A system and method transmit and receive information through a telephony based communication channel by scanning a hardcopy image to convert the hardcopy image into an electronic image and adding non-facsimile-communication-protocol/non-facsimile-image digital data to an electronic image to be transmitted by a telephony based communication circuit. Non-facsimile-communication-protocol/non-facsimile-image digital data is detected within an electronic image received from another facsimile system transmitting the electronic image based upon a telephony based communication protocol. Data received from another facsimile system transmitting the data based upon a telephony based communication protocol is directed, through a network based communication circuit, to a network based processing system, in response to detection of non-facsimile-communication-protocol/non-facsimile-image digital data within the data received from another facsimile system transmitting the data based upon a telephony based communication protocol.