My brain hurts

[desperance]

So I have finished the page proofs, and all I have to do now is get them back to my editor.

In America.

By tomorrow.

(Whoever schedules these things in the production office does not seem to have noticed that it can take a week either way, to post across the Atlantic; or else they think that overnight courier is as cheap for us as it is for them. Not so...)

Quite why publishing has not yet gone over to electronic editing and proofing, I am not sure (and yes, I know, some companies actually have - but not yet the big guys, or not mine; we still shift quantities of paper back and forth, with all the concomitant anxiety).

Good news: they say I can send corrections back electronically!

Bad news: they say by fax. I do not have a fax machine.

Good news: it is possible to scan documents into a computer, and fax from there!

Bad news: only if the computer is connected to the telephony system. My internet comes via a cable service.

Good news: there are e-fax companies, that will translate e-mail attachments into faxes! I only need to scan and send! And I do have a scanner!

Bad news: I have a Very Old scanner, that I haven't used because I couldn't ever find a Linux driver for it.

Good news: I can use it under Windows!

Bad news: no, I can't. It wants a parallel connection (I told you it was old). I have a parallel cable; alas, my computer? It has no parallel port...

*is stymied*

Truly, not quite sure what to do now. I could buy a new scanner; it might be silly not to have a scanner. Except, well, I have a Very Old scanner and have never noticed till now that it will not connect to my computer; that's a measure of how much I need a scanner, perhaps. And the cheapest way to buy a scanner these days appears to be to buy a printer/scanner/copier - and I really don't need another printer, I'd resent that.

Bah, humbug. I dunno...

Comments

Use your camera

[durham-rambler.livejournal.com]

Given that you have solved the problem this time, here's a suggestion about what to do next time:
The resolution of a fax machine is 200dpi so if your proofs were on US letter sized paper which is, I think, 11" x 8½" then that is in pixels 2200 x 1700. Now my digital camera takes pictures that are 3072 x 2304 pixels and I imagine your latest toy will be similar if not better. So photograph the pages then use an email-to-fax service, for example http://www.tpc.int/ to get it there.

You will need to install software as you will be sending graphics not a text message, and there are links on the TPC website for a number of operating systems, and the list starts with Linux.

Re: Use your camera

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Y'know? At one point during the extended panicky seek-for-a-solution that was yesterday, I did actually think of this. And then thought "Nah, don't be silly, photographs forsooth..."

I think I will experiment. Thanks for the link!