Brother MFC 250C User Manual

							Receiving a Fax
37
6
Easy Receive6
If Easy Receive is On:6
The machine receives a fax call 
automatically, even if you answer the call. 
When you see Receiving on the LCD or 
when you hear ‘chirps’ through the handset 
you are using, just replace the handset. Your 
machine will do the rest. 
If Easy Receive is Off:6
If you are at the machine and answer a call 
first by lifting a handset, press Black Start or 
Color Start then press 2 to receive.
If you answered at an extension telephone 
press l 5 1. (See Using external and 
extension telephones on page 48.)
Note
• If this feature is set to On, but your 
machine does not connect a fax call when 
you lift an extension or external telephone 
handset, press the fax receive code l 5 1. 
• If you send faxes from a computer on the 
same telephone line and the machine 
intercepts them, set Easy Receive to Off.
 
aPress Menu, 2, 1, 3.
bPress aorb to choose On (or Off).
Press OK.
cPress Stop/Exit.
Additional receiving 
operations
6
Printing a reduced incoming 
fax6
If you choose On, the machine automatically 
reduces each page of an incoming fax to fit on 
one page of A4, Letter or Legal size paper.
The machine calculates the reduction ratio by 
using the page size of the fax and your Paper 
Size setting (Menu, 1, 3).
aMake sure you are in Fax mode  .
bPress Menu, 2, 1, 5.  
5.Auto Reduction
cPress aorb to choose On or Off.
Press OK.
dPress Stop/Exit.
Receiving a fax at the end of a 
conversation6
At the end of a conversation you can ask the 
other party to send you a fax before you both 
hang up.
aAsk the other party to place the 
document in their machine and to press 
Start or Send key.
bWhen you hear the CNG tones (slowly 
repeating beeps), press Black Start or 
Color Start.
cPress 2 to receive a fax. 
1.Send 2.Receive
dReplace the external handset.
 
						

							Chapter 6
38
Receiving faxes into memory 
when the paper tray is empty6
As soon as the paper tray becomes empty 
during fax reception, the LCD will display 
No Paper Fed, asking you to put paper in 
the paper tray. (See Loading paper and other 
print media on page 8.)
The machine will carry on receiving the fax, 
with the remaining pages being stored in 
memory, if enough memory is available.
Further incoming faxes will also be stored into 
memory until the memory is full. When the 
memory is full the machine will stop 
automatically answering calls. To print the 
faxes, put fresh paper in the tray.
 
						

							39
7
7
Voice Operations7
Tone or pulse 
(Canada only)7
If you are using an external telephone and 
have a pulse dialing service, but need to send 
tone signals (for example, for telephone 
banking), follow the instructions below.
aLift the handset of the external 
telephone.
bPress # on the control panel of your 
machine. Any digits dialed after this will 
send tone signals.
When you hang up, the machine will 
return to the pulse dialing service.
Fax/Tel mode7
When the machine is in Fax/Tel mode, it will 
use the F/T Ring Time 
(pseudo/double-ringing) to alert you to pick 
up a voice call.
If you are at an external telephone, lift the 
handset of the external telephone, and then 
press Hook to answer.
If you are at an extension telephone, youll 
need to lift the handset during the F/T Ring 
Time and then press #51 between the 
pseudo/double-rings. If no one is on the line, 
or if someone wants to send you a fax, send 
the call back to the machine by pressing 
l51.
Telephone services7
Your machine supports the Caller ID and 
Distinctive Ring subscriber telephone 
services that some telephone companies 
offer.
Features like Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Call 
Waiting/Caller ID, RingMaster, answering 
services, alarm systems or other custom 
features on one telephone line may affect the 
way your machine works. If you have Voice 
Mail on your telephone line, please read the 
following carefully.
Voice Mail7
If you have Voice Mail on the same telephone 
line as your Brother machine, Voice Mail and 
the Brother machine will conflict with each 
other when receiving incoming calls. 
For example, if your Voice Mail is set to 
answer after 4 rings and your Brother 
machine is set to answer after 2 rings, then 
your Brother machine will answer first. This 
will prevent callers from being able to leave a 
message in your Voice Mail.
Similarly, if your Brother machine is set to 
answer after 4 rings and your Voice Mail is set 
to answer after 2 rings, then your Voice Mail 
will answer first. This will prevent your Brother 
machine from being able to receive an 
incoming fax, since Voice Mail cannot 
transfer the incoming fax back to the Brother 
machine.
Telephone Services and External 
devices
7
 
