Can't fax from Apple's apps in Mojave

[ScottR]

On occasion I need to send a few faxes, and I do so via an Epson Artisan 837 (I also have a USB fax modem, but Apple removed that function from the OS quite some time ago).

Then I installed Mojave and suddenly I couldn't do so anymore.

I found this thread here which pretty much describes the problem except without a solution. In contrast to that thread, though, where a poster in a reply said they had no issues using their Epson product (the OP had a Brother), my problem is with an Epson. Simply put, if I select Epson Fax, there is no setting to select a recipient and the Print button doesn't change to Fax. If I hit Print, it sends it to the Fax driver, but (presumably because there's no recipient info) the fax fails.

I went to Epson's product page and downloaded all the latest software and installed it, without any effect.

Then I thought about that other thread's topic: "Cannot fax from Apple created apps on Mojave." So I opened the same pdf in GraphicConverter rather than the default, Preview, and all of a sudden all the old options were there in the Fax Artisan 837 driver, and I could enter a recipient and fax. For some reason it's only from Apple's apps that I cannot fax--I also tried Safari and Pages. Strangely, the Fax Artisan options in Apple's apps aren't exactly the same as the regular printer options: I don't get a "Supply Levels" selection for the Fax driver, which appear under "Printer Features" when the printer driver is selected. So I'm not somehow simply seeing the same Epson printing driver when I select Fax Artisan.

Any ideas?

image on the left: the fax driver options in Preview
image on the right: the fax driver options in GraphicConverter

 

[Riwam]

I am not familiar with your Epson machine. My Xerox Multi Printer lets me place the page to be faxed directly in it without needing the computer. It is also possible to send the fax from the computer but not absolutely needed. I usually first print my fax pages in my old black and white printer and then send it from the Xerox Multi Printer with Fax function. In that way I avoid using the expensive colour toners of the Xerox.

 

[ScottR]

I don't want to waste paper printing something out just so I can fax it. The whole point to a connected fax machine is that you don't shouldn't have to do that.

 

[chabig]

Is your Epson machine listed as a fax option in System Preferences > Printers & Scanners? I would guess it's likely not. Try adding it by clicking the plus sign.

 

[ScottR]

Yes, I have separate printer and fax options:
Epson Artisan 837
FAX Artisan 837 (USB)
As far as I can see, there is no difference in the print dialog between them except that for the latter the low ink warning disappears (I don't use the Artisan for printing these days so I haven't replaced the cartridges). But

 

[ScottR]

FWIW, I bought a new Brother MFC-L2750DW. Exact same problem. I can fax without any trouble from GraphicConverter (don't need to select a different fax driver, just a fax option in the one driver). No such Send Fax option appears in any Apple app.

 

[ScottR]

A very helpful person in the Apple discussion forums provided the answer.

As described there I setup the printer in the Printer & Scanners preference pane/Add Printer using AirPrint rather the Brother-mandated CUPS Use.

After I added the fax driver (I say "fax driver" because it seems to ONLY allow let me fax, not print), I selected a Print dialog, and in the printer selection popup it showed me available printers. I selected the MFC-L2750DW, which added that as a printer. So I now have two printer options:
Brother MFC-L2750DW series
Brother MFC-L2750DW series - fax
I select the former to print, the latter to fax.

 

[Vegas Vic]

never mind

 

[ScottR]

Here's a list of apps where the fax does work. I got it from somewhere else. GraphicConverter 10 allows faxing pdf on my 2017 iMac/Mojave & Epson Artisan 835

"Fax option: Firefox 69.0.3, GraphicConverter 9, Scrivener, Affinity Photo, Yojimbo, Scrapple, Word 2011 (haven't updated since), FileMaker Pro (the closest to an Apple app I found that worked), Mellel, Swift Publisher 4 that's all I tested. I don't know what the difference is, presumably something in how they access the printer driver."

Well, as I'd already noted, I had no problems with non-Apple apps.