Why didn’t all of my fax go through?
The recipient got some, but not all, of my fax. What happened?
Ugh. There’s nothing like the lack of closure that comes with receiving a partial fax. There are a handful of things that could have led to only some pages of your fax going through correctly.
Perhaps you’ve sent part of the fax in an unsupported file type. If you’re faxing online, ask your Internet-based fax service provider which file formats they support (i.e. PDF) and be sure to comply with those guidelines. This could mean converting some documents before sending them. Maybe one of the pages was too graphics-heavy and that fouled things up. Also be aware that if you keyboard information into the “message area” when sending a fax over the Internet, the recipient will not see those words unless you send a fax cover sheet along, too. If you’re using a fax machine, did you possibly load one or more of the pages in upside down?
Issues like this are a reminder of why it’s a good idea to number your pages. That makes it easier for the recipient to know if he or she has gotten everything you intended, and it lets you immediately know which page is missing so you can re-fax just that one.
Finally, and this is along the same lines of the “is it plugged in?” tech support question, ask if the missing page could have slipped behind a desk or somehow slid under the fax printer. Alternatively, just refax it if you can.
Do you have a question about faxing? Send me your fax question.