NewDeal Technical Support Document 218

FAX SUPPORT

How to fax your NewDeal documents

NewDeal Release 3 includes fax support that works with most popular faxmodems. To enable fax support and configure your faxmodem, perform these steps:
  1. In Preferences, Modem, set up the correct port, speed, and other options for your faxmodem. Choose Can Fax YES.
  2. In Preferences, Fax, choose the correct port and class for your faxmodem. Configure the Advanced options and Sender Info as appropriate. If you don't know the class of your faxmodem, see "Class 1 or Class 2?" below.
  3. In Preferences, Printer, click New. Under Type of Device, choose the radio button named Fax. Install the Fax Print Driver on Unknown.
For additional help with any of these items, click the help button (question mark) in the dialog box or window where the item appears, or choose Help from the Express menu and then click the item named Faxing.

For help using The Complete Communicator faxmodem, see technical support document 216 (Complete Communicator Installation).

Fax Receive

The Fax Receive application turns your computer into a fax machine which will answer the phone and collect incoming faxes. To start Fax Receive, double click its icon in the World folder, or choose Fax Receive from the Applications section of the Express menu.

Fax Receive is relatively self-explanatory. For more information about its features, click its help button.

If Fax Receive won't start or gives an error message:

Sending a fax from NewWrite

NewDeal's built in fax support is available in NewWrite. To fax data created with other applications, move the data into a NewWrite document using copy and paste or export and import.

To send a fax from NewWrite:

  1. Create or open the document you wish to fax in NewWrite.
  2. Choose Fax from the File menu.
  3. Enter the recipient's name and fax number in the Fax dialog and configure the other options available there.
  4. Click the Fax button.
Note: If the automatic cover page feature does not work for you, make your own cover page as the first page of the NewWrite document. You may wish to save this page as a template for future NewWrite documents that you wish to fax.

Class 1 or Class 2?

If you don't know whether your faxmodem is Class 1 or Class 2, consult the documentation for your faxmodem, or consult its manufacturer, or use trial and error, or try this:
  1. Open NewComm
  2. Enter the command "AT" (without the quotes). The modem should respond with "OK".
  3. Enter the command "ATZ" (without the quotes). The modem should respond with "OK". If it returns "ERROR" instead, then you need to enter a different initialization string (see below).
  4. Enter "AT+FCLASS=1". If your modem supports Class 1, it should respond with "OK". If you get "ERROR," your modem has no support for Fax Class 1.
  5. Enter "AT+FCLASS=2", If your modem supports Class 2, it should respond with "OK". If you get "ERROR," your modem has no support for Fax Class 2.
  6. Enter "ATE0X4", This commands turns off echo and is sent by the software before it starts faxing. This means you will no longer be able to see what you type in NewComm. If your modem reports "OK" then blindly enter "ATZ" again to re-initialize the modem. If your modem reports something other than "OK" it might not work with NewDeal's fax support.
Most faxmodems use one of three different chip sets: Rockwell, SCS, or EXAR.

Modem initialization Strings

Some faxmodems require special initialization strings. Consult the documentation for your faxmodem or contact the its manufacturer for the appropriate initialization string. Many faxmodem manufacturers have web sites where you can get technical support around the clock.

Enter the initialization string in Preferences, Fax, Advanced, initialization. Here is a list of the fax initialization strings for some faxmodems:

Using alternate fax software

Perhaps you have an older version of NewDeal that does not contain fax support, or perhaps NewDeal's fax support does not work with your particular brand and model of faxmodem, or maybe you would just prefer to use another software for sending faxes.

If your fax software can fax files that are in a specific printer's format, you can use NewDeal software to generate and save a file formatted for that printer. Then you can use your fax software to send the file as a fax.

Setting up NewDeal software to Print to File

  1. Find out if your fax software can send files formatted for a specific printer. The manual for your fax software will tell you what file formats are supported. Often the format will be Epson MX-80 or Hewlett Packard LaserJet II.
  2. In your NewDeal software, launch Preferences and click the Printer button. Click the New button. Choose the printer for the format your fax software supports. Under the Port section, scroll down and choose the "To File" option. This sets up NewDeal to always print to a file when you select this printer.
  3. Click on OK to install the printer. Click on Close to close the Printer dialog box.
  4. Close Preferences by choosing Exit from the File menu, or by double-clicking on the Close Box in the upper left corner.

