How Does A Fax Machine Work - Minolta Di150f User Manual

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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 func-
tion 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 trans-
mitted 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 com-
pressed 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 tel-
ephone 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 - in-
troduce themselves at the beginning of a telephone call. In the introducto-
ry 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 Di 150f 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 set-
tings that can be made at a later stage. Most of the features of the fax ma-
chine work independently, 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.
A copy is therefore to be made "similar" to the original.
Now, enjoy your new fax machine.
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General Information
Di 150f