARDS AND RELATED INFORMATION ITU (The standards setting body for fax, modems, and telephony.) Coies of many ITU (formerly CCITT) standards can be obtained through their gopher server gopher://info.itu.ch/. Standards are in the ITU section. Those related to fax are in the T Series, modem standards are in the V Series. Gray Associates (manufacturers of fax protocol testing equipment) also have an in-depth discussion of fax protocols at http://www.grayfax.com/FAXSMNAR.html. Supra Corporation has put draft versions of the Class 1 and Class 2 specs up on FTP (the final, official versions are copyright and cannot legally be made available over the net). Download ftp://ftp.supra.com/gen_info/class_1.txt and ftp://ftp.supra.com/gen_info/class_2.txt. WWW VIRTUAL LIBRARY Communications Section http://www.analysys.co.uk/commslib.htm Facsimile Communications Sub-Section http://www.faximum.com/w3vlib/fax ============================================================================== PRODUCT INFORMATION P.1 List of UNIX Fax Software COMMERCIAL Format of listing:
_________________________________________________________________ NORTH AMERICA DFax Alembic Systems International (800) 452-7608 info@alembic.com ArnetFAX Arnet (615) 834-8000 clarence@arnet.com NXFax Black and White Software (802) 496-8500 (802) 496-5112 (fax) nxfax@bandw.com ISOfax Bristol TruFax COS Inc. (609) 771-6705 (609) 530-0898 (fax) trufax@cosi.com DigiFAX DigiBoard http://www.digibd.com/ (612) 943-9020 support@dbsales.digibd.com Faximum ELS, Faximum PLUS, Faximum Client/Server Faximum Software Inc. http://www.faximum.com/ 1497 Marine Drive, Suite 300, West Vancouver, BC, Canada, V7T 1B8 +1 604 925 3600 +1 604 926-8182 (fax) info@faximum.com FAXPak Ready-to-Run Software Inc http://www.rtr.com 4 Pleasant Street Forge Village, MA 01886 (800)743-1723 (508)692-9922 (508)692-9990 (fax) info@rtr.com Note, FAXPak is a commercially enhanced and supported collection of FreeWare and other tools to form a complete FAX system, based on Sam Leffler's FlexFax. See below for more information on FlexFax. ICSW 800.486.7274 or 602.998.8623 FaxLink Intuitive Technology (409) 762-8456 PerfectFAX Perfect Byte (402) 398-938 (402) 384-1122 (fax) info@pbi.com Siren Fax Siren Software 1 800 45-SIREN Replix SoftLinx, Inc. (508) 392-0001 (508)392-9009 (fax) replix@softlinx.com FaxTrax UniSal System (201) 729-9221 VSI*FAX V-Systems, Inc. 32232 Paseo Adelanto, Suite 100, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 (714) 489-8778 (714) 489-2486 (fax) info@vsi.com FaxFX Company Unknown (708) 574-3600 FAXSMART Company Unknown Phone Unknown Fax*Starx Company Unknown (800) 327 9859 _________________________________________________________________ EUROPE Com-M-Tex comFax +49 89 546130-0 mix fax i link GmbH +49 30 216 20 48 netFAX netCS GmbH +49 30 787999-0 FaxX QUEST systems GmbH +49 231 914028-0 +49 231 914028-40 faxx@quest.sub.org i(F)x Faxsoftware for UNIX Signify Software Products +31-(0)3480-30131 +31-(0)3480-30182 gerard@integrity.nl smoFax SMO GmbH +49 721 551971 _________________________________________________________________ PUBLICALLY AVAILABLE FlexFAX For current information on FlexFAX, please see http://www.vix.com/flexfax/ or ftp://sgi.com/sgi/fax/. GNU NetFax (a.k.a. fax-3.2.1) This software may be obtained from ftp://ftp.uu.net/systems/gnu/fax-3.2.1.tar.z . _________________________________________________________________ P.2 List of MS-DOS Fax Software Object-Fax Traffic Software (212) 714-1584 (212) 714-1691 (fax) Outside of USA +354-1-687 150 +354-1-687-239 (fax) [Need more information] _________________________________________________________________ P.3 List of MacIntosh Fax Software Global Village Communication, Inc. http://www.globalcenter.net/ [Need more information] _________________________________________________________________ P.4 List of Windows Fax Software [Need more information] _________________________________________________________________ P.5 List of OS/2 Fax Software [Need more information] _________________________________________________________________ P.6 List of Fax Modem Vendors