Generating the Faxable File

  1. Open the document you want to fax.
  2. Choose Print from the File menu.
  3. In the Print Options dialog box, click on the listed Printer. A list of all of the printers you have installed appears. Click on the one you set up as a To File printer.
  4. Click on the Print to File button. A file selector box appears. Select the directory and enter a filename for the print-to-file file.
  5. Click on the Print to File button. The document on your screen will be saved as a file on your hard disk, formatted for the printer you selected.

Sending the Fax

  1. Exit to DOS, and start your fax program. (You may be able to automate this with a Launcher in NewManager.)
  2. Use your fax software to send the file you generated.

Delrina DOS Fax Pro

To fax documents created in NewDeal with DOSFax Pro from Delrina, you can use the HP LaserJet II compatible driver, or the Epson FX-85 driver. After printing to file, launch the appropriate converter in the DOS Fax Pro directory, providing the print-to-file file name as a command line parameter. The converters are named PCL.EXE and EPSON.EXE. So, for example, you might issue a command at the DOS prompt like this:
PCL UNNAMED.RAW
or like this:
EPSON UNNAMED.RAW
Then run DOSFax Pro itself and send the file that is created by the converter.

QuickLink II Fax

QuickLink II is the fax program that comes with Practical Peripherals fax modems and others. Customers report that QuickLink2Fax version 2.1.3 or version 2.2.2 will receive faxes in the background while NewDeal is running.

You can use QuickLink II Fax to fax NewDeal documents by printing to file with the HP LaserJet II Compatible printer driver. Then load QL2FAX and convert it to fax format. You cannot use QL2FAX to fax from within NewDeal. However, you can still create a nice looking document with ease and the capture and conversion process doesn't take long.

  1. Create your document in NewDeal, then print-to-file using the HP LaserJet II Compatible driver.
  2. Once you have the printed-to-file file, exit NewDeal and run QL2FAX. Pick Fax, Send Fax in the QL2FAX menus.
  3. Use the dialog boxes to select the file. Double-click its name or click the name once and then click Add. Click OK.
  4. QL2FAX will convert the document into fax format.
  5. Now send the converted file, which has a QFX extension, to whomever you want.

Intel SatisfaXtion Board

The Intel SatisFAXtion allows users to fax from within any application that can print to an Epson FX-85 printer, using a special TSR which pops-up and captures the printer output. The TSR will stop the application temporarily, prompt you to enter a sending time, the person to send the fax to, and the fax number. It then returns control to the program, captures the printer output, and faxes it at the designated time.

Intel SatisFAXtion installation

Install the Intel software as described in the manual. In the Setup software, change the Advanced Setup/Pop-Up Options/Port to LPT2 (this is the capture port). The Pop-Up/Mode should be Text & Graphics. Save the changes and update the system files. Finally, reboot the computer to implement these changes.

NewDeal configuration

NewDeal must be properly configured. Run Preferences. Enter the Mouse module. Make sure the mouse driver is "MOUSE.SYS OR MOUSE.COM" or "No Idea" (this will prevent Pop-Up from killing the mouse). Exit the Mouse module and enter the Computer module. Change LPT2 to DOS or BIOS. Exit the Computer module and enter the Printer module. Select Install New and select Epson FX-85 (for SatisfaXtion model 200) or HP LaserJet III (for SatisfaXtion model 400) on LPT2. Exit the Printer module. The installation is now complete.

Sending the fax

Now any time you wish to fax a document (regardless of the application in NewDeal), simply print it to the Epson FX-85 or LaserJet III on LPT2 and tell Pop-Up where and when to send it. All of the capturing and/or faxing will take place completely in the background. If you've done this properly, the Pop-Up TSR will pop up and ask where you want to send the fax. Hit the ESC key to exit the Pop-Up utility. The Pop-Up utility will continue to intercept the output.

Two possible problems may arise. First, you may need to avoid using the computer until the print job is complete. When a document has finished printing, Pop-Up will pause NewDeal for a short time to convert the fax (it tells you so).

Second, when using Faxpop to fax from NewDeal apps, selecting IMMEDIATELY may not work. Something about the return to NewDeal creates an error "phone line disconnected during event." In order to send the fax you might have to either drop back to the fax program and resend the fax or schedule the fax for a short time in the future to allow yourself to get back into NewDeal before the actual fax starts.

Another way to get around this is to send your fax as a GROUP fax. Then it will work with the immediate option. Apparently, this method creates a small delay in the procedure allowing you to get back into NewDeal before the fax begins to send in the background. You may need to add a dummy phone number in your phone book to send a group fax to just one number. This will fool the fax program into working properly.

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Last Modified 17 Feb 1999