FAQ: How can I send a fax from the Internet?

[Kevin Savetz]

Archive-name: internet-services/fax-faq
Last-Modified: 1994/5/16
Version: 0.3

FAQ: How can I send a fax from the Internet?
version 0.3 - 16 May 1994

Send comments & updates to Kevin Savetz <sav...@rahul.net>.

This document is copyright 1994 by Kevin M. Savetz. All rights reserved. More
legal stuff is near the end of this file. This document is brand new and in
transition. If you notice that an Internet fax service is missing, or
information herein needs updating, please send e-mail to "sav...@rahul.net".

*** Table of Contents
Can I send a fax from the Internet?
TPC.INT Remote Printing
Digital Chicken <going away!>
Swedish University Network <new!>
InterFax
FAXiNET
Unigate
RadioMail <updated!>
Legal Stuff <updated!>
Where to Find this Document <updated!>

*** Can I send a fax from the Internet?
Indeed. There are several services for sending a fax via Internet mail - some
are free while others are pay services. At least one service even lets you
receive a fax via Internet mail. The e-mail-to-fax services that I know about
are discussed below. All the services require that you can send and receive
electronic mail to the Internet.

*** TPC.INT Remote Printing
One fax-from-the-Internet service is the brainchild of Carl Malamud (the
creator of Internet Talk Radio) and Marshall Rose. They're doing research on
how to integrate special-purpose devices, like facsimile printers, into the
fabric of the Internet. It works simply enough - send electronic mail to a
special address, and soon after (if your recipient's fax machine is in a
covered area), out comes a freshly-minted fax. You can send a fax to multiple
fax machines, or even a combination of faxes and traditional e-mail
recipients. After the deed is done, you will receive electronic mail telling
you if your fax was successfully sent or not. The service is free.

You can't send a fax just anywhere with this service. A variety of companies,
institutions and citizens linked to the Internet have joined the experiment by
linking a computer and fax modem to the 'net. When an organization joins as a
remote-fax server, it specifies what areas to which they are willing to send
faxes. When you send an e-mail fax message, you (naturally) must include the
phone number of the recipient's fax machine. A computer looks at the phone
number and decides if any participating fax machines cover the area to which
you want to send a fax. If so, your message is routed to the appropriate
machine for faxation. Otherwise, you will receive electronic mail informing
you the fax couldn't be delivered.

To send a fax by e-mail, send a message
To: remote-printer.<info>@phonenumber.iddd.tpc.int

Where <info> contains information for the cover page. In <info>, "/" is
turned into line breaks and "_" is turned into spaces. For example, the
address:
To: remote-printer.Arlo_Cats/Room...@12025551212.iddd.tpc.int

Would send a fax to +1-202-555-1212 with the cover page:
Please deliver this facsimile to:
Arlo Cats
Room 123

Note: There's another way to address faxes which seems to work more reliable
sometimes. Note that the phone number is backwards and the numbers are
separated by periods.
To: remote-printer.Arlo_Cats/Room...@2.1.2.1.5.5.5.2.0.2.1.tpc.int

The following addresses can be used to obtain more information:
tpc-co...@town.hall.org - current fax coverage (automated reply)
tpc...@town.hall.org - Frequently Asked Questions (automated reply)
tpc-rp-...@aarnet.edu.au - discussion list maintainer (human)

*** Digital Chicken
Digital Chicken is - or was - a service that let users send faxes to Canadian
government and citizens. According to the management of Digital Chicken, the
service will be shut down in the near future: there is a branch of the TPC.INT
remote faxing service (explained above) that covers Canada. The management
feels there is no need for two fax services covering the area.

For more information , e-mail: "ri...@chicken.planet.org".

*** Swedish University Network
{Thanks to Fredrik Ekman for the info!}
The Swedish University Computer Network (sunet) has a national fax service
that can be used by anyone at no cost. Users in Sweden can use it to send
faxes all over the world but users outside Sweden can only use it for
telephone numbers within Sweden.

To send a fax to Arlo Cats +46-87654321 (that's international notation for
Sweden, phone number 08/765 43 21) send e-mail to:
Arlo...@F087654321.fax.sunet.se
Note that you will always have to preface the phone number with the letter "F"
for "fax".

For more information, e-mail "faxm...@fax.sunet.se".

*** InterFax
InterFax allows you to send faxes via e-mail within the US or internationally.
InterFax is a fee-based service (billed to your credit card) but, unlike the
services listed above, InterFax lets you send faxes anywhere, not just select
locations. As of this writing, InterFax costs $5 per month, which includes the
first five fax pages. Additional pages cost 50 cents each. There is a one-time
sign-up charge of $25. For further information, send e-mail to
faxm...@pan.com, or contact InterFax at PO Box 162, Skippack, PA 19474 USA.
(215) 584-0300. FAX: (215)584-1038.