						

							Chapter 7
40
To avoid conflicts between your Brother 
machine and your voice mail service, do one 
of the following:
Get the Distinctive Ring service from your 
telephone company. Distinctive Ring is a 
feature of your Brother machine that allows a 
person with one line to receive fax and voice 
calls through two different phone numbers on 
that one line. Brother uses the term 
‘Distinctive Ring,’ but telephone companies 
market the service under a variety of names, 
such as Custom Ringing, Personalized Ring, 
Smart Ring, RingMaster, Ident-A-Ring, Ident-
A-Call, Data Ident-A-Call, Teen Ring, and 
SimpleBiz Fax & Alternate Number Ringing. 
This service establishes a second telephone 
number on the same line as your existing 
telephone number, and each number has its 
own ring pattern. Typically, the original 
number rings with the standard ring pattern 
and is used for receiving voice calls, and the 
second number rings with a different ring 
pattern and is used for receiving faxes. (See 
Distinctive Ring on page 40.)
OR
Set your Brother machine’s Receive Mode to 
“Manual.” Manual Mode requires that you 
answer every incoming call if you want to be 
able to receive a fax. If the incoming call is a 
telephone call, then complete the call as you 
normally would. If you hear fax sending tones 
you must transfer the call to the Brother 
machine. (See Using external and extension 
telephones on page 48.) Unanswered fax 
and voice calls will go to your Voice Mail. (To 
set the machine in MANUAL Mode, see 
Choosing the Receive Mode on page 33.)Distinctive Ring7
Distinctive Ring is a function of your Brother 
machine that allows a person with one line to 
receive fax and voice calls through two 
different phone numbers on that one line. 
Brother uses the term “Distinctive Ring,” but 
telephone companies market the service 
under a variety of names, such as Smart 
Ring, Ring Master or Ident-a-Ring. This 
service establishes a second telephone 
number on the same line as your existing 
telephone number, and each number has its 
own ring pattern. Typically, the original 
number rings with the standard ring pattern 
and is used for receiving voice calls, and the 
second number rings with a different ring 
pattern and is used for receiving faxes.
Note
• You must pay for your telephone 
company’s Distinctive Ring service before 
you program the machine to work with it.
• Please call your telephone company for 
availability and rates.
 
What does your telephone companys 
‘Distinctive Ring’ do?
7
Your telephone companys Distinctive Ring 
service allows you to have more than one 
number on the same telephone line. If you 
need more than one telephone number, it 
is cheaper than paying for an extra line. 
Each telephone number has its own 
distinctive ring pattern, so you will know 
which telephone number is ringing. This is 
one way you can have a separate telephone 
number for your machine.
 
						

							Telephone Services and External devices
41
7
What does Brothers ‘Distinctive Ring’ 
do?
7
The Brother machine has a Distinctive Ring 
feature that allows you to use your machine to 
take full advantage of the telephone 
companys Distinctive Ring service. The new 
telephone number on your line can just 
receive faxes.
Do you have Voice Mail?7
If you have Voice Mail on the telephone line 
that you will install your new machine on, 
there is a strong possibility that Voice Mail 
and the machine will conflict with each other 
while receiving incoming calls. However, the 
Distinctive Ring feature allows you to use 
more than one number on your line, so 
both Voice Mail and the machine can work 
together without any problems. If each one 
has a separate telephone number, neither will 
interfere with the others operations.
If you decide to get the Distinctive Ring 
service from the telephone company, you will 
need to follow the directions on next page to 
‘register’ the new Distinctive Ring pattern 
they give you. This is so your machine can 
recognize its incoming calls.
Note
You can change or cancel the Distinctive 
Ring pattern at any time. You can switch it 
off temporarily, and turn it back on later. 
When you get a new fax number, make 
sure you reset this feature.
 
