windows fax scanner: blank fax sent?!

[[e-mail]]

Hi there,
trying to send a .doc file (word 97/2000/xp) created by openoffice writer as a fax by choosing print tab, -> fax ("windows fax scanner", o.s vista business).
But it often happens the preview is just a blank page and a blank fax is sent!
What's the problem? Thanks!

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by ***@hotmail.com
Hi there,
trying to send a .doc file (word 97/2000/xp) created by openoffice writer as a fax by choosing print tab, -> fax ("windows fax scanner", o.s vista business).
But it often happens the preview is just a blank page and a blank fax is sent!
What's the problem? Thanks!

The first ideas I get are a bug in OpenOffice or a bug in your fax
driver.

It's also not impossible that it's user error.

[[e-mail]]

Post by Gene E. Bloch
The first ideas I get are a bug in OpenOffice or a bug in your fax
driver.
It's also not impossible that it's user error.
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

I forgot to specify that this problem happens with multi pages documents only....so it could be an openoffice bug?

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by ***@hotmail.com

Post by Gene E. Bloch
The first ideas I get are a bug in OpenOffice or a bug in your fax
driver.
It's also not impossible that it's user error.
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

I forgot to specify that this problem happens with multi pages documents only....so it could be an openoffice bug?

That's interesting, even weird. I still think it could be either OO or
the driver, but I really don't know how to find out.

Odds are there are no new drivers to try for vista. Which printer is it?

OK - I just got an idea. How abut installing one of the other free
office suites? In fact OpenOffice has been supplanted by LibreOffice, so
you might want to try that. I imagine that KingSoft Office will work on
Vista as well. If one or another of these programs works OK, then it was
OO, otherwise the printer driver or even the printer itself.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
"The project was closed by Oracle Corporation, the then-owner of Sun, in
April 2011.[11] Active successor projects include Apache OpenOffice,
LibreOffice and NeoOffice"

[[e-mail]]

Post by Gene E. Bloch
That's interesting, even weird. I still think it could be either OO or
the driver, but I really don't know how to find out.
Odds are there are no new drivers to try for vista. Which printer is it?
OK - I just got an idea. How abut installing one of the other free
office suites? In fact OpenOffice has been supplanted by LibreOffice, so
you might want to try that. I imagine that KingSoft Office will work on
Vista as well. If one or another of these programs works OK, then it was
OO, otherwise the printer driver or even the printer itself.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
"The project was closed by Oracle Corporation, the then-owner of Sun, in
April 2011.[11] Active successor projects include Apache OpenOffice,
LibreOffice and NeoOffice"
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Same problem with Libreoffice 4.2.2 (I've got A.O.O. 4.1).
But I can send the same file using a different "fax function" instead of "windows fax scanner", the one of a Canon inkjet multifunction printer (MX 895).
My printer is a Dell 5110cn but it doesn't have any fax modem in it..."windows fax scanner" software uses my pc inbuilt fax modem...
Do u think I have to install the latest and specific Dell's drivers? Thanks!

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by ***@hotmail.com

Post by Gene E. Bloch
That's interesting, even weird. I still think it could be either OO or
the driver, but I really don't know how to find out.
Odds are there are no new drivers to try for vista. Which printer is it?
OK - I just got an idea. How abut installing one of the other free
office suites? In fact OpenOffice has been supplanted by LibreOffice, so
you might want to try that. I imagine that KingSoft Office will work on
Vista as well. If one or another of these programs works OK, then it was
OO, otherwise the printer driver or even the printer itself.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
"The project was closed by Oracle Corporation, the then-owner of Sun, in
April 2011.[11] Active successor projects include Apache OpenOffice,
LibreOffice and NeoOffice"
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Same problem with Libreoffice 4.2.2 (I've got A.O.O. 4.1).
But I can send the same file using a different "fax function" instead of "windows fax scanner", the one of a Canon inkjet multifunction printer (MX 895).
My printer is a Dell 5110cn but it doesn't have any fax modem in it..."windows fax scanner" software uses my pc inbuilt fax modem...
Do u think I have to install the latest and specific Dell's drivers? Thanks!

I don't know. In your situation, I would try the new drivers and keep
my fingers crossed. But I am an experimenter...

Another thought is that maybe you can save the files as doc, docx, or
pdf, and send them by another program, maybe a third party fax program -
or do what worked above, by using the Canon software.