*** FAXiNET
Another fax-by-mail service is FAXiNET, which lets you send any text (ASCII)
or PostScript documents to fax machines worldwide. FAXiNET can send faxes to
more than 50 countries and plans to add more. The company can also receive
faxes for you, which will be delivered to you via electronic mail.

Accounts for individuals cost 75 cents per page, plus a one-time $20
activation fee. Additional services, including adding your custom logo and
signature to your faxes, are available at extra cost. Corporate accounts are
also available. More information is available from AnyWare Associates,
FAXiNET, 32 Woodland Road, Boston, MA 02130. (617) 522-8102. E-mail:
sa...@awa.com

*** Unigate
Unigate is another pay-for-use service that allows you to send faxes to Russia
and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It also allows you to receive
faxes as electronic mail. Unigate is a commercial service that also handles
"snail mail." Most of us probably don't need to fax Russia, but if you should
need to, Unigate is probably much less expensive than however you're doing it
now: fax service from USA to Russia (or back) is $1.59 per page:
For fax service USA to Russia: $1.59 / page
fax service from Russia to Canada: 1.79 / page
fax service from Russia to Europe: 2.59 / page
For postal-mail service USA-Russia: $1.00 / page
snail-mail service from Russia to Canada: 1.50 / page
snail-mail service from Russia to Europe: 1.79 / page

For more information, e-mail "yu...@atmos.washington.edu".

*** RadioMail
This e-mail-to-fax service lets you send faxes to just about any country you
can name. Prices vary accordingly - it's much less expensive to send a fax to
a "well-connected" country (like Canada and Sweden) than less-connected places
like Laos and Solomon Island. For instructions, send e-mail to
"Radi...@radiomail.net".

All fax messages are charged on a per-page basis. The cover-sheet is sent free
of charge. All messages are subject to a one-page minimum charge. Domestic
faxes are billed at the rate of 99 cents per page. The rate for international
faxes depends on the destination country: $0.99, $1.99, $3.99 or $4.99 per
page.

RadioMail stands out because the service doesn't require that you have access
to a telephone line - it can work using a wireless modem. To become a
RadioMail subscriber, users need a wireless modem and the special RadioMail
software. According to the company, "RadioMail supports DOS computers,
Macintosh computers and HP Palmtops in addition to providing one-way
communications on the Newton. The RadioMail software is built in to devices
that will be available this summer, including the Envoy from Motorola."

***Legal Stuff
This document is copyright 1994 by Kevin M. Savetz. All rights reserved.

Permission for the following types of distribution is hereby granted, provided
that this file is distributed intact, including the above copyright notice:
- non-commercial distribution
- posting to Internet archives, BBSs and online services
- distribution by teachers, librarians and Internet trainers
- inclusion on software/FAQ/Internet-oriented CD-ROMS

Permission for commercial distribution may be obtained from the editor. SHARE
THIS INFORMATION FREELY AND IN GOOD FAITH. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE MODIFIED VERSIONS
OF THIS DOCUMENT.

This document is new and in transition. If you notice that something important
is missing, or information herein needs updating, please contact the editor.

The editor and contributors have developed this FAQ as a service to the
Internet community. We hope you find it useful. This FAQ is purely a volunteer
effort. Although every effort has been made to insure that answers are as
accurate as possible, no guarantee is implied or intended. While the editor
tries to keep this document current, remember that the Internet and its
services are constantly changing, so don't be surprised if you happen across
statements which are obsolete. If you do, please send corrections to the
editor. Corrections, questions, and comments should be sent to Kevin Savetz at
"sav...@rahul.net" (Internet) or "savetz" (America Online.) Please indicate
what version of this document to which you are referring.

*** Where to Find this Document
This file is posted twice monthly (on the 5th and 19th of each month) to the
Usenet newsgroups alt.internet.services, alt.online-service, alt.bbs.internet,
alt.answers and news.answers.

You can receive each new edition of this document automatically via electronic
mail, if you are so inclined. This is a low-volume list, with updates every
few weeks. Note that the following address is my personal e-mail box, filtered
by a very simple mail filter. Your request must go in the SUBJECT line
EXACTALLY as shown below. Anything else will find its way into my e-mail box
rather than to the subscription program. To subscribe, send e-mail:
To: sav...@rahul.net
Subject: subscribe fax-faq
Body: <ignored>

You can also receive it once via electronic mail (without subscribing to
automatic updates). Again, the request must be entered in the SUBJECT line
EXACTALLY as shown below:
To: sav...@rahul.net
Subject: send fax-faq
Body: <ignored>

You can receive it via anonymous FTP:
rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/fax-faq
ftp.eff.org:/pub/Net_info/Technical/net-fax.faq

You can get it using Gopher:
gopher://gopher.eff.org/11/Net_info/Technical, net-fax.faq

###end of document###