We're running Windows Small Business Server 2003, which was installed late 2004. Our company has a policy that we must have our fax machine print a confirmation page with each fax we send (we fax patient records to physicians and need to keep record of when and what was faxed). In the past (pre-shared fax days), we simply had our old-fashioned fax machine generate one for us. Now, we have a nifty shared-fax system through our network and I'd like to do away with our old-fashioned fax machines. It's the confirmation page that is holding me up.

When you print through the shared fax, the wizard gives you the opportunity to receive a fax confirmation to a given e-mail address. It works well, because it sends a confirmation page that is exactly what we need. However, it is a pain for the users to open up their Outlook mail, open the attachment, and then print it. I would like to automate that process somehow. Does anyone have any ideas? Is there a way to send e-mails directly to a printer? Or, am I completely missing a new idea? All I want is for the confirmation page to print automatically after faxing. Thanks!

must it be the confirmation page? Fax service will log all successful faxes, so would that not suffice?

Then print the log at the end of the day/week, whatever.

no, the log isn't adequate, since it only gives dates and times. We need to know whose information was faxed and to whom with the new privacy (HIPAA) laws.

hmmm, too bad....that was easier

Well, there are a couple of possibilities--one is a little over my head but I can see no reason why it is not possible, but it would take someone with more programming experience than I.

Outlook can be automated with VBA (visual basics for applications). I see no reason why a vba macro could not be written that would accomplish some of what you want. The user would need to select the confirmation then start the macro...the macro would open the email and save the attachment to a given folder....you could then drag and drop the contents of the folder to the printer, which will print all the confirmations. You would need to clear the folder daily so as to not print them again (maybe write a logoff script.)

That would be to print the confirmation. Sorry, I cannot offer more on that angle. I know vba and use it with excel and word, but don't use it with outlook....---I know there is a saveas method in outlook that shoudl work, but I would have to spend several days trying to work it out and that is beyond the scope of these forums....you can probably find a programmer somewhere.

Another, easier method, would be to drag and drop the contents of the

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows NT\MSFax\SentItems

folder on the server....these are your successfully sent faxes. They may be slightly larger than one page, but you could do it in one drag and drop, based on day.


There may be a third party tool, but MS only confirms by popup (through messenger service) or email