Dump Your Fax Machine, Send Faxes Online

Fax machines were a popular communication tool for businesses when the internet was still in its infancy. In fact, fax machines are so old-fashioned that even most schools and colleges don't use them anymore.

Even today, fax machines sit in closets, garages and occasionally offices. However, despite their age and limited usage, there are still people who use them every day. These people are called "boneshakers."

Unfortunately for the boneshakers they are using fax machines because they have no choice. If they don't send faxes everyday they can expect to be blocked from sending or receiving more. This is true even if their company has moved to the internet or is completely paperless.

Fax machines can be used to send documents and other information that could otherwise take days or weeks to travel over email. You can also fax emergency information in case of an emergency (i.e. "call 911" or "get out").

A fax machine is also a good way to deliver messages to people who don't have a computer; for example, when you want someone to renew their work permit every year but don't want them to have confirmation of your correspondence.

In most cases it's cheaper and easier to use the fax machine than email. In most cases, it takes less time than emailing someone as well.

However, there is one serious drawback to faxing: it's slow. If you send a fax at the same time as you email it, the message will reach your recipient much faster. Furthermore, if you are sending a bunch of different documents at once or when faxing sensitive information, sending the fax and then sending all of the information using email could take up to twice as long.

If time isn't an issue you can use your fax machine to send documents from your computer through an electronic adapter. This will save you a lot of time and energy since it's fast! However, in some cases this will cause problems for your printer if it isn't equipped with a direct connection function.

5 Reasons to Dump Your Fax Machine:

1) You can send documents online faster than you can send them via fax or snail mail.

2) You don't have to pay for and deal with paper when you send documents online.

3) Sending documents online protects the confidentiality of your correspondence. You can encrypt the information and password protect it if you want to keep it even more secure. However, even without encryption the fact that no one else will see your email address protects your identity and makes it harder for other people to steal your information.

4) If your fax machine is old and clunky you could repurpose it as a printer for your computer's printer.

5) If it's still in good condition you can use it as a scanner if you have a scanner that doesn't provide duplex scanning.

At the same time, sending documents via fax makes your information vulnerable (just like when you send a letter by mail). You don't have to worry about people reading your emails or snooping on your fax messages when using a fax machine. However, it's still possible to lose information if the wrong person has access to the machine. In that case there is no way to retrieve that information without revealing who sent the message.

Why Not Dump Your Fax Machine?

1) It's an institution. Fax machines are like airplanes, computers and the Internet in that they belong to the past. They aren't going away any time soon, so it's better to get used to sending documents online than searching for a new way to send them.

2) Fax machines are popular with some people and businesses. If you use fax machine your business will probably still be using it even if you move to paperless technology. However, it will be more difficult for these people to send information without a fax machine in their office.

3) You may not know about the fax machine's drawbacks.

4) You