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Virtual Fax Machine Desktop Guide


What is the Virtual Fax Machine?

Our Virtual Fax Machine, or VFM for short, is actually a method by which you can eliminate your physical fax machine and use a service that sends and receives your fax documents electronically. We provide you with a real telephone number for receiving faxes. It is your private fax number that can be printed on business cards and given out to business and personal contacts. Faxes sent to you are forwarded as graphic images to your email inbox.

When you are ready to send a fax, use one of three methods to get your message sent. First, you can go straight to our website and upload a document (read more about supported document types) and create a customer cover page that will be sent to up to five numbers at the same time. Second, you can download and install our VFM Fax Printer software. The printer software allows you to fax your document straight from your desktop simply by printing to the VFM Fax Printer driver (read more below). Lastly, you can send an email with attachments. On our servers, this email is converted into a fax and sent on your behalf (read more about sending faxes using email).

It really couldn't be much easier to do away with a telephone line, fax machine, fax paper, and ink cartridges.

Using VFM At Your Desktop

File Download Option: Click on Open

Installation wizard: Click on Next

Installation

First you will need to download and install our Desktop Faxing software. This software is in essence a printer driver that will communicate with our servers. This driver works on Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7. Download Now!

Once you click on the link, you will be prompted to Open or Save the Setup.exe application. We recommend that you click on Open. Upon successful completion of the download, the Setup application will start and guide you through installation of our VFM Fax Printer.


Choosing VFM Fax Printer - click on this image to see it full size

Sending a Fax From Your Desktop

After successfully installing the VFM Fax Printer, you are ready to send your first fax. Launch an application and either create or load an existing document. When are you satisfied with your document contents, click on the File menu and choose Print. The Print dialog will now appear. In the Printer Name list box, locate the VFM Fax Printer and select it. Now click Ok.

The VFM Send Fax Wizard will now start. Click Next to begin entering recipients.


Specifying fax recipients

Entering Recipients

Fill in the fields To, Company, Fax Number, and Country for your first recipient. When finished, click Add To List. Your first recipient will be visible in the Recipients table at the bottom of the window. Repeat this step for as many recipients as necessary. When you are ready to continue, click Next.


Selecting a cover page

Selecting a Cover Page

If you need a cover page, click on the Include Cover Page check box. Fill in the Re, Comments, and Reference as desired. The Reference will be saved with your for help in identification on your billing statement. Be as descriptive as necessary here.

If you wish to provide customer sender information on the cover page, click on the Sender Info button and fill out the fields desired. When you are finished inputing the custom Sender Information, click Ok. If you do not wish for these settings to be saved in the future, uncheck the "Save these settings" check box before clicking Ok.


Preview and send your document

Preview and Send

Now click on Next to move to the final step of the Wizard. Here you are able to see a list of recipients and preview your fax. When you click Preview, the application will launch your built in TIF viewer and load the image we will be faxing.


Log In to our servers

Fax Transmission Log In

If you are satisfied with the results, click Finish. You will now be prompted for your VFM login information. This is the same login you use at our website. Input the login information and click OK. If you wish to avoid logging in each time, click the "Save this user name/password" check box before clicking Ok.


Sending your document to our servers

Sending

The Send Progress window will appear while your fax is transferring to our servers.


Your fax has been delivered to our servers

Fax Delivered

Once your fax has been delivered to our servers, you will receive a message saying "1 fax submitted to the VFM fax servers". You will also receive a confirmation email once the fax transmission has been attempted. Click Ok and proceed working as normal.


"You folks are really good with customer service. I wish everyone I dealt with was as responsive."
Jeudi J.
AT&T Business Solutions


"FlatRateFax.com has improved my business, because I have cut down on paper faxes, and I can send and receive faxes from anywhere in the world.....all I need is my laptop!"
S. Harrington
Independent Life Insurance Agent



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