Before you choose the ring pattern to 
register
7
You can only register one Distinctive Ring 
pattern with the machine. Some ring patterns 
cannot be registered. The ring patterns below 
are supported by your Brother machine. 
Register the one your telephone company 
gives you.
Note
Ring Pattern #1 is often called short-short 
and is the most commonly used. 
If the ring pattern you received is not on 
this chart, please call your telephone 
company and ask for one that is 
shown.
 
„The machine will only answer calls to its 
registered number.
„The first two rings are silent on the 
machine. This is because the fax must 
‘listen’ to the ring pattern (to compare it to 
the pattern that was ‘registered’). (Other 
telephones on the same line will ring.)
„If you program the machine properly, it will 
recognize the registered ring pattern of the 
‘fax number’ within 2 ring patterns and 
then answer with a fax tone. When the 
‘voice number’ is called, the machine will 
not answer.
Ring 
PatternRings
1 long-long 
2 short-long-short 
3 short-short-long 
4 very long (normal 
pattern) 
 
						

							Chapter 7
42
Registering the Distinctive Ring 
pattern
7
Very Important!
After you have set the Distinctive Ring feature 
to On, your Distinctive Ring number will 
receive faxes automatically. The receive 
mode is set to Manual and you cannot 
change it to another mode while Distinctive 
Ring is set to On. This ensures the Brother 
machine will only answer the Distinctive Ring 
number and not interfere when your main 
telephone number is called.
aPress Menu, 2, 0, 3. 
0.Miscellaneous
 
3.Distinctive
bPress aorb to choose Set.
Press OK.
cPress aorb to choose the stored ring 
pattern you want to use.
Press OK.
(You hear each pattern as you scroll 
through the four patterns. Make sure 
you choose the pattern that the 
telephone company gave you.)
dPress Stop/Exit.
Distinctive Ring is now set to On.
Turning off Distinctive Ring7
aPress Menu, 2, 0, 3.
bPress aorb to choose Off.
Press OK.
cPress Stop/Exit.
Note
If you turn off Distinctive Ring, the 
machine will stay in Manual receive 
mode. You will need to set the Receive 
Mode again. (See Choosing the Receive 
Mode on page 33.)
 
Caller ID 7
The Caller ID feature lets you use the Caller 
ID subscriber service offered by many local 
telephone companies. Call your telephone 
company for details. This service shows the 
telephone number, or name if it is available, 
of your caller as the line rings.
After a few rings, the LCD shows the 
telephone number of your caller (and name, if 
available). Once you answer a call, the Caller 
ID information disappears from the LCD, but 
the call information stays stored in the Caller 
ID memory.
„You can see the first 16 characters of the 
number (or name).
„The # Unavailable message means 
the call originated outside your Caller ID 
service area.
„The Private Call message means the 
caller has intentionally blocked 
transmission of information.
You can print a list of the Caller ID information 
received by your machine. (See Printing 
Caller ID List on page 43.)
Note
The Caller ID service varies with different 
carriers. Call your local telephone 
company to find out about the kind of 
service available in your area.
 
