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Your machine is set to answer the line before you can reach the phone, because it is in Fax Only mode with a low ring count. Switch it to Manual mode if you want to screen every call yourself, or Fax/Tel mode, which listens for a fax tone and rings your phone for voice calls. More rings give you more time to answer first.
Every fax machine has a receive mode that decides how it treats an incoming call. The default is almost always the aggressive one, which is why this problem is so common.
| Mode | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fax Only | Answers every call as a fax, after the set number of rings | A dedicated fax line with its own number |
| Fax/Tel | Answers the call, listens for the fax tone, then rings your phone if it hears a voice caller | One shared line for voice and fax |
| Manual | Never answers on its own; you pick up, hear the fax tone, and press the receive button | Faxes are rare and you are usually near the phone |
| TAD (telephone answering device) | Works with an answering machine on the same line | Homes with an old answering machine still in use |
You change the mode in the machine's menu, usually under Fax Setup or Receive Mode. The setting survives power outages on most models, so once you set it, it stays.
In Fax Only and Fax/Tel modes, the machine waits a set number of rings, then picks up. If that number is two and you are across the room, the machine wins the race every time. Raising the count to four or five gives you a fair shot at the handset first. The trade-off: senders' fax machines give up after too many rings, so don't push it past about six. The sweet spot for a shared line is four or five rings: enough for a person to answer, short enough for a fax caller to hold on.
If you also have an answering machine on the line, the ring counts have to be staggered on purpose. The answering machine should be set to fewer rings than the fax machine, so it takes voice calls first. In TAD mode, the fax machine listens to the answering machine's outgoing call and jumps in only when it hears fax tones. Get the order backwards and the fax machine eats your voicemails.
Yes: a distinctive ring number from your phone company. It gives you a second phone number on the same line with a different ring pattern, and most fax machines can be set to answer only that pattern. Voice calls ring normally and the machine ignores them; fax calls get the special ring and the machine answers. It is a small monthly add-on from the carrier, and it ends the race entirely.
The other clean fix is a dedicated fax line, which is what Fax Only mode assumes you have. That made sense when faxing was daily business. For most homes and small offices today, a shared line in Fax/Tel mode, or no machine at all, is the saner setup.
If you are fighting the receive mode because the machine sits on your only phone line and mostly causes trouble, the real problem is that you own a machine for a job that no longer needs one. Sending a fax through your AI assistant with LetterAgent needs no line, no ring count, and no mode menu: you describe what to send, approve the exact quoted price, and the fax goes out to a US or Canadian fax number. The fax feature is currently in testing, and LetterAgent cannot receive faxes, so keep the machine if incoming faxes are the point.
Ready to fax it? Fax with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is sent.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com