Knowledge Base

If you encounter problems sending and receiving faxes, then check the connection first:

1. Check for a dial tone on the telephone line by plugging an analog telephone into the wall jack, DSL filter, VoIP device, or cable modem where you connected the printer. Make sure you plug the telephone into the same port. If you do not hear a dial tone, then contact your line provider.
   

   ---

2. While the printer is connected to the telephone line, check for a dial tone but plugging an analog telephone into the port of the printer. If you do not hear a dial tone, then use the Connection Checklist below. Listen for a dial tone after checking each item. If you hear a dial tone but still have problems sending and receiving faxes, then see the other topics listed below.

---

Connections Checklist

• Make sure the printer andother devices on the line (if applicable) are set up and configured correctly according to your setup scenario.
  

  ---

• Make sure the cables are connected to the correct ports.
  

  ---

• Make sure the cables are securely plugged in. Check the cable connections for the following hardware, if applicable:
  
  • Power supply
  • Answering machine
  • Cable modem
  • Splitter
  • Telephone
  • VoIP adapter
  • DSL filter
  • RJ-11 adapter
  
  

  ---

• If the printer is connected to a Digital Subscriber Line, then make sure you are using a DSL filter for the printer.
  

  ---

• If the printer is connected to a VoIP adapter or cable modem, then make sure that the printer is plugged into the first phone port.
  

  ---

• If you are using a splitter, then make sure that you are using a phone splitter. Do not use a line splitter.

• Make sure that you have registered your user information in the printer. If you did not enter your user information during the initial setup, you will need to enter your fax name and fax number. In soome countries, you cannot send a fas without entering a fax name or company name. Some fax machines block incoming faxes without sender information.
  

  ---

• Decrease the transmission speed of the modem. The speed of the receiving machine cannot be lower than the speed at which you are sending your fax:
  
  
  
  1. From the printer control panel, navigate to , Setup, ,Fax Setup, , Dialing and Sending, , Max Send Speed, and .
     

     ---

  2. Select a sending speed, then press .
  
  

  ---

• Enable error correction. This option enables the printer to transmit bad blocks of data that may be preventing the fax from sending:
  
  
  
  1. From the printer control panel, navigate to , Setup, ,Fax Setup, , Dialing and Sending, , Error Correction, and .
     

     ---

  2. Check to see if error correction is set to On. If it is not, then press the arrow buttons to select On and then press .
  
  

  ---

• Enable automatic fax conversion. If the receiving machine does not support color fax, then this option automatically converts the outgoing fax to black and white and also automatically reduces it to a resolution the receiving machine supports:
  
  
  
  1. From the printer control panel, navigate to , Setup, ,Fax Setup, , Dialing and Sending, , Auto Fax Convert, and .
     

     ---

  2. Check to see if automatic fax conversion is set to On. If it is not, then press the arrow buttons to select On and then press .
  
  

  ---

• Make sure that the Dial Prefix setting is correct. The dialing prefix is a set of numbers that must be dialed before you can dial the actual outgoing fax number:
  
  
  
  1. From the printer control panel, navigate to , Setup, ,Fax Setup, , Dialing and Sending, , Dial Prefix, and .
     

     ---

  2. Press the arrow buttons to create or modify the prefix and then press .
  
  

  ---

• Make sure you have configured the correct settings for your setup. The fax settings depend on whether your printer is connnected to its own fax line or shares the line with other devices.
  
  
  
  • If the printer is sharing the telephone line with an answering machine, then make sure the following are set:
    
    
    
    • Auto Answer is ON.
      

      ---

    • The printer picks up on a greater number of rings than the answering machine.
      

      ---

    • The printer picks up on the correct distinctive ring (if you subscribe to a distinctive ring service).
    
    

    ---

  • If the printer is sharing the telephone line with a telephone subscribed to voice mail, then make sure the following are set:
    
    
    
    • Auto Answer is OFF (if you have only one number on the telephone line).
      

      ---

    • The printer picks up on the correct distinctive ring (if you subscribe to a distinctinve ring service).
    
