Frequently Asked Questions About Fax Machines

When considering the purchase of a fax machine, there are several items to consider.

Why is modem speed important?

Measured in Kilobits Per Second (KBPS) a modem's speed refers to how fast it can transmit and receive data. The higher the modem speed the faster a document is transmitted and shorter the time spent on the phone line. The obvious benefit of this is the reduced long distance charges. If a high percentage of your fax transmissions are to long distance numbers you should be looking for a faster modem.

What are Group 3 and Super Group 3?

You may come across the terms Group 3 and Super Group 3 (also referred to as G3 and Super G3). Groups are ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union - Telecommunications Sector) pre-defined standards for fax machine transmissions. These designations ensure that fax machines from one manufacturer can communicate with a fax machine from another. Today, the majority of machines fall under Group 3 and have modem speeds of up to 33.6 KBPS. Super G3 is a term referring specifically to 33.6 KBPS modem units - the fastest of the G3 pack. To put the speeds in perspective, the typical 14.4 KBPS modem (G3) will transmit an average page in 6 seconds while a 33.6 KBPS modem (Super G3) will do so in 3 seconds.

What is fax memory?

Fax machines today use memory for both sending and receiving documents and the greater the memory capacity of a machine, the higher the number of pages that can be stored at one time. You should ensure that the fax machine you purchase is capable of handling the page volume of your needs.

What is multifunctionality?

Besides fax functions, many fax units today also offer printing and scanning. Hence, they are Multifunctional Products (MFPs). Printing and scanning come standard with some models and are optional for others. In addition, more advanced models offer you the options of network printing and scanning, PC and network faxing and faxing over the internet. When evaluating your options, you should consider whether one or more of these additional functions is required today or will be in the future.

What is JBIG data compression and why is it important?

Before a fax image is transmitted it is first compressed using one of various methods. The more effective the compression, the smaller the file size and the faster the transmission. Again, faster transmissions result in lower long distance charges. Joint Binary Image Grouping (JBIG) is currently the best compression method and is especially efficient with halftone images. Another benefit of JBIG is that, since it compresses images most efficiently, more pages of data can be stored in the same amount of fax memory compared to other compression methods.

Why is paper capacity important?

The greater the volume of fax receptions, the more frequently someone must refill the paper in the fax machine. In extreme cases, if refilling paper is required several times a day office productivity can suffer. Therefore, it is important that the machine you choose can handle the paper requirements of your office.

What does "autodial" mean?

In most offices, faxes are sent to the same locations or groups of locations time and again. Therefore, most fax machines today provide the convenience of speed dials, one-touch keys and group dials. A fax machine's "autodials" refers to the number of such memory locations in which frequently used numbers are stored. The more locations you send to on a regular basis, the greater the number of these required.