Customizing OSX Fax Cover Pages

The built-in fax in MacOS versions 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5 is convenient, but Apple left some useful functionality out. In particular, sending a fax generates an ugly, plain vanilla coverpage. This is a HOWTO for customizing your coverpages.

download

Grab the fax coverpage package and unpack it somewhere convenient, like your Desktop.

1. Replace /usr/libexec/fax/coverpage.py with the coverpage.py from the download. Make sure the ownership and permissions on the new file are the same as the old.
2. Create the folder ~/Library/Fax and move header.rtf and footer.rtf from the download to the new folder. (~/Library is the Library in your home folder.)

customizing

Use TextEdit to customize the text, fonts, and layout of header.rtf and footer.rtf to suit your needs. The header file can be as long as you want, although taking up the whole page may lead to unpredictable results. The footer file can only take up the bottom one inch of the page. If you don't want to use a footer or header, you can delete the corresponding file.

If other users of your machine want customized fax coverpages, copy header.rtf and footer.rtf to their ~/Library/Fax folders and customize as needed.

It is possible to load a logo for the coverpage, but at fax resolutions most logos don't come across well.