TIFF2FAX(8)

💖 TIFF2FAX — the tiff2fax(8) glow-up 💖

okay bestie, gather round — this is a System Manager's Manual page, and it's about turning TIFFs into fax-ready TIFFs. Slay.

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✨ NAME ✨

tiff2fax — convert TIFF for facsimile transmission by HylaFAX

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

/var/spool/hylafax/bin/tiff2fax [ options ] file

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So bin/tiff2fax takes TIFF input and generates a TIFF Class F image file that's suitable for facsimile transmission. Iconic behavior, no notes.

It's usually invoked by the HylaFAX scheduler process, faxq(8). Like, you don't normally call it yourself — faxq does, and honestly? Let it. 💅

The default implementation uses the tiffcheck(8) program and tools from the freely available TIFF software distribution to implement the conversion operations. (Yes, it's out here assembling a whole little toolchain. We love a collaborator.)

This script can modify outgoing facsimile, such as watermarking, To do this create a shell script etc/FaxModify in the spooling area that alters the document.

lowkey note: the original really does phrase it like that — "such as watermarking, To do this" — so we're keeping the facts exactly as-is. If you want to watermark stuff, that's your etc/FaxModify script's whole job, and it goes in the spooling area. 🫶

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💅 OPTIONS 💅

The following operations are recognized:

• -1 — Write Group 3 1D-encoded data to the output file.
• -2 — Write Group 3 2D-encoded data to the output file.
• -3 — Write Group 4 MMR-encoded data to the output file.
• -m pages — Set the maximum number of pages that are permitted in the output file. If more pages are present in the input document then abort processing. (yes, it just straight up aborts — know that before you set it too low, bestie 😭)
• -o file — Write output to the specified file instead of the default foo.tif filename.
• -w width — Set the output page width, in pixels. By default, pages are 1728 pixels wide.
• -l length — Set the output page length in millimeters. By default, pages are 297 millimeters long.
• -r vres — Set the vertical resolution, in lines/inch, at which to image the POSTSCRIPT.

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🌸 FILES 🌸

• /usr/sbin/tiffcheck — TIFF file conversion examiner
• /var/spool/hylafax/bin/ps2fax — POSTSCRIPT RIP for doing complicated conversions
• /usr/bin/tiffcp — for converting compression schemes
• /usr/bin/tiff2ps — for colorspace and/or image size conversions

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💀 BUGS 💀

Not me having to report the tea, but here we are:

• Conversions that require re-imaging and resizing may result in images that are poorly placed on the page. (slightly unhinged placement, unfortunately 😭)
• There is no way to control how images are treated when they are resized; e.g. the original aspect ratio is not always maintained. fr fr, your aspect ratio is not guaranteed. Be warned.

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

sendfax(1), faxq(8), hylafax-server(5)

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That's the whole page, bestie — every flag, every default, every path, all of it. Periodt. 💖

This one's from the System Manager's Manual, dated May 12, 1996 — shoutout to the HylaFAX source, mwah, and yes, TIFF2FAX(8) is the name on the tin. 🎀✨