NORTH AMERICA AT&T Paradyne Class: 1 (813) 530-2090 (813) 530-2103 (fax) Computer Peripherals Class: 2 (805) 499-5751 (805) 498-8306 Hayes Class: 1 (404) 441-1617 (404) 441-1213 (fax) Intel Class: 1 (503) 629-7354 (503) 629-7580 (fax) MICC Class: 2 (408) 980-9565 (408) 980-9568 Macronix Class: 2 (408) 453-8088 MultiTech Systems Class: 2 (612) 785-3500 (612) 785-9874 (fax) Practical Peripherals Class: 1,2 Supra Corporation Class: 1,2 http://www.supra.com/ ftp://ftp.supra.com/ (503) 967-2400 (503) 967-2401 (fax) Telebit Class: 2 http://www.telebit.com/ (408) 734-4333 (408) 734-3333 (fax) The Complete PC Class: 1,2 (408) 434-0145 (408) 434-1048 (fax) U.S. Robotics Class: 1,2.0 http://www.primenet.com/usr/ (800) DIAL-USR (708) 982-5253 (fax) Zoom Class: 2 (617) 423-1072 (617) 423-9231 (fax) ZyXEL USA Class: 2,2.0 http://www.zyxel.com/ (714) 693-0808 (714) 693-8811 (fax) AUSTRALIA (COURTESY OF ADAM@SAKI.COM.AU ) NetComm M4F, M7F Class: 2,2.0 +61 2 888 5533 Dataplex DPX-223 DPX-225 Class: 2 +61 3 210 3333 Interlink Fax Modem 3 Class: 2 +61 3 525 3388 Maestro 9600XR Class: 2 +61 6 239 2369 Banksia BitBlitzer Class: 2 +61 2 418 6033 EUROPE Dr. Neuhaus ? Class: ? +49 40 55304290 +49 40 55304180 (fax) _________________________________________________________________ P.7 List of Fax Board Vendors This lists companies that produce intelligent fax boards typically intended for high-volume and multi-line operation. Reliability and functionality rather than price are the consideration here. Brooktrout Technology Operating System: dos,unix,OS/2,others Needham, MA 617-449-4100 Dialogic Operating System: dos,unix 201-334-8450 Gammalink Operating System: dos,OS/2 408-744-1400 [Need more information] _________________________________________________________________ P.8 List of Vendors of Secure Fax Equipment Mr David COHEN SKTT Henry Kam Technologies & Telecommunations 2d rue de l'Epine Prolongee 93541 Bagnolet Cedex +33 1 42 87 54 00 +33 1 42 87 23 91 (fax) (courtesy of Jean-Bernard Condat) Ken Stokes, CES Ltd 146 Papanui Rd. Christchurch, NZ +64-3-355-5631 +64-3-355-3730 (fax) (courtesy of Arnim Littek, arnim2digitech.co.nz) [Need more information] _________________________________________________________________ P.9 List of Libraries and Related Information for Writing Fax Servers Black Ice Software 113 Route 122, Amherst, NH 03031 1 603 673 1019 603 672 4112 (fax) blackice@mv.mv.com Products: TIFF SDK for Windows/DOS; IMAGE SDK for Windows, VB, and NT; Fax C++ SDK for Class 1, 2, and 2.0; and other related libraries (Demos are available on Compuserve under "Go Blackice"). Diamond Head Software Inc. Ocean View Center Penthouse 3 707 Richards Street Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813 (808) 545 2377 (phone) (909) 545-7042 (fax) Products: Image Basic, a VBX control for building imaging solutions. Metasoft Systems 2nd Floor 575 Richards Street Vancouver, BCm V6B 2Z5 (604) 683-6711 (604) 683-6704 k_davies@cyberstore.ca Products: Image Maker, "Bolt On Fax Components", a series of products which enable users to build custom fax applications. Stylus Innovation, Inc. One Kendall Square, Building 300 Cambridge, MA, 02139 617 621 9545 (phone) 617 621 7862 (fax) Products: Visual Fax, a VBX control for building fax solutions. UNIX-BASED PRODUCTS See also Joe Campbell's book in section I.9 above for sample fax code. _________________________________________________________________ P.10 List of Vendors of Fax Protocol Test Equipment Genoa Technology, Inc. 5401 Tech Circle Moorpark, CA 93021 (805) 531-9030 (805) 531-9045 (fax) email: gajames@gentech.com Products: Group 3 Basic Test Suite; FaxProbe (Fax Protocol Analyser); FaxLab (Fax device emulator with 60 device emulations); PostScript Fax functional test suite; also many other testing products for printers, IEEE 1284 Interfaces, IrDA, etc. and etc. Also offers courses in Facsimile Technology and Protocols Gray Associates 10760 Hubbard Way San Jose, CA 95127 (408) 251-0263 (408) 251-0264 http://www.grayfax.com/ email: mrehmus@ix.netcom.com Products: GD-Fax Protocol Analyser(TM)- T.30, T.4 & T.6 measurements; GD-SYM