FAQs about commands and the Mail merge function

How do I utilize the commands in Faxolution for Windows?

There are several commands (format: @@COMMAND@@) that you can enter and combine in the document template you want to send.

Please note that these commands do NOT appear on the document the recipient receives. To avoid inaccuracy, you must use the same font type and size if you use multiple commands in a series. As a precaution, always use the same font and font size for @@ command lines.

What does it mean to personalize a fax? What is a mail merge fax?

The current version of Faxolution for Windows lets you personalize documents, for example, to specify the recipient’s address and additional information on every individual fax. You can send personalized faxes (mail-merge faxes) using the Mail merge function in Microsoft Word, which is often used for mailing letters (see Can I send custom faxes (for example, using Mail Merge in Microsoft Word)? for additional information).

Can I use the Faxolution for Windows commands for individual faxes?

Yes. You can use the commands for sending individual documents conveniently in addition to sending merge faxes. To send a single fax directly from an application (without entering the number in the New fax job window), you must specify at least the following command:

@@Number <Fax number>@@

You can prepare different fax document templates with the required commands. See the overview of commands below.

What commands can I use?

In the text below, the angle brackets (<, >) and bar | (which indicates or) are only separators and not themselves part of the commands.

Always close @@ commands in a document with @@.

Overview of @@ commands

@@Billing <value>@@

Sets an accounting identifier: a clear criterion, such as cost center, project, job order no, etc.

If you use billing values, Retarus consolidates all fax jobs sent in accordance with these values into a single transmission bill. This is particularly useful for billing transmissions carried out on behalf of other parties (agencies), or for assignment to cost centers. Example @@Billing Transmission_for_ABC_Ltd@@ All serial faxes belonging to the job order appear as Transmission_for_ABC_Ltd in the Billing field in the job list.

@@Attachment <File name>@@	Attaches a TIFF file to the fax document(s) you want to send. You must specify the complete path along with the file name.
This command allows you to attach prepared pages, such as terms and conditions, maps, etc., to the document you want to fax. No additional software is required to create TIFF files. Example @@Attach c:\fax4win\Attachments\Attachment1.tif@@ The file Attachment1.tif in the directory c:\fax4win\Attachments will be attached to the fax document(s).

@@Draft@@

Fax jobs are saved to your PC using this command. The faxes aren’t sent until you select and transfer the created fax jobs. The status of the faxes is set to Draft in the job overview.

It is a good idea to use this command to prepare jobs when sending merge faxes. Their status is set to drafts , and then they’re saved to the Drafts folder. You can then spot-check faxes using the selected viewer. Then select all entries with Draft status and start the transfer. To do so, open the File menu and choose Transfer job, or right-click the selected entries and choose Transfer job. You can monitor the progress of the transmission in the Outbox folder.

@@Ignore <Value>@@

Defines whether you want to interrupt the transmission if fax numbers are missing or incorrect. Possible values: On / Off

Retarus Faxolution for Windows can detect and skip incorrect records and fax numbers. This command switches warnings on and off when fax numbers are incorrect (see What does the Ignore errors setting mean under Tools - Options - Merge faxes?). The @@Ignore@@ command must be the first command in the document. Example @@Ignore Off@@ Transmission will be interrupted if any numbers or records are incorrect. The New fax job window opens with a Correct record with missing or invalid information in the title of the window. You can then correct the missing or inaccurate information.

Where is the best place in a document to put the commands?

Insert the commands where their effects on the layout of the fax document are minimized, for example, in the top margin. The commands do not appear on the document the recipient receives.

Can I use commands in the document header?

Yes, you can add commands to the document header.

When you send merge fax documents that have multiple pages, you have to change the header for the pages that follow to avoid having the commands create undesired effects on each page. To change the header on the document’s subsequent pages in Microsoft Word, open the File menu, then select Page Setup, Layout, Headers and footers, Different first page.

Do I need to use a special font or font size for commands?