My printer can send and receive faxes, but my current phone system
doesn't support fax :-)

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by Gene E. Bloch

Post by ***@hotmail.com

Post by Gene E. Bloch
That's interesting, even weird. I still think it could be either OO or
the driver, but I really don't know how to find out.
Odds are there are no new drivers to try for vista. Which printer is it?
OK - I just got an idea. How abut installing one of the other free
office suites? In fact OpenOffice has been supplanted by LibreOffice, so
you might want to try that. I imagine that KingSoft Office will work on
Vista as well. If one or another of these programs works OK, then it was
OO, otherwise the printer driver or even the printer itself.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
"The project was closed by Oracle Corporation, the then-owner of Sun, in
April 2011.[11] Active successor projects include Apache OpenOffice,
LibreOffice and NeoOffice"
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Same problem with Libreoffice 4.2.2 (I've got A.O.O. 4.1).
But I can send the same file using a different "fax function" instead of "windows fax scanner", the one of a Canon inkjet multifunction printer (MX 895).
My printer is a Dell 5110cn but it doesn't have any fax modem in it..."windows fax scanner" software uses my pc inbuilt fax modem...
Do u think I have to install the latest and specific Dell's drivers? Thanks!

I don't know. In your situation, I would try the new drivers and keep
my fingers crossed. But I am an experimenter...
Another thought is that maybe you can save the files as doc, docx, or
pdf, and send them by another program, maybe a third party fax program -
or do what worked above, by using the Canon software.
My printer can send and receive faxes, but my current phone system
doesn't support fax :-)

And there is Kingsoft Office, also a free office suite. Probably others
too.

But in the few seconds since I sent the previous reply, I also thought
that it might be that the problem is with the Windows fax function,
based on what you said...

[Paul]

Post by ***@hotmail.com

Post by Gene E. Bloch
That's interesting, even weird. I still think it could be either OO or
the driver, but I really don't know how to find out.
Odds are there are no new drivers to try for vista. Which printer is it?
OK - I just got an idea. How abut installing one of the other free
office suites? In fact OpenOffice has been supplanted by LibreOffice, so
you might want to try that. I imagine that KingSoft Office will work on
Vista as well. If one or another of these programs works OK, then it was
OO, otherwise the printer driver or even the printer itself.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
"The project was closed by Oracle Corporation, the then-owner of Sun, in
April 2011.[11] Active successor projects include Apache OpenOffice,
LibreOffice and NeoOffice"
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Same problem with Libreoffice 4.2.2 (I've got A.O.O. 4.1).
But I can send the same file using a different "fax function" instead of "windows fax scanner", the one of a Canon inkjet multifunction printer (MX 895).
My printer is a Dell 5110cn but it doesn't have any fax modem in it..."windows fax scanner" software uses my pc inbuilt fax modem...
Do u think I have to install the latest and specific Dell's drivers? Thanks!

Some things I'd try:

1) Change the "fit to page" setting on the print driver.
Perhaps it's a scaling or rotation error. Perhaps the
document is landscape and the fax only does portrait
(a software limitation). Eons ago, I used to have problems
like that, where a "blank page" happened, because the page
was actually rotated off the print surface.

2) The freebie office tools may also have a save/export to PDF
option. Perhaps, with a clean PDF in hand, you could try
sending the PDF version, using something else. If the PDF is also
blank, then you know it's not the FAX hand-off which is broken.

"Printing" type functions are wondrous, in that so many
of them are broken. It seems we can land a robot on Mars,
but we can't print half the time. You'd swear it was
brain surgery.

FAX is particularly simple, in that your document tool only
needs to prepare a bitmap version of the document for transmission.
And that's practically on your screen right now. That's why
it's so sad, when the tool can't manage to transfer that
stuff, to the FAX portion of the solution.

HTH,
Paul

[[e-mail]]

Post by Paul
1) Change the "fit to page" setting on the print driver.
Perhaps it's a scaling or rotation error. Perhaps the
document is landscape and the fax only does portrait
(a software limitation). Eons ago, I used to have problems
like that, where a "blank page" happened, because the page
was actually rotated off the print surface.
2) The freebie office tools may also have a save/export to PDF
option. Perhaps, with a clean PDF in hand, you could try
sending the PDF version, using something else. If the PDF is also
blank, then you know it's not the FAX hand-off which is broken.
"Printing" type functions are wondrous, in that so many
of them are broken. It seems we can land a robot on Mars,
but we can't print half the time. You'd swear it was
brain surgery.
FAX is particularly simple, in that your document tool only
needs to prepare a bitmap version of the document for transmission.
And that's practically on your screen right now. That's why
it's so sad, when the tool can't manage to transfer that
stuff, to the FAX portion of the solution.
HTH,
Paul

I followed your hint, saved a 2 pages document, exported as a pdf file (using my usual A.O.O. 4.1) then print -> fax-> windows fax scanner and now it's no more blank, the 2 pages are there ready for the fax trasmission!
Can you explain me plainly what my problem was and how was bypassed?
A.