 
						

							Telephone Services and External devices
43
7
Viewing the Caller ID List7
Your machine stores information for the last 
thirty calls in the Caller ID list. You can view 
or print this list. When the thirty-first call 
comes in to the machine, it replaces 
information about the first call.
aPress Menu, 2, 0, 4.
bPress aorb to choose Display#.
Press OK.
The Caller ID of the last call will appear 
on the LCD display. If no ID is stored, 
the beeper will sound and 
No Caller ID will appear on the LCD 
display.
cPress aorb to scroll through the Caller 
ID memory to choose the Caller ID you 
want to view, and then press OK. 
The LCD shows the callers number or 
name and the date and time of the call.
dTo finish viewing, press Stop/Exit.
Printing Caller ID List7
aPress Menu, 2, 0, 4.
bPress aorb to choose Print Report.
Press OK.
If no ID is stored, the beeper will sound 
and No Caller ID will appear on the 
LCD.
cPress Black Start or Color Start.
dAfter printing has finished, press 
Stop/Exit.
Connecting an external 
TAD (telephone 
answering device)
7
You may choose to connect an external 
answering device. However, when you have 
an external TAD on the same telephone line 
as the machine, the TAD answers all calls 
and the machine ‘listens’ for fax calling (CNG) 
tones. If it hears them, the machine takes 
over the call and receives the fax. If it does 
not hear CNG tones, the machine lets the 
TAD continue playing your outgoing message 
so your caller can leave you a voice 
message.
The TAD must answer within four rings (the 
recommended setting is two rings). The 
machine cannot hear CNG tones until the 
TAD has answered the call, and with four 
rings there are only 8 to 10 seconds of CNG 
tones left for the fax ‘handshake’. Make sure 
you carefully follow the instructions in this 
guide for recording your outgoing message. 
We do not recommend using the toll saver 
feature on your external answering machine if 
it exceeds five rings.
 
						

							Chapter 7
44
Note
• If you do not receive all your faxes, reduce 
the Ring Delay setting on your external 
TAD.
•If You Subscribe to your Telephone 
companys Distinctive Ring Service:
You may connect an external TAD to a 
separate wall jack only if you subscribe to 
your telephone companys Distinctive 
Ring service, have registered the 
distinctive ring pattern on your machine, 
and use that number as a fax number. The 
recommended setting is at least four rings 
on the external TAD when you have the 
telephone companys Distinctive Ring 
Service. You cannot use the Toll Saver 
setting.
•If You Do Not Subscribe to Distinctive 
Ring Service:
You must plug your TAD into the EXT. 
jack of your machine. If your TAD is 
plugged into a wall jack, both your 
machine and the TAD will try to control the 
telephone line. (See illustration below.)
• Before you connect the external TAD, 
remove the protective cap (2) from the 
EXT. jack on the machine.
 
1TAD
When the TAD answers a call, the LCD 
shows Telephone.
 
Connections7
The external TAD must be plugged into the 
jack labeled EXT. Your machine cannot work 
properly if you plug the TAD into a wall jack 
(unless you are using Distinctive Ring).
aPlug the telephone line cord from the 
telephone wall jack into the jack labeled 
LINE.
bRemove the protective cap (1) from the 
jack labeled EXT, and then plug the 
telephone line cord from the external 
TAD into the EXT. jack. (Make sure this 
cord is connected to the TAD at the 
TADs telephone line jack, and not its 
handset jack.)
 
cSet your external TAD to four rings or 
less. (The machines Ring Delay setting 
does not apply.)
dRecord the outgoing message on your 
external TAD.
eSet the TAD to answer calls.
fSet the Receive Mode to 
External TAD. (See Choosing the 
Receive Mode on page 33.)
1
1
2
1
 
						

							Telephone Services and External devices
45
7 Recording an outgoing 
message (OGM) on an 
external TAD7
Timing is important in recording this 
message. The message sets up the ways to 
handle both manual and automatic fax 
reception.
aRecord 5 seconds of silence at the 
beginning of your message. (This allows 
your machine time to listen for the fax 
CNG tones of automatic transmissions 
before they stop.)
bLimit your speaking to 20 seconds.
cEnd your 20-second message by giving 
your Fax Receive Code for people 
sending manual faxes. For example: 
‘After the beep, leave a message or 
send a fax by pressing l51 and Start.’
Note
We recommend beginning your OGM with 
an initial 5-second silence because the 
machine cannot hear fax tones over a 
resonant or loud voice. You may try 
omitting this pause, but if your machine 
has trouble receiving, then you must 
re-record the OGM to include it.
 
