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I have this equipment:

FAX: HP 1040, Stand-alone fax machine

COMPUTER: Dell PC, 32-bit, Windows 7

I wish to use the fax machine as a printer.

I have included photos showing the ports on the fax machine and the computer. (I.e., I tried to do so; not sure if the website accepted the images.)

Can somebody prescribe a device that shall achieve this connection?

I understand that the print quality shall not be great.

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    I think using it as a printer will require a fax modem on your computer.
    – harrymc
    Commented Oct 25, 2023 at 18:58
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    Honestly, it really is not worth pursuing. Buying a cheap printer is going to be so much better.
    – LPChip
    Commented Oct 25, 2023 at 19:07
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    A decent Printer which also likely includes FAX is usually decently priced and should last many years.
    – anon
    Commented Oct 25, 2023 at 19:21
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    I gave away four PERFECT HP laser jet printers over the weekend. Regardless of your country, you can probably get an ACTUAL printer if you are thrifty enough for next to nothing if not nothing. I am speaking in ignorance (of course) because I live somewhere old hardware is abundant.
    – Señor CMasMas
    Commented Oct 25, 2023 at 19:42

1 Answer 1

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This is super clunky and going to be very slow.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01420218

Says the max speed is 14400 baud (bits per second)= 1800 bytes per second.

Computers used to have FAX/modems

https://www.amazon.com/Robotics-USR5637-Controller-Dial-Up-External/dp/B0013FDLM0

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If you found one of those you might be able to connect the computers FAX modem to the FAX machine.

However, there is a chance it won't work because it can't detect the dial tone.

You might have to use some kind of Y phone cable to introduce the dial tone.

Also you will have to find fax software to convert your document into the FAX format, and that will also introduce a bunch of quality loss intentionally to make the file size smaller.

Even if all of this does eventually work, print quality is going to greatly suffer as most modern printers use 300+ dpi, and the fax is likely to use 75dpi.

Apparently your device supports:

Super Fine: 392 x 203

It will however, be incredible slow.

My best guess as someone who used modems regularly in the 1980's and 1990's that once you see how slow the output is you will just end up buying a new printer.

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    Many countries have abandoned analog telephone lines and moved to a digital kind. Its not gonna work on digital anyways.
    – LPChip
    Commented Oct 25, 2023 at 19:08
  • @LPChip If the OP connects this to his PC and then directly to fax machine via RJ11 then the rest of the world doesn't matter. The lack of dial tone might matter.
    – cybernard
    Commented Jan 22 at 16:02

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