Fax Emulator(TM) with editable Simulation Library, also converts real world calls into simulations. Multiple units can operate in one computer; FAX COLLECTOR(TM) archiving system for fax. Training & consulting services. All products include one year's consulting, warranty & updates. _________________________________________________________________ P.11 List of Vendors of UNIX-Based Fax-On-Demand Software/Systems FAXSTREAM CALLSTREAM Communications Inc. 871-9 Equestrian Court Oakville, ON Canada L6L 6L7 (905) 847-5362 (905) 847-3421 (fax) info@callstream.com _________________________________________________________________ P.12 List of Vendors of Fax-On-Demand Software/Systems DOS/WINDOWS-BASED PRODUCTS FaxBack, Inc. 1100 NW Compton Drive Beaverton, OR 97006 690-6353 1-800-873-8753 (503) 690-6390 (demo line) 1-800-FaxBack (demo line) sales@faxback.com Ibex Technologies 550 Main Street, Suite G Placerville, CA, 95667 916 621 4342 1 800 289 9998 VISUAL BASIC TOOLKITS Visual Voice Pro Visual Voice for Mwave Stylus Innovation, Inc. One Kendall Square, Building 300 Cambridge, MA, 02139 617 621 9545 (phone) 617 621 7862 (fax) UNIX-BASED PRODUCTS FaxStream CallStream Communications Inc. 871-9 Equestrian Court Oakville, ON Canada L6L 6L7 (905) 847-5362 (905) 847-3421 (fax) RESEARCH REPORTS ETC. If you want comprehensive information on fax-on-demand suppliers, contact Sarah Stambler at: Techprose 370 Central Park West, #210 New York, NY 10025 (212) 222 1765 (212) 678-6357 (fax) She sells a number of reports on FoD technology. P.13 List of Vendors of Products Delivered by Fax * New York Times Newspaper (Fax Edition) http://nytimesfax.com/about.html ============================================================================== FAX FAQ LEGAL NOTICE COPYRIGHT 1994, 1995 George Pajari ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The FAQ has been written in part, and compiled by, George Pajari. While reasonable efforts have been made to verify the information in this document, no liability can be accepted by George Pajari, Faximum Software, or the many contributors for the correctness of the information herein. Readers are cautioned to take such measures as they deem necessary to verify the information herein before taking any action based on this information. Limited permission is granted to copy or distribute this faq for non-commercial purposes as long as: (a) the FAQ is reproduced in its entirety (including this NOTICE) without any changes, and (b) the distribution is done for non-commercial purposes. Electronic distribution of this FAQ (in its entirely) as part of electronic mail and the Usenet Netnews system is specifically permitted. Including this FAQ in a printed book or CD-ROM is specifically not permitted without prior permission from the author and copyright holder. Permission is almost always granted. It is just considered polite to ask. ============================================================================== FAX FAQ CONTRIBUTORS Contributors to and/or Sources of Information Used in this FAQ adam@shinto.saki.com.au (Adam Donnison) dir@teal.csn.org (Daniel I. Rosenblatt) gerard@integrity.nl (Gerard Huysmans) glen.griffith@nb.rockwell.com (Glen Griffith) hrs1@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (herman.r.silbiger) jbcondat@attmail.com (Jean-Bernard Condat) jfreeman@frontporch.win.net (Jeff Freeman) jmccormack@wrglex.uucp (Jim McCormack) johnh@cs.arizona.edu (John M Hughes) jr9283@rapa1.sbc.com (Joe Richmeyer) mckeeveb@monashee.sfu.ca (Rob McKeever) mintha@geog.ubc.ca (Jim Mintha) mparker@mv.us.adobe.com (Mike Parker). naddy@mips.ruessel.sub.org (Christian Weisgerber) pso@ibid.gatech.edu (Paul O'Fallon) regebro@stacken.kth.se (Lennart Regebro) root@gandalf.greenie.gold.sub.org (KlausRosenauer) sam@sgi.com (Sam Leffler) savetz@rahul.net (Kevin M. Savetz) tnixon@microsoft.com (Toby Nixon) udo@sensai.quest.sub.org (Udo Klimaschewski) uli@sensai.quest.sub.org (Uli Zug) wes@kofax.com (Wes Chalfant) wilbe007@gold.tc.umn.edu wrob@unixg.ubc.ca (Robert Wong) and of course, the author/editor of this FAQ: pajari@Faximum.com (George Pajari)