International Dialing on a Traditional Fax Machine
Sending an international fax by using a facsimile machine is as easy as adding the country code prefix to the regular phone number before dialing.
Step 1:
If you work in an office with a dedicated phone switch and normally dial a prefix to access outside lines, use that first. Dialing ( 9 ) is a common code for dialing outside the company.
Step 2:
Next, you need to add ( 011 ) which is the international dialing prefix in the United States. International dialing prefixes vary by country and carrier; if you aren’t dialing from the United States, please click the link to look up your international dialing prefix.
Note: Countries that are a part of the North American Numbering Plan can be dialed by simply using ( 1 ) as you would in the United States. At this time, Mexico does not participate in the NANP, so you’ll have to dial their country code ( 52 ).
Step 3:
Now put the country code of the country you are wanting to reach. Look up country codes for every country.
Step 4:
Add the local phone number you want to dial. If the number begins with a zero, drop it. The zero is only used when dialing a number from within the same country.
This is the long format: [9 if necessary]-[international dialing prefix]-[country code]-[local phone number].
If dialing from the United States, your number will now look something like this: 011-[country code]-[local phone number].
For instance, to fax Mexico from the United States, you would dial: 011 – 52 – [local number in Mexico].
Still not sure? Click here to get the exact dialing string for how to fax international.
Dialing Tips and Tricks
If you are dialing from a computer with a fax modem or using an older phone network, it may be necessary to insert a pause after the exchange and country code to give time for the phone switch to catch up. To insert a pause when dialing from a computer, add one or more commas ( , ) between the first number and the country code. On a traditional fax machine, an asterisk ( * ) may substitute if there isn’t a button for “pause.”
Because the telephone line is used, you will be charged for long distance locally and will also pay international tolls which can get expensive. When dialing some countries or over bad connections, it may be necessary to lower the baud rate on your fax machine to ensure that the transmission survives pops and static on the phone line. If your fax fails to connect or transmit multiple times, lower the baud rate in the machine settings.
How to Send an International Fax Online
Sending a fax internationally with software or an online fax service is much easier and will cost you no long distance. charges In fact, the telephone line can be eliminated completely or used for other things. Regardless of the country, you simply attach your fax as a Word document, spreadsheet, PDF, or image file to an email which serves are the cover sheet. Some of the internet faxing services allow you to use your smartphone to send and receive faxes wherever you are.
For a quick-and-easy way to send a fax online, try using the simple web interface at iFax. You can check out the free trial or use code GREG15 for a discount to send your fax quickly online.
