receiving faxes silently and voice/fax detection

I'm thinking about buying a Multifunction printer with Fax capability. Probably the Canon Pixma MP780. I would like it to be able to receive faxes automatically and store them in it's own memory without printing or beeping or making any noises whatsoever and without needing to leave a computer turned on all the time. Then, when it is convenient for me, I can access the faxes that have been stored in the multifunction's memory and view them on my computer screen and decide whether to print them, delete them, save them, etc. This is what I

Currently I subscribe to Veriz If You Want To Receive Faxes Automatically As Well As Voice Calls:

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Select .

? When you receive a fax call: The machine will receive the fax automatically. ? When you receive a voice call: The machine will ring. Pick up the handset to answer the call. The telephone does not ring when it receives a fax call.

So, does that mean that the unit is somehow able to detect an incoming fax while the phone is still ringing - *before* it has answered the call - and treat it differently than an incoming voice call?

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No, the fax machine has detected it is a voice call since the calling party did not answer the tone that you machine will send out. You will have to drop the voice mail service since the machine will pickup or ring for a voice call, and there would be no way to send the call back to voice mail. You might look at distinctive ringing, or a second line.

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So are you saying that on an incoming call the Fax machine...

1. answers the call
2. sends out a tone
3. if it hears a tone it begins receiving a fax
4. if it does not hear a tone it starts "ringing" to signal a human to pick up the phone

None of this explains "The telephone does not ring when it receives a fax call."

OK, well that answers my main questions about the MP780's fax capabilities - quite conclusively. Yeah, I gathered that might be the case since that's how most stand-alone fax machines that I've used work. Bummer. I guess you can wish for something but that doesn't mean it will happen. I thought I remembered an old Apple laser printer that had a fax card option in it that allowed you to do what I want to do. If anyone knows of a modern multifunction that has this sort of functionality please let me know.

The tinyurl you posted isn't working. Probably expired session. I would like to know where you found this info because I didn't find this info in any of the manuals I downloaded from Canon.

OK, that makes sense. I wasn't aware that the MP780 had a phone handset, since none of the pics I've seen show one.

Very interesting. Good to know how that works. For some reason I had heard there was some magical way that these machines were able to detect whether an incoming call was a person or another fax machine calling

That's probably the best solution. I just don't get enough incoming faxes to make it worth paying for such service.

Thank you, Someone, for your very clear, concise and intelligent responses to my questions!

But it does, as long as no other phones with ringers enabled are on the same line.

Another option not mentioned yet is getting the service called "distinctive ring", I think Verizon used to call it "ring mate".

For about $8 per month or so, you will get a new number, but the number will still ring in on the same line you already have, it will just ring in a unique way. Usually two short rings between pauses instead of the usual ring-pause-ring-pause. You can buy a box from Radio Shack or elsewhere that will hear this distinctive ring and pass that call to the fax machine. All other calls will ring in normally.

This is the way you can have a fax detected before the call gets answered. Also, I figure if you have Verizon voicemail, it would still work fine. Calls that are not to the new number (faxes) will not be answered and will go to voicemail.

I have used this service for my fax number for many years.

1. I get a separate fax number to give people.
2. I can still use the line for other calls
3. it's cheaper than getting a whole separate line
4. fax calls don't bother any other phones

Charles

Its in the Canon manual:

Personally, I would never use this. I'm not going to use anything (email/internet "virtual" fax service, second phone line for fax, or distinctive ring service) that requires I pay a monthly fee. I simply don't do enough faxing to make it worthwhile.