No. You should use a font other than the fonts used in the document to prevent problems when interpreting the commands. Alternatively, you can separate the commands or a set of commands from the content with an empty line.

Do not change fonts within a command. If you use multiple commands in a series, do not change or mix the font or size. As a precaution, always use the same font and font size for @@ commands.

Can I use my digital letterhead with commands?

Yes. Make sure you have set up your template correctly in Retarus Faxolution for Windows (see How do I create a digital letterhead or a cover sheet). Templates function like selecting different paper trays for your printer. Once Faxolution is selected as the printer, you only need to set the paper feeder in the document.

To define the template in Microsoft Word, in the File menu, select Page Setup. If you have entered the letterhead template as Template 1, set the first page to Template 1. If you want all pages of documents that have multiple pages to be printed on a letterhead, set Other pages to Template 1. Note that the letterhead must be a TIFF file.

Do the commands have to be arranged/ formatted in a specific way?

In merge faxes, the @@MAILMERGE@@ commands must be on the first page of the merge fax document.

Do not change fonts within a command. If you use multiple commands in a series, do not change or mix the font or size. As a precaution, always use the same font and font size for @@ commands.

Sending custom faxes from Microsoft Word using a Microsoft Excel distribution list

Sample distribution list in Excel

Sample document in Word

@@MailMerge@@ @@Description «Company»@@ @@Number «Fax no.»@@ @@Draft@@
Your Customer No.: «Cust. no.»

«Company»
«Name»
«Address»

«City/town»
To: «Fax no.»

Retarus Faxolution for Windows
Send faxes from any Windows application without a fax server!

Munich, January 18, 2015
«Title» «Name»,

Text!Text!...

Result

Your Customer no.: 12346

Anybody Ltd.
Mr. Doe
Sample St. 1

London, UK
To: 004489000000004


Retarus Faxolution for Windows
Send faxes from any Windows application without a fax server!

Munich, January 18, 2015

Dear Mr. Doe,

Text!Text!...

Explanation of steps in the example

Once you have saved the distribution list in Microsoft Excel, start Microsoft Word and create the fax template. Insert the commands @@MailMerge@@, @@Description@@, @@Number@@, @@Draft@@, at the top of the document.

In the File menu, select Print and select Faxolution as the printer. Save the document.

If you want to specify a letterhead file, begin by opening the File menu and select Page Setup. If you have entered the letterhead template as Template 1, set the First page to Template 1. Save the document.

In the Tools menu, select the Mail merge option. In the Mail Merge Manager, click on Main document, Create, Mail Merge and then select Active Window.

Select Import data source, Open data source and then specify the control file that you want to use (Excel distribution list) that you want to use. If you have not entered any serial printer fields in the document, confirm that you want to Edit main document.

With the extended toolbar in Word, you now have the option of specifying and positioning the desired fields. Place the cursor at the spot where you would like to enter a serial printer field and select the field above the Add Mail Merge field interface. In this case, you would put the «Company» in the @@Description @@command and the «Fax No.» field in the @@Number@@ command.

Position the remaining fields «Cust. no.», «Company», «Name», «Address», «City/town», «Fax no.» and «Salutation» in the correct places and save the file.

Select the Mail Merge function under the Tools menu. In the Mail Merge Manager, click on Run and select the Mail Merge option under Printer. The next step is to click on Merge and confirm the action by clicking on OK in the following window.

The individual customized faxes are then created. By inserting the @@Draft@@ command, you are preparing the documents or fax job; however, documents or job have not been sent at this point.

In the job overview window, use your viewer to spot-check the faxes. The status of the jobs is set to drafts , and they are saved to the Drafts folder.

Then select all entries with Draft status and initiate the transmission by opening the File menu and choosing Transfer job. Alternatively, you can right-click the selected entries and select Transfer job. You can watch the progress of the transmission in the Outbox folder.

