QR codes, barcodes and OCR put each fax in the right inbox

The expensive part of receiving a fax is not receiving it — it is working out who it belongs to. The server reads QR codes, barcodes and text on incoming pages and delivers them by your rules.

Capabilities

Three ways to recognise, used alone or together

01
QR code

Route by QR code

Incoming faxes are scanned for QR codes, matched against your rules by code content, and delivered straight to the right user or department inbox.

  • Every page is scanned, anywhere on the page — the code does not have to sit in a fixed corner
  • If a page carries several codes, all of them are read, not just the first
  • Supports QR Code, Data Matrix, Aztec and PDF417
  • A rule can match text contained in the code; leaving it empty means "any QR code matches"
02
Barcode

Route by barcode

The same recognition pipeline, for documents that already carry barcodes and cannot be redesigned.

  • Supports common 1D symbologies including Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Codabar and ITF
  • Also reads retail formats such as EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A and UPC-E
  • Barcodes and QR codes are stored separately and can have their own routing rules
  • Results are recorded as page number, symbology and content, so they can be checked later
03
OCR

OCR text recognition

Full-page text recognition on incoming faxes. The text drives keyword routing and is written to a full-text index so fax content becomes searchable.

  • Runs on PaddleOCR locally — recognition happens on your own server
  • Chinese (simplified and traditional) plus English, or English only
  • Text is stored per page and combined for keyword matching and search
  • A failed recognition does not stop the fax being stored or routed by other means
How it works

What happens when a fax arrives

Recognition and routing run automatically end to end. This is the actual processing order.

  1. 1

    Line answers

    The fax line answers automatically and receives the pages

  2. 2

    Image stored

    Saved as a multi-page TIFF, with page count and sender number recorded

  3. 3

    Recognition

    Every page is scanned for QR codes and barcodes, plus OCR text if enabled

  4. 4

    Rule matching

    Code content or keywords are matched against your routing rules

  5. 5

    Delivered

    Written to the matching user or department inbox, with a notification sent

What step 3 reads

QR CodeData MatrixAztecPDF417Code 128Code 39Code 93CodabarITFEAN-13EAN-8UPC-AUPC-EOCR (CN/EN)

All pages are scanned at any position on the page, and multiple codes on one page are all read.

Priority

Routing priority

The server evaluates these in a fixed order and delivers on the first match. QR codes, barcodes and OCR keywords all belong to the third level.

  1. 1

    Dialled extension

    The caller entered an extension, so the fax goes to that user

  2. 2

    Channel binding

    Delivered by the physical channel that received the fax, to the user or department bound to it

  3. 3

    Routing rules Covered on this page

    QR code, barcode, OCR keyword, extension, DID and caller ID, evaluated in rule priority order

  4. 4

    DID number

    Matched against the direct number registered to a user

  5. 5

    Default extension

    Used when the caller times out or enters an invalid extension

  6. 6

    Default rule

    If nothing matched, the default rule applies; otherwise the fax lands in the shared inbox

Routing rules also carry their own priority: rules are evaluated in order and matching stops at the first hit.

Use cases

What this looks like in practice

Signed documents filed automatically

Situation
Contracts, delivery notes and statements come back signed and stamped
Setup
Print a QR code carrying the document number or the owner's staff ID before sending; the return fax is matched on that code
Result
Reception no longer has to read every page to work out who it belongs to

Orders routed by customer

Situation
Several customers fax in orders that need to reach the right account manager
Setup
Agree a barcode or document numbering scheme per customer and add a rule for each
Result
Orders arrive directly in the right inbox with no manual handover

Documents split by type

Situation
Expense claims to finance, purchase requests to procurement, inspection reports to QA
Setup
Use OCR keyword rules that match fixed wording in the document title
Result
No redesign needed — the rule uses text the form already contains

Finding an old fax

Situation
Someone needs a fax about a contract number from several months ago
Setup
With OCR enabled, fax text enters the full-text index and can be searched by content
Result
No need to remember the date it arrived or who received it
Good to know

A few things worth knowing first

Recognition accuracy depends on your actual documents and line quality. The points below are stated plainly so you can judge whether this fits your business.

Accuracy depends on the original

A fax is a black-and-white image at roughly 200 DPI. Recognition works well when the original is clean, the code is not too small and the page is not badly skewed or damaged. Repeatedly photocopied originals, or codes crossed by a fold, will reduce the hit rate. We recommend testing on your real documents first.

A second pass compensates for low resolution

Pages that do not decode on the first attempt are scaled up and read again, which helps with small codes affected by the low resolution of fax transmission.

OCR needs an extra runtime

OCR relies on a local Python environment, which is included in the installation package. The first start loads the models and takes noticeably longer, so check that the server has the resources available before enabling it.

Keep a fallback route

Recognition will not match in every case. We recommend also configuring a default rule, or keeping a shared inbox for manual reassignment, so that every incoming fax has an owner and nothing is lost silently.

Want to check whether your documents can be read?

Send us a sample document and we will help judge whether the code size and placement will survive fax transmission.

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