• Use the highest resolution possible on your printer
    • Good printing resolution is essential for making the barcodes readable by the imaging software. Most printers support and default to at least 300 dots per inch, which is sufficient resolution.
  • Print on plain white paper
    • Paper colors other than white can cause some fax machines to "smear" the bar edges, and this can confuse the imaging software. Background patterns, watermarks, logos, and the like can also confuse the imaging software.
  • Print using portrait orientation, not landscape
    • The barcodes are formatted only for portrait orientation (long dimension of the page vertical).
  • Make sure the print is dark and clear , with no smudges, streaks, or marks
    • If the print is gray or uneven or there are extraneous marks, the imaging software may not be able to read the barcodes.
  • Check that there are three barcodes with the words TOP and BOTTOM
    • By checking that the words TOP and BOTTOM are visible above and below the barcodes, you assure that the barcodes are complete. If any barcode is truncated or any part of a barcode is printed on another page, reduce the browser margins (on most browsers, open the File menu and click Page Setup). The barcodes are designed to fit on one page as long as all four margins are 1 inch or less.
  • Place the pages so the cover page is faxed first
    • The imaging software expects to find the barcodes on the first page of the fax transmission.
  • Place pages facing correctly (face down for most fax machines)
    • If the paper is facing the wrong way in the fax machine, blank pages will be sent. On most fax machines the side to be faxed is placed face down, often indicated by an icon like Fax machine sample symbol indicating paper direction.
  • Feed the pages as straight as possible
    • If the barcodes are slightly skewed, the fax will "smear" the bar edges, and this can confuse the imaging software.
  • Set the fax machine to Fine Resolution and turn Polling Off
    • The default or "Normal" resolution on some fax machines can cause distortion in the barcode images, but the next higher setting, usually called "Fine," is reliable. The "Polling" feature found on some fax machines is not used for normal fax transmission and should be turned off.
  • Make sure that halftone or photo mode is not on
    • Special settings used for faxing photographs can "smear" the bar edges and this can confuse the imaging software.
  • Within 5 to 15 minutes the receipt image(s) should be available for viewing.