Configure the Outbox and Outgoing Transmissions

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

The outbox is the queue of all faxes that are waiting to be sent or are in the process of being sent. If you send faxes using multiple fax devices, the outbox is the collective queue for all these devices. Once a fax is sent successfully, it is moved to the archive.

You can view the Outbox folder by using Windows Fax and Scan. To open Windows Fax and Scan, click Start, click All Programs, and then click Windows Fax and Scan.

Administrators can use Fax Service Manager to configure the following properties for the outbox and outgoing faxes:

  • Include banner. This item is selected by default. You can add a banner to outgoing faxes. A banner is text that is added to each page of a transmitted fax. The banner format cannot be modified. However, if all the banner information does not fit, a shorter version appears. Information in a banner includes:

    • Date and time of transmission

    • From: TSID of sender

    • Recipient phone number (full version of banner only)

    • Page of total pages

  • Allow use of personal cover pages. This item is selected by default. You can enable users to attach custom cover pages to outgoing faxes. If you do not enable this feature, then users connecting to a fax server with a remote fax printer connection can only choose cover page templates located on the fax server computer.

  • Use device Transmitting Subscriber ID (TSID). This item is selected by default. You can specify that the TSID for the device is used. If you do not enable this option, the TSID used in the outgoing fax is the sender's fax number, as specified in the Sender Information properties page in Windows Fax and Scan. However, if you send a fax programmatically, the TSID parameter specified in the application programming interface (API) will be used instead of the sender's fax number. For more information about configuring TSIDs, see Enable a Fax Device to Send.

  • Number of retries. You can set the number of retries for attempting to resend faxes following an unsuccessful connection attempt or transmission failure. If the maximum number of retries is reached, the outgoing fax remains in the outbox until it is deleted or until you restart the failed transmission. The default value is 3.

  • Retry after. You can set the number of minutes between attempts to retry fax transmission. When the maximum number of retries has been exhausted, the user can restart the transmission, which resets the retries. The default value is 10 minutes.

  • Discount rate start and stop. You can specify times when discount rates for the fax line apply and send faxes during these times. A discount rate fax job can never start transmission outside the specified discount period. However, for a long fax, a discount rate fax job might have some part of its transmission outside the specified discount period. The default value for both items is 12:00 AM.

  • Automatically delete faxes older than. This item is not selected by default. You can specify that failed faxes in the fax queue are automatically deleted periodically. The fax queue consists of the Outbox folder and Incoming folder. The default value for the number of days is 1.

To configure the outbox and outgoing fax transmissions

  1. Open Fax Service Manager.

  2. In the left pane, right-click Fax, and then click Properties.

  3. On the Outbox tab, do the following:

    1. Select the Include banner check box to print transmission information on the edge of each page of outgoing faxes.

    2. Select the Allow use of personal cover pages check box to allow users to use cover pages from their personal cover pages folder when sending faxes.

    3. Select the Use device Transmitting Subscriber ID (TSID) check box to include identification information about a fax sender to a fax recipient.

    4. In Number of retries, enter the number of times to attempt to resend a failed outgoing fax.

    5. In Retry after, enter the number of minutes to wait before trying to resend a failed outgoing fax.

    6. In Discount rate start, specify from what time discount line rates will be taken into account when sending faxes.

    7. In Discount rate stop, specify until what time discount line rates will no longer be taken into account when sending faxes

    8. Select the Automatically delete faxes older than <number> days check box to set a duration to automatically delete failed faxes that are not sent or received and remain in the Outbox or Incoming folders.

Additional considerations

  • To configure fax components, you must be a member of the Administrators group or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

  • To open Fax Service Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Fax Service Manager.

Additional references