    

    ---

• Make sure the printer is connected to an analog port. The printer is an analog device. If you are using a PBX system, then make sure the printer is connected to an analog port on the PBX. You may need a digital line converter that converts digital signals into analog signals.
  

  ---

• Make sure that the printer memory is not full. The printer saves an incoming fax to printer memory before it prints the fax. If the printer runs out of ink or runs out of paper while receiving the fax, then the printer saves the fax to print later. If the printer memory becomes full, it may not be able to receive a new fax.
  

  ---

• Make sure that Fax Forwarding is disabled:
  
  
  
  1. From the printer control panel, navigate to , Setup, ,Fax Setup, , Ringing and Answering, , Fax Forward, and .
     

     ---

  2. Press the arrow buttons to select Off, then press .
  
  

  ---

• Increase the ringer volume. If you set the printer to receive faxes manually (Auto Answer Off), then increase the ringer volume.
  

  ---

• Make sure that you have the correct manual answer code. If you set the printer to receive faxes manually (Auto Answer Off), then you need to press the correct code when a fax comes in so that the printer can receive it:
  
  
  
  1. From the printer control panel, navigate to , Setup, ,Fax Setup, , Ringing and Answering, , Manual Pickup Code, and .
     

     ---

  2. Copy the manual pickup code that appears on the display. You may change the manual pickup code to a number that only you know.
  
  

  ---

The printer must be connected to a telephone, DSL, VoIP, or cable service before you can configure the fax settings in the fax software. Make sure the printer is connected to the line through a standard wall jack, a DSL filter, a VoIP adapter, or a cable modem.

Error Message:	What it Indicates:	Possible Solutions:
Remote Fax Error	The receiving fax machine cannot receive the fax. The error on the receiving end could be due to several factors.	Resend the fax. There may have been a problem with the quality of the connection. Decrease the transmission speed of your fax modem. Register your user information. In some countries, you cannot send a fax without storing sender information.
Fax Mode Unsupported	The receiving fax machine does not support color fax or the scan resolution of the document that you are sending.	Enable Auto Fax Conversion. Lower the fax quality. Reformat the document on letter-size paper.
Unsupported Compression	The fax modem of the receiving fax machine does not support data compression. Fax modems compress data to speed up transmission, but the receiving fax modem must have the same compression code.	Lower the transmission speed of the fax modem. Enable the Auto Fax Conversion.
Unsupported Resolution	The receiving machine does not support the scan resolution of the document you are sendng.	Lower the fax quality. Enable Auto Fax Conversion.
Unrecoverable Fax Error	The fax modem encountered critical errors.	Turn off the printer, turn it back on, and then resend the fax.
Fax Modem Error	The fax modem of the printer may be busy, or the fax modem may have encountered problems during transmission.	Turn off the printer, turn it back on, and then resend the fax.
Phone Line is connected to the incorrect jack on the back of the machine.	The telephone cable is connected to the wrong port on the back of the printer.	Connect the phone cable to the port on the back of the printer.
Digital line detected	The printer is connected to a digital line.	The printer is an analog device and must connect to an analog line. To connect the printer to a digital line, you must use a digital line converter or a filter.
Failed to Connect Phone Line Error Phone Line Not Connected	The printer cannot detect a dial tone.	See the fax troubleshooting checklist at the top of this article.
Phone Line Busy	Your telephone line or the telephone line of the receiving fax machine is busy. This happens if the printer is sharing the line with other devices.	Set the printer to redial. Increase the time between the redial attempts. Place a test call to the number to which you are sending a fax to make sure that it is working correctly. If the telephone line is being used by another device, wait until the other device is finished before sending the fax. Schedule to resend the fax at a later time. Set the printer to scan before dialing. The scanned document is saved in the printer memory. The printer can then retrieve it and automatically redial the number.
No Answer	Auto Answer may have been turned off on the receiving fax machine.	Verify the number and then resend the fax. Set the printer to redial. In some countries, there is a specific limit on redial attempts no matter what your setting is. Schedule to resend the fax at a later time.
No Caller ID Call Stopped	Your printer stopped the call because the incoming fax has no sender information. You may have chosen to block faxes with no Caller ID or faxes without caller ID are not allowed in your country or region.	Disable Block No-ID.