The fax masters - evaluation of nine fax-software packages - Software Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, Feb, 1995 by Russell Letson

The File Cabinet maintains fax files and is able to convert files among the native FAX and the PCX and BMP graphic file formats. Inbound faxes are not posted to the Cabinet automatically but must be saved manually.

Everything from visual design to a lack of standard features marks FaxTalk as being half a generation behind the times. Even its best points--polling and remote retrieval--don't quite compensate for not keeping up with the competition.

FaxWorks Pro 3.0

Rating: ***1/2

Like Eclipse Fax, FaxWorks Pro is an uncluttered product with more than enough muscle for advanced faxing. FaxWorks supports Class 1 and 2, CAS, and JTFax modems and is one of two packages (in addition to Eclipse Fax) to offer direct scanning with non-Twain-compliant scanners (Hewlett-Packard and Fujitsu models, for instance).

Regular fax operation is straightforward, whether from a separate application, the Quick Fax button, or Fax Tracker, which combines several functions into one screen. For more complex operations, such as coping with fax mailbox or broadcast services, the Enhanced Receive feature will automate the required dialing or pass-code procedures. FaxWorks also automatically forwards faxes to another number, though it does not feature polling or remote retrieval.

Central to FaxWorks's file-management operations is the Fax Tracker, which includes logs, the File Cabinet of indexed faxes, and a general file-search facility. Clicking on the appropriate button (Open File, Send Log, Receive Log, or Fax Cabinet) switches the window to the corresponding configuration, complete with a File Info section containing technical data and a thumbnail of the file in question.

Another crucial facility is the Viewer, which offers both display functions and an extensive set of image editing tools. Here you can see multiple fax pages at once, rotate or convert a page to grayscale (which reduces file size and, consequently, transmitting time), or add previously saved graphics to a document. Frequently used graphic elements such as electronic signatures or logos can be made part of the edit menu as a Quick Graphic ready for pasting onto a page.

FaxWorks Pro can probably handle 90 percent of what you need to do. More importantly, it does so reliably and with as little fuss as possible.

QuickLink Gold 1.3

Rating: ***

Unlike other programs in this roundup, QuickLink Gold gives data and fax functions equal billing, in the style of such communications packages as Qmodem Pro and Procomm Plus. The main screen is the familiar communications-style interface with six fax-specific buttons on the toolbar: Send Fax, Fax List (the fax phone book), View Fax, Send and Receive Logs, and OCR. The viewer is also accessible separately in the QuickLink program group, as is the Fax Manager.

If called separately and left active, Fax Manager automatically answers incoming fax and data calls. It also offers a good call-progress monitor, the ability to cancel a fax in progress, and (for those who don't use an external modem) the option of simulated modem status lights.