bap+@cs.cmu.edu (Barak Pearlmutter) (05/04/91)
We are considering the purchase of an online FAX device for our lab, to eliminate the intermediate paper stage between editing and FAXing, to allow laserprinter quality output of incoming FAXes, and to allow FAXes to be converted to text using OCR. We are also considering a companion scanner, both for the obvious synergy, and to allow us put color photographs taken off microscopes into documents without cutting and pasting. We have a network of Mac IIs, Unix workstations, Postscript printers and color slide makers, and PCs. We use TOPS for transparent file and printer access, and would like the FAX machine to be a similarly global resource, so any machine can "print" a file to FAX, or look at an incoming FAX message. (Except possibly for the PCs) We envision a FAX board plugged into the secretary's Mac, along with a color scanner, perhaps a flatbed model if the additional expense can be justified. But we are open to alternate configurations. We know that the reasonably inexpensive single board FAXes for Macs would give the paperless properties we want in a single machine configuration. We don't know anything about about scanners, or the tradeoffs between the handheld and the flatbed models, or about OCR software. Our questions are if any FAX products would give us the global network access we desire, at a reasonble price, and what the deal is with scanners and their interactions with FAX boards and FrameMaker, and how the OCR software would fit in when we want it. Although price is a consideration, functionality is the primary concern. We do not anticipate speed to be much of a consideration, but convenience is. First hand experience or literature from manufacturers would be particularly welcome, but any information at all would be appreciated. Please reply by mail; I will summarize to the network. Barak Pearlmutter Department of Psychology P.O. Box 11A Yale Station New Haven, CT 06520-7447 barak@james.psych.yale.edu -- --Barak.