Fax number image proposal (PAY-791 preview)

The problem this replaces

Every language version of /fax-format/ currently embeds the same three UK/US PNGs I made in the English-only days:

• fax-number-example-uk-2.png — under Local/National heading
• fax-number-example.png — under International heading (US perspective)
• fax-number-example-uk-1.png — after International prose

Which means, e.g., the JA page discusses 03-1234-5678 in prose while the accompanying image shows a UK number and English labels. Below is what the reader currently sees on every language’s page:

What I’m proposing

Generate the images automatically per language, using numbers that fit the reader’s home country. Color-code each segment (international access code, country code, area code, subscriber number, etc.) with a matching localized label under each segment.

Automation lives in scripts/generate_fax_number_svgs.py: given a segments spec + a language, it emits inline SVG. Regenerating everything is one command; adding a new language is a labels-and-numbers dict entry.

Style pick — Option A vs Option B

Same number (011-44-20-1234567, US perspective), both styles.

Option A — Ribbon

Digits in a large near-black monospace, a thin colored underline per segment, matching-color label below. Reads calm and editorial.

Option B — Pill

Each segment inside a rounded colored rect with white digits, neutral label below. Bolder, closer in feel to the current PNGs.

My preference is Ribbon — it holds up better when four segments run wide (see the international examples below), scans faster on mobile, and doesn’t compete visually with the article headings. But it’s your call. Both are one config knob away.

Per-language proposal (Ribbon)

Each language gets four slots. In practice /fax-format/ only needs three of them (local, national, international outbound). I’m including the + notation as a possible fourth — helpful for the “+” primer at the bottom of the international section. Say the word if it’s overkill.

English (US)

US perspective. Home number 1-212-555-1234, international destination London.

Local (same area code)

National (elsewhere in the country)

International outbound (to London)

‘+’ notation (as printed on letterheads)

German (Germany)

German perspective. Home number 030 1234567 (Berlin), international destination London.

Local (same area code)

National (elsewhere in the country)

International outbound (to London)

‘+’ notation (as printed on letterheads)

Spanish (multi-jurisdiction)

Spanish perspective. Home number 911 234 567 (Madrid — Spain uses no trunk prefix), international destination London. Multi-jurisdiction sites (MX/AR/CL) can be added later.

Local (same area code)

National (elsewhere in the country)

International outbound (to London)

‘+’ notation (as printed on letterheads)

French (France)

French perspective. Home number 01 23 45 67 89 (Paris), international destination London.

Local (same area code)

National (elsewhere in the country)

International outbound (to London)

‘+’ notation (as printed on letterheads)

Japanese

Japanese perspective. Home number 03-1234-5678 (Tokyo), international destination London.

Local (same area code)

National (elsewhere in the country)

International outbound (to London)

‘+’ notation (as printed on letterheads)

Korean

Korean perspective. Home number 02-1234-5678 (Seoul), international destination London. 001 chosen as the international access code — KT’s number; 002/00700 exist for other carriers.

Local (same area code)

National (elsewhere in the country)

International outbound (to London)

‘+’ notation (as printed on letterheads)

Pill variants for the same set

For completeness — the pill style applied to a couple of the languages, so you can see how each holds up in Japanese and Korean where labels wrap onto two lines.

Japanese — international, Pill

Korean — international, Pill

What I need from you

1. Style — Ribbon (A) or Pill (B)?
2. Numbers — the exemplar numbers are Berlin 030, Madrid 91, Paris 01, Tokyo 03, Seoul 02. Change anything?
3. International destination — I picked London (UK, 44 20) for every outbound example so all six languages share a familiar destination. Alternative: each language dials the US (as a potentially more common real-world use). Preference?
4. + notation slot — worth its own image on /fax-format/, or skip and keep only three?
5. Anything the label copy reads wrong in your target languages. (Inkwell can pass on the DE/ES/FR/JA/KO if you want a second pair of eyes before we ship.)

Once decided, I’ll wire the SVGs into the six /fax-format/ pages, delete this preview, and archive the three legacy PNGs from the media library.