thanks for the replies. If Occam's razor were applied i'd say the problem starts with scanning as SoloMio suggests. Steven is correct re printing and faxing - I print then fax or mail if there are several pages as these tend to be the large files that clog the system.
Only scanned items are problematic. I suspect the PDFs are bloated so I'll look into adjusting scan settings or perhaps getting better software. Better yet, i may find a documents consultant to review my entire process.. takes too long to figure this all out by trial and error.
You guys were very helpful. BTW, I use an HP laserjet M1319f MFP all-in-one. I regret buying it, scans too slow, fax and printing functioning suboptimal. I am changing to a dedicated fax machine.
the email clogged my internet because my Covad upload DSL speed was only 350 KBps - not intended for sending large data files. I found out that Covad was charging me for a "1.5Mb DSL" when in fact i was getting 460 Kbps dwnload and 350 upload. I made them refund me. Lesson learned - trust but confirm.