Useful command combinations for merged faxes

@@MailMerge@@ @@Description «Company»@@ @@Number «Fax no.»@@ @@Transmission time nights@@

In this Word mail-merge fax, the «Company» mail merge field is added as the description and appears in the job overview. The «Fax no.» mail merge field in the @@Number command sends the fax to all numbers read from theFax no. field in the distribution list. The fax documents are then transferred to Retarus and sent after 9 p.m. on the same day.

@@MailMerge@@ @@Number «Fax no.»@@ @@Draft@@

Retarus Faxolution for Windows prepares the mail-merge fax, including the target numbers from the «Fax no.» field of the control file, but it isn’t transferred to Retarus at this point. The faxes aren’t sent until you have selected and transferred the created fax jobs. The status of the fax jobs is set to Draft in the Drafts folder of the job overview.

Once all jobs in the Drafts folder have been transferred to the job overview (drafts status), spot-check documents using the viewer to make sure the documents correspond to your settings. Then select all entries with Draft status and start the transfer. To do so, open the File menu and choose Transfer job or right-click on the selected entries and choose Transfer job.

What do I need to pay attention to with merge fax jobs?

Design your fax document with as much contrast as possible. Use clearly delineated black-and-white areas, relatively large sans-serif fonts, and relatively thick lines.

If you have very large recipient lists (> 1000 recipients), it may be helpful to split up the fax job into multiple batches, exactly as you would with large mailshots.

Unlike standard high-volume fax jobs, with merge faxes each document is sent. The bandwidth of your Internet connection is a factor in transmitting the individual faxes. Moreover, your hardware determines how fax jobs are processed. For example, if your PC is slow, it make take longer to send merge faxes when the distribution list is large.

How do I split a recipient list (Mail Merge function in Microsoft Word)?

Once you have created your merge fax document, go to the Tools menu and select Mail Merge. In the Mail Merge Helper, click Run and select Merge to Printer. In the Records to be merged section, instead of All, in the From: and To: fields, enter the first group of recipients (e.g.: From: 1 To: 500). Click Merge and then in the window that opens click OK.

The first group of merge fax jobs – 500 documents in this example – is prepared and transferred based on your setting. For the next group, enter the next recipients – in this example, From: 501 To: 1000.

If you enter your own address, fax number and so on as the first record in the recipient list, you can use this method to send a test fax easily. Enter From: 1 To: 1 and check the result on your fax machine.

What happens if my merge fax recipient list contains incorrect fax numbers?

Faxolution for Windows can detect incorrect information in a merge fax field for the fax numbers. The incorrect record is skipped – if you set Faxolution to do so – and the merge fax job is continued automatically.

The status of the incorrect entries (fax numbers) is WRONG_NO (wrong number) in the job overview.

If you want to receive warning messages when fax numbers are incorrect, deselect the Ignore errors option (in the Options menu, General settings, Merge fax) or add the @@IgnoreErrors Off@@ command to the document.

If an incorrect number is detected, the New fax job window opens with the notice Correct record with missing or invalid information in the title of the window. You can then correct the missing or incorrect information. Click Send (or Save as draft) to continue the fax job.

If you do not want to make a correction, select Ignore to skip the document containing the error and continue the merge fax job.

If you click Cancel, transmission to all following numbers is stopped. Note that the documents processed before the record with the error was detected will be sent or saved as drafts in the Drafts folder in the job overview if you have set Faxolution to do so.

Let the fax job run first and then resend the documents to the recipients with incorrect entries later. You can use the records marked as incorrect to update your distribution list.

What happens if my mail-merge fax recipient list contains duplicate fax numbers?

When you send personalized fax documents, you may want to send documents to the same fax number more than once, for example, if several people share the same fax device. When you use the @@MailMerge@@ command or send mail-merge faxes, the automatic duplicate check feature that normally runs when you load distribution lists for non-personalized fax jobs is not applied.

How do I specify job-related or billing-related information for merge faxes?

Insert the @@BillingCode <Value>@@ command in your document. The value is displayed in the Billing code column in the job overview.