How Does A Fax Machine Work - Konica Minolta Minoltafax 1800 User Manual

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1.2 How Does a Fax Machine Work?

A fax machine can be connected to a normal telephone system without
taking any special precautions, just like a normal telephone set. The
function of a fax machine is quite similar to that of a telephone.
The way a fax machine works is simple: documents that are to be
transmitted are "read" by the take-up unit, the so called scanner. The
machine does not recognise the letters but reads the picture, dot by dot,
and marks each dot as black or white. That is why you can not only
transmit texts but also pictures and photos. The information is then
digitised and compressed so that the fax machine can send it quickly over
the telephone line to another fax machine which reverses the process,
reading and marking each dot as black or white on a sheet of paper.
When you are "called" by a fax machine, your telephone rings as normal.
Therefore you cannot know whether your are receiving a fax call or a
telephone call before picking up the receiver.
At the beginning of a fax transmission you will hear shrill sounds. Those
sounds are the so called "hand shaking" and function as an introduction
sequence before the actual transmission, just as interlocutors - often -
introduce themselves at the beginning of a telephone call. In the
introductory sequence the technical features of both machines are
matched to make sure the transmission and the reception are conducted
to a high standard.
With your Minoltafax 1800 you do not need to listen to the introductory
sequence. How to program the machine accordingly will be explained later
in this manual. Furthermore you will also find information about the
settings that come with the machine, that have to be made when
installing, or the settings that can be made at a later stage. Most of the
features of the fax machine work independantly, so that you can program
only the settings you need for the moment and ignore all others.
By the way, the word "fax" is a combination of the Latin "facere" (to make)
and "simile" (similar) describing the process of making a copy which is
similar to the original. This artificial word "fax" has nowadays become
widely accepted in everyday language, replacing the older term facsimile.
Now, enjoy your new fax machine.
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