Canon FAXPHONE Series

Overview

Canon's FAXPHONE range is a series of desktop fax machines that combine facsimile transmission with a telephone and a walk-up copier in a single unit. The FAXPHONE name reflects that fax-and-telephone integration: the machines connect to an ordinary telephone line and, depending on the model, either include a telephone handset or work alongside an extension phone and answering machine. Canon positioned the line for home and small-office users rather than high-volume corporate fax rooms. Over its life the series used two plain-paper printing technologies — Canon's Bubble Jet inkjet mechanism on the B-series and a monochrome laser engine on the later L-series — but individual configurations vary by model, so this page describes the line at the family level rather than cataloguing every unit.

Fax class and standards

Every documented FAXPHONE model is a Group 3 fax machine, the dominant class of terminals designed to send and receive documents over the public switched telephone network. Group 3 operation is defined by ITU-T recommendations, principally T.4 ('Standardization of Group 3 facsimile terminals for document transmission,' which covers image coding) and T.30 ('Procedures for document facsimile transmission in the general switched telephone network,' which covers call setup, capability negotiation and error handling). FAXPHONE machines differ in modem speed by generation: Canon lists the Bubble Jet B740 at a 14.4 kbit/s black-and-white fax speed, corresponding to ITU-T V.17 (a fax modem recommendation with rates up to 14 400 bit/s), while the laser L100 and L190 are rated for 'Super G3' at up to 33.6 kbit/s, corresponding to ITU-T V.34 (a modem operating at up to 33 600 bit/s).

Bubble Jet models (B-series)

The B-series FAXPHONE machines use Canon's Bubble Jet inkjet mechanism to print onto plain, cut-sheet paper instead of thermal rolls. Canon's user documentation for the FAXPHONE B640 describes an upright Bubble Jet facsimile that prints with a BX-3 BJ FAX cartridge (64 nozzles) on standard letter, legal or A4 cut-sheet paper of 17–24 lb bond (equivalent to about 64–90 g/m²), and that supports hands-free dialing plus an optional extension phone or answering machine. The FAXPHONE B740 is a plain-paper color fax and color copier; Canon's specifications list a 100-sheet paper tray, a 20-page automatic document feeder, 42-page memory, 112 speed-dial numbers, a 14.4 kbit/s black fax speed of roughly six seconds per page with ECM-MMR, and 360 dpi copy resolution. These figures are model-specific and are cited here as representative examples of the Bubble Jet generation rather than as line-wide specifications.

Laser models (L-series)

The later FAXPHONE L-series replaced the inkjet mechanism with a monochrome laser engine while keeping the fax, print and copy combination and the home/small-office positioning. According to Canon U.S.A., the FAXPHONE L100 prints at up to 19 pages per minute, handles plain, heavy, recycled, transparency, label and envelope media, and supports Super G3 faxing at up to 33.6 kbit/s. The FAXPHONE L190 adds duplex operation, prints at up to 26 pages per minute (16 ppm two-sided), uses a 50-sheet duplex automatic document feeder, and likewise supports Super G3. L-series units such as the L100 and L190 were sold with a telephone handset, and Canon's U.S. site now lists these models as discontinued.

Telephone and answering features

The 'phone' half of the FAXPHONE identity is more than branding. Canon's documentation shows the L-series shipping with a standard telephone handset, and models across the line offer switching between voice and fax use. On the Bubble Jet B640, Canon's manual describes Fax/Tel, Manual and Answering-Machine reception modes together with hands-free dialing and support for an optional extension phone or answering machine. This telephone-line flexibility is what let a single FAXPHONE unit serve a shared home or small-office line.

Status and successors

Canon has discontinued the standalone FAXPHONE line; its U.S. product pages for models such as the L100 and L190 are marked 'Discontinued.' Canon no longer markets dedicated fax machines and instead provides fax capability inside its multifunction lines — the laser-based imageCLASS all-in-ones and the inkjet PIXMA all-in-ones — reflecting the broader industry shift from single-purpose fax units to faxing as one feature of a multifunction device.