Glossary
This glossary contains terms and words you may encounter when discussing or reading about fax machines and fax communications. Please use these definitions for reference only.
A4, B4, A3. Standard stationery sizes defined by the International Standards Organization, an agency of the United Nations. A4 = 211 x 297 mm; B4 = 257 x 432 mm; A3 = 297 x 419 mm.
Auto Dial. Enables user to store preprogrammed telephone numbers in the unit’s memory. Storage capability varies from unit to unit.
Automatic fallback. The ability of a fax machine, when communicating with another fax which is communicating at a slower rate, to slow down (“fall back”) to the other unit’s speed.
Automatic reduction. Many fax machines will automatically reduce documents being transmitted to accommodate the effective printing width of the receiving unit. This allows, for example, a fax machine with a 10" scanning width to send an image 10" wide to a unit with an 8.5" print width; the receiving fax machine will receive a
Bits per second. See bps.
Black density. Also called black coverage. The amount of nonwhite area on a page. For example, most regular office correspondence has a black density well under 10%, due to the presence of margins, spaces between words, spaces between lines and paragraphs and even spaces within letters (such as e and o). However, drawings and photographs have a much higher black density, sometimes approaching 100%. The higher a page’s black density, the more slowly a fax machine can send it.
