I use this fax machine to send and receive faxes for the public, as well as for myself. It also makes quick and easy copies.

Instead of giving you a long list of specifications for this machine, I'm going to bypass the technicalities as well as a description some of the more common features.

I'll just give you some information in plain English and some tips based on my experience with this particular fax machine. I wish someone had given me some of these tips when I first got my machine. That was three years ago and I've learned its ins and outs by now.

Installation is easy enough if you just follow the step-by-step instructions. I won't go through these steps here, but I want to warn you that the ribbon in the printing cartridge that comes with the machine will print only about 100 pages. This caught me by surprise when it suddenly ran out, because I was expecting it to print 450 pages like they say the cartridges you buy will print. Silly me.

You should make certain fax settings before you start to use the machine. First set the date and time. (In case of power failure, date and time will be saved for about an hour.) Then set your station ID. This involves storing your name, fax number and telephone number (if different), which will be printed on all pages that you fax, as well as the cover page. You may want to store your frequently used phone numbers. You can store 24 of these, along with the associated names. They can be dialed with one touch, and the number or name will be displayed on your machine when dialed.

There are three settings for receiving faxes. If you want to answer all calls yourself, set the machine on Manual. If you want the machine to answer all calls, set it on Fax Only. if you want a combination, set F/T. Then it will print a fax if it is an incoming fax or give you a double ring if it is not.

Okay, this is important. If you have another phone on an extension and want the ability to receive either a call or a fax away from the machine, this is what you do. First, you use F/T setting. Then you must set a ring delay. The phone will ring four times before the fax starts receiving. If you pick up and no one is there, assume that it is a fax. If you're near the fax machine, of course just hit the start button. But what do you do if you're not near the fax? Just press *51 on your extension phone to activate the fax machine.

As for the size of document to be faxed or copied, it can be between 5.8 and 8.5 inches wide and between 5.9 and 23.7 inches long. This is important to remember, especially the minimum width. If you try to fax or copy a paper that is not that wide, nothing will happen. The first time this happened to me, it took me a little while to figure out what on earth the problem was. What I now do with a small piece of paper is lightly tape it to a standard sheet of paper and run it through. This always works perfectly.

When replacing the ribbon, a refill is available. When you remove the old ribbon, it's important to pay close attention to the position of the old ribbon that you're removing, and be sure and put the new roller on the opposite side of the full one you removed. I learned this the hard way.

For faxing some documents, you may need to adjust the resolution or contrast, which are two separate settings. Resolution cames in Standard, Fine (for small print), Super Fine (for small print or artwork), and Photo (for shades of gray). Don't use a finer resolution than you need because it slows transmission or copying time. For a very light or very dark document, use the light or dark contrast settings. The resolution and contrast settings can make the difference between a perfect fax and a lousy fax. You don't need to make adjustments for most documents, just unusual ones.

There are several extra features, including these. If your fax machine is out of paper when a fax comes in, it will be temporarily stored until you replenish the paper supply. The fax will not be lost. If you have subscribed to Caller ID through your local phone company, the caller's name or phone number will be displayed on this fax machine. It also has a polling function, to retrieve faxes from other fax machines. Fax forwarding is also available.

As for copying, be sure to set the resolution to Super Fine or Photo or else the copy will be somewhat rough. Changing the resolution for copying is overlooked by some users. My favorite copying feature is that you can enlarge or reduce the size of copies and you can select a ratio of 150%, 125%, 120%, 100%, 93%, 87%, 75%, or 50%. This may be a common feature by now, but at the time I got this machine I hadn't encountered this ability before in a fax machine. You can specify the number of copies you want and it also has a sort key for collating multiple copies of a multiple page original, so that you get complete sets of copies in original order.

I've been very pleased with this machine because it's done everything I need with no breakdowns and no problems.

Recommended: Yes