Just in case . . .
3.1
How your fax machine works
The concept of how a fax machine works is simple. Here’s a simple analogy. Let’s
say you want to mail a gift to a friend:
• You
take
the item,
wrap
it and
send
it.
• Days later, your friend
receives
the package,
unwraps
it and
uses
it.
Now, let’s apply that to fax communication.
You put a page into your fax machine’s feeder and call a fax number. Your machine
makes a satisfactory connection with the other machine, and then . . .
• An image scanner in your fax machine examines the information on the page.
That’s how your machine
takes
the document.
• Your fax machine translates the scanned information into a numeric code and
compresses the code for the fastest possible transmission speed. That’s how
your machine
wraps
the document.
• Finally, your fax machine sends the compressed code. That’s how your
machine
sends
the document.
On the other end of the line . . .
• The remote fax machine
receives
the code.
• The remote fax machine uncompresses and deciphers the code, turning it into
a representation of the scan your machine made.
That’s how your machine
unwraps
the document.
• The remote fax machine prints the representation.
Now, the recipient can use the document.
. . . and that’s how fax works!
The only difference between a regular telephone call and a fax call is the
content
of
the transmission:
• On a regular call, your telephone send your voice.
• On a fax call, your fax machine sends a coded image.
The way fax machines work is regulated closely by international standards applied
by the International Telecommunications Union (
ITU
), an agency of the United
Nations. These standards ensure the compatibility of your fax machine with
millions of other fax machines world-wide. However, they also limit the way you
can use your machine with a second phone.
Nonetheless, this is a small price to pay --- for the ability to send documents just
about anywhere on earth!