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by ***@hotmail.com

Post by Paul
1) Change the "fit to page" setting on the print driver.
Perhaps it's a scaling or rotation error. Perhaps the
document is landscape and the fax only does portrait
(a software limitation). Eons ago, I used to have problems
like that, where a "blank page" happened, because the page
was actually rotated off the print surface.
2) The freebie office tools may also have a save/export to PDF
option. Perhaps, with a clean PDF in hand, you could try
sending the PDF version, using something else. If the PDF is also
blank, then you know it's not the FAX hand-off which is broken.
"Printing" type functions are wondrous, in that so many
of them are broken. It seems we can land a robot on Mars,
but we can't print half the time. You'd swear it was
brain surgery.
FAX is particularly simple, in that your document tool only
needs to prepare a bitmap version of the document for transmission.
And that's practically on your screen right now. That's why
it's so sad, when the tool can't manage to transfer that
stuff, to the FAX portion of the solution.
HTH,
Paul

I followed your hint, saved a 2 pages document, exported as a pdf file (using my usual A.O.O. 4.1) then print -> fax-> windows fax scanner and now it's no more blank, the 2 pages are there ready for the fax trasmission!
Can you explain me plainly what my problem was and how was bypassed?
A.

The fax functions in OOO are broken and it was bypassed by - wait for it
- bypassing those functions.

And LibreOffice might not have fallen far enough from the tree to have
fixed those functions.

I repeat: try Kingsoft, just for fun.

[[e-mail]]

Post by Gene E. Bloch
The fax functions in OOO are broken and it was bypassed by - wait for it
- bypassing those functions.
And LibreOffice might not have fallen far enough from the tree to have
fixed those functions.
I repeat: try Kingsoft, just for fun.
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Broken for a 2 pages fax and not broken for 1 page fax? That's odd!
I'm gonna try Kingsoft then I'll let u know.

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by ***@hotmail.com

Post by Gene E. Bloch
The fax functions in OOO are broken and it was bypassed by - wait for it
- bypassing those functions.
And LibreOffice might not have fallen far enough from the tree to have
fixed those functions.
I repeat: try Kingsoft, just for fun.
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Broken for a 2 pages fax and not broken for 1 page fax? That's odd!
I'm gonna try Kingsoft then I'll let u know.

I totally agree that it's odd.

Sometimes I think there are programmers who are more creative in how
they make bugs than in how they make programs :-)

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by Paul

Post by ***@hotmail.com

Post by Gene E. Bloch
That's interesting, even weird. I still think it could be either OO or
the driver, but I really don't know how to find out.
Odds are there are no new drivers to try for vista. Which printer is it?
OK - I just got an idea. How abut installing one of the other free
office suites? In fact OpenOffice has been supplanted by LibreOffice, so
you might want to try that. I imagine that KingSoft Office will work on
Vista as well. If one or another of these programs works OK, then it was
OO, otherwise the printer driver or even the printer itself.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
"The project was closed by Oracle Corporation, the then-owner of Sun, in
April 2011.[11] Active successor projects include Apache OpenOffice,
LibreOffice and NeoOffice"
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Same problem with Libreoffice 4.2.2 (I've got A.O.O. 4.1).
But I can send the same file using a different "fax function" instead of "windows fax scanner", the one of a Canon inkjet multifunction printer (MX 895).
My printer is a Dell 5110cn but it doesn't have any fax modem in it..."windows fax scanner" software uses my pc inbuilt fax modem...
Do u think I have to install the latest and specific Dell's drivers? Thanks!

1) Change the "fit to page" setting on the print driver.
Perhaps it's a scaling or rotation error. Perhaps the
document is landscape and the fax only does portrait
(a software limitation). Eons ago, I used to have problems
like that, where a "blank page" happened, because the page
was actually rotated off the print surface.
2) The freebie office tools may also have a save/export to PDF
option. Perhaps, with a clean PDF in hand, you could try
sending the PDF version, using something else. If the PDF is also
blank, then you know it's not the FAX hand-off which is broken.
"Printing" type functions are wondrous, in that so many
of them are broken. It seems we can land a robot on Mars,
but we can't print half the time. You'd swear it was
brain surgery.
FAX is particularly simple, in that your document tool only
needs to prepare a bitmap version of the document for transmission.
And that's practically on your screen right now. That's why
it's so sad, when the tool can't manage to transfer that
stuff, to the FAX portion of the solution.
HTH,
Paul

I think the idea of saving the file as a pdf and then sending it as a
fax is a great idea.

In fact I suggested it myself :-)

Message-ID: <1v90gdq8lp9jt$***@stumbler1907.invalid>

And it worked, apparently.

[David H. Lipman]

Post by ***@hotmail.com
I forgot to specify that this problem happens with multi pages documents
only....so it could be an openoffice bug?

I suggest switching to, and trying, LibreOffice to generate said FAX.
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-fresh/