Tefax System - Model RA-2110
                         Copyright 1990 David Batterson

     If you are in business, you have to have either a fax machine or fax card
to remain competitive and on-the-ball.  Many PC owners have opted to get the
fax board instead.  (I reviewed three of them for "PC REVIEWS.")
     I prefer receiving faxes on a standalone machine, while sending faxes is
often better via a fax board.  The latter allows easy sending of different
documents to different phone numbers, and  at any scheduled time.
     The disadvantage of fax boards is that you need a page scanner for
existing pages, even though most allow the use of .PCX and .TIF files.  You
also need a good printer (preferably laser-quality) for hard copies.
     If you think that having the capabilities of both would be a good idea,
then you'll want to consider the Tefax System from Relisys.  I was curious how
well it worked, so obtained an evaluation unit.
     The Tefax (Model RA-2110) is a standalone fax with the usual features of
basic fax machines, like half-tones, polling, password, activity reports and
diagnostic codes.  Plug it in, hook up the phone line, and fax away.
     But the Tefax also is an exterior fax modem, with the characteristics
found in fax boards, but with even more uses.  You don't need a scanner since
the Tefax is also a page scanner.  You don't have to have a printer, since the
Tefax is a 200 dpi line printer too, for files saved in the .FAX format.
     What's nice about the system is you can configure it to receive faxes on
the Tefax machine itself, save to disk, or do both.  If you choose Fax print
only, it will save faxes to disk automatically if the Tefax runs out of paper.
     From my experience, the biggest problem with fax cards is the software.
The Connection CoProcessor from Intel PCEO has the best software, but is still
not good enough.  The Tefax software is OK, but needs improving too.
     For instance, the Directory command will only display files with the .FAX
extension, not .TXT, .PCX or any other files.  The manual indicates that you
can simply enter the asterisk (*) to view a window of files--NOT so!  This
didn't work; it required using *.FAX instead.  Using * by itself did nothing.
     You can only do a Directory of the \FAXDATA subdirectory, where faxes are
saved; you cannot change to another subdirectory, either.  This was very
irritating and needs to be corrected in a later version.
     There's a minor problem with the five pull-down menus.  You cannot use an
initial letter, such as D for Directory, but instead must move the inverse
block to the command you want.  Again, some redesign is called for.
     I also had some problems with the convert program.  CONVERT.EXE lets you
convert between .FAX and .PCX./.TIF/.MSP files.  Some of the .PCX files I
converted came out OK, while others did not.
     I wasn't able to convert any .TIF file to the .FAX format either.  Part of
the problem may be that TIFF files are non-standardized, and come in different
"flavors."  I was able to convert from .FAX to .TIF, but when I tried to import
it into PFS: First Publisher 3.0, I got an error message saying it was the
wrong type of TIFF file.  It wouldn't work with Finesse 3.1 either.
     To test the Scan mode, I scanned in a photo using the Light and Half-Tone
settings.  Files are saved automatically in .FAX format.  Then I printed it on
the Tefax; the print quality was pretty good.
     While you can print on the Tefax [the actual command is Copy, not Print],
it only works with .FAX files.  If you Copy a regular ASCII text file, the
Tefax software converts it to .FAX format and then prints it.
     You can also convert a text file to .FAX at the DOS command line, using
the TXTTOFAX.EXE program.  This is not documented in the manual, but I tried it
and it worked.  The graphics conversion programs can be run in this way too.
     Windows users (that doesn't include me) will be happy that Tefax has
bundled FAXit for Windows at no extra charge.  FAXit allows you to fax directly
from Windows programs such as PageMaker, Excel, Designer and others.
     FAXit supports standard Windows fonts, and has a driver for Bitstream
FontWare fonts.  There's also an optional OCR software program for Tefax,
called READ-IT, from Olduvai Corp.
     Free tutorial Tefax demo disks are available, to "test drive" the Tefax in
simulated fax sessions.  Call Relisys for these interactive disks.
     For those who want the best of both fax worlds, the Tefax may be just what
the doctor ordered.  With improved software, it could be a real winner.
     Tefax has a suggested price of $1095, but I've seen it advertised locally
for $895.  For more information, contact Relisys, 320 S. Milpitas Boulevard,
Milpitas, CA 95035; 408-945-9000, FAX: 408-945-0587.
                                       #
     David Batterson reviews various PC applications.  Send any comments or
questions via MCI Mail: DBATTERSON.