How to Load a Fax Machine

Ready to fax!

You can scale a mountain, sing all the high notes in the Star Spangled Banner and even run a mile in less than 5 minutes, but you cannot load a fax machine. Don’t be embarrassed. Many people who have never used a fax machine are in your shoes. A few simple steps will have you faxing away in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Fax machine
• Papers to fax

Instructions

1. Arrange the papers you are faxing. Place all the sheets in the same direction, with the first page on top and the rest of the pages following in consecutive order.

2. Dial the fax number you are sending to. Dialing a fax is just like dialing a regular phone. Some offices may require you hit "9" or another number to make outgoing calls; the same may hold true for the fax machine.

3. Place the papers face down on the fax input tray. Once your number is dialed, place your pile of papers with the top of the pages feeding in first. Most of the input trays are on top of the fax machine, angled downward towards the unit. Most input trays will also be empty. Look for those signs of a fax input tray.

4. Hit the send button. Once your papers are loaded, simply hit the button to send it off. If there is no button marked “send,” look for one marked “call” or “enter.”

5. Retrieve your papers once they have gone through the machine. When your papers are feeding from the input tray, watch where they emerge and gather them up once they have gone through.

Tips & Warnings

• If you hear a strange beeping sound after your fax has fed through, your fax may have not transmitted properly. Look on the fax’s monitor to see if there is an error message. If yes, hit the clear button and try again.

• To unclog a paper jam, gently pull your papers either forward or back, depending on which side has more paper sticking out. If it’s still stuck, look for a little lever that will open the top of the fax to pull out your papers.

• It’s a good idea to include a cover sheet with your fax if you are sending to a machine that is used by many people. Include on the cover sheet the date, the intended recipient, your name and phone number and the number of pages included in the fax.

• Make sure any documents you are faxing are crisp, clear and devoid of any lines or wrinkles.

• If an original document is crumpled, ripped, a thick material or odd-sized, make a photocopy of it and fax the photocopy rather than the original. For faxing purposes, make the photocopy a little lighter than you normally would.

• Dark paper will fax like a giant black blob.

• Photos and photocopies of photos fax in poor quality.