In the past, a fax machine was a mandatory piece of equipment in every office. Why not, with a fax machine, you can send documents, contracts, and information around the world via the telephone network. In fact, the widespread use of e-mail and other easier-to-use file transfer methods didn't necessarily kill faxes. In some cases, sending a fax is a must. Even if you don't have a fax machine, you can send faxes online using your computer for free or cheaply through certain services.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Sending a Fax with a Computer
Step 1. Prepare the documents you want to send
You can use your computer as a traditional fax machine with certain software. Make sure your computer is connected to the telephone network.
Step 2. For Windows 7:
- Click Start > All Programs > Windows Fax and Scan then press Enter to open Windows Fax and Scan.
- Click New Fax in the top-left corner of the menu. Follow the guide to connect the computer to the telephone network.
- Fill in the boxes on the screen with the destination phone number, message, and document attachments.
- Once done, click Send.
Step 3. For Macintosh:
- Open the document you want to send, and edit as needed.
- Click File > Print.
- Click the PDF button, then select Fax PDF from the menu.
- Enter the recipient's fax number in the To field. Enter the digit 0, area code and access code if required.
- In the Modem column, select Internet Modem.
- To include a cover, select the Use Cover Page option, and fill in the options as needed.
- Click the Preview button to preview the fax. When ready, click Send.
- Note: Some versions of Mac OS X do not include the Fax function.
Method 2 of 3: Finding Services
Step 1. Find an online fax service
The large number of online fax service providers may make you confused when it comes to choosing one. In this article, you can find some recommendations for online fax services. The services mentioned in this article are high quality services, but of course, you can still use other services.
- MyFax is an internet fax service that allows you to send and receive faxes via email, web, or smartphone. This affordable monthly service (as of this writing, it costs $10) allows you to send 100 faxes and receive 200 faxes per month. In addition to being linked to your email account, you'll also get a fax number from MyFax so you can still be contacted by companies that still use regular fax machines.
- Like MyFax, eFax also provides a fax service that links to your email and gives you a fax number. After using the first month's service for free, you can continue to use eFax for a low subscription fee. eFax also provides lifetime storage for the documents you send and receive.
- Want to send a fax for free? Use FaxZero. Apart from providing a paid service, FaxZero also lets you send 5 faxes per day for free. However, faxes that you send for free will include advertisements. For those of you who don't fax very often, FaxZero is a pretty good service.
- hellofax lets you send multiple free faxes to US numbers. To send a fax, you must create an account linked to an email address.
Method 3 of 3: Using Office Equipment to Send Faxes
Step 1. Replace your fax machine
The fax machine consists of a black and white scanner, telephone line, and thermal printer. Of course, the old technology has now been replaced with new technology in your office or home. In your office or home, you may have a color printer, a cheap scanner, and an internet connection.
- You may not own a printer, but this printer certainly has its advantages. The print quality produced by today's printers can be compared to the prints of a photo studio.
- Apart from being used to scan documents, you can also use the scanner for various things, such as scanning old photos or signatures, creating "artwork" by scanning faces, and more.
- If you scan and print documents frequently, you can purchase an all-in-one printer, which includes a scanner, printer, and fax machine in one machine. However, the fax function on the all-in-one machine can only be used if you have a telephone network.
- Most online fax services provide applications that you can download from the App Store and Google Play Store. The app lets you send and receive faxes from anywhere. You just need an internet connection to download it. Follow the link below for a comparison of fax applications.
Tips
- If you don't have an all-in-one printer, you can scan documents with a digital camera.
- You can also convert the scanned file to a PDF file, or edit it with Photoshop.
- Scan documents at 300 dpi resolution and Letter size for best results.
- Recycle your old fax machine at a computer store.