Special line considerations7
Roll over telephone lines7
A roll over telephone system is a group of two 
or more separate telephone lines that pass 
incoming calls to each other if they are busy. 
The calls are usually passed down or ‘rolled 
over’ to the next available telephone line in a 
preset order.
Your machine can work in a roll over system 
as long as it is the last number in the 
sequence, so the call cannot roll away. Do not 
put the machine on any of the other numbers; 
when the other lines are busy and a second 
fax call is received, the fax call will be sent to 
a line that does not have a fax machine. Your 
machine will work best on a dedicated 
line.
Two-line telephone system7
A two-line telephone system is nothing more 
than two separate telephone numbers on the 
same wall outlet. The two telephone numbers 
can be on separate jacks (RJ11) or mixed into 
one jack (RJ14). Your machine must be 
plugged into an RJ11 jack. RJ11 and RJ14 
jacks may be equal in size and appearance 
and both may contain four wires (black, red, 
green, yellow). To test the type of jack, plug in 
a two-line telephone and see if it can access 
both lines. If it can, you must separate the line 
for your machine. (See Easy Receive 
on page 37.)
 
						

							Chapter 7
46
Converting telephone wall outlets7
There are three ways to convert to an RJ11 
jack. The first two ways may require help from 
the telephone company. You can change the 
wall outlets from one RJ14 jack to two RJ11 
jacks. Or you can have an RJ11 wall outlet 
installed and slave or jump one of the 
telephone numbers to it.
The third way is the easiest: Buy a triplex 
adapter. You can plug a triplex adapter into 
an RJ14 outlet. It separates the wires into two 
separate RJ11 jacks (Line 1, Line 2) and a 
third RJ14 jack (Lines 1 and 2). If your 
machine is on Line 1, plug the machine into 
L1 of the triplex adapter. If your machine is on 
Line 2, plug it into L2 of the triple adapter.
Triplex Adapter
 7
Installing machine, external two-line 
TAD and two-line telephone
7
When you are installing an external two-line 
telephone answering device (TAD) and a 
two-line telephone, your machine must be 
isolated on one line at both the wall jack and 
at the TAD. The most common connection is 
to put the machine on Line 2, which is 
explained in the following steps. The back of 
the two-line TAD must have two telephone 
jacks: one labeled L1 or L1/L2, and the other 
labeled L2. You will need at least three 
telephone line cords, the one that came with 
your machine and two for your external 
two-line TAD. You will need a fourth line cord 
if you add a two-line telephone.
aPut the two-line TAD and the two-line 
telephone next to your machine.
bPlug one end of the telephone line cord 
for your machine into the L2 jack of the 
triplex adapter. Plug the other end into 
the LINE jack on the back of the 
machine.
cPlug one end of the first telephone line 
cord for your TAD into the L1 jack of the 
triplex adapter. Plug the other end into 
the L1 or L1/L2 jack of the two-line TAD. 
dPlug one end of the second telephone 
line cord for your TAD into the L2 jack of 
the two-line TAD. Plug the other end into 
the EXT. jack on the left side of the 
machine.
 
1 Triplex Adapter
2 Two Line Telephone
3 External Two Line TAD
4 Machine
You can keep two-line telephones on other 
wall outlets as always. There are two ways to 
add a two-line telephone to the machines 
wall outlet. You can plug the telephone line 
cord from the two-line telephone into the 
L1+L2 jack of the triplex adapter. Or you can 
plug the two-line telephone into the TEL jack 
of the two-line TAD.
RJ14
RJ11
RJ14
1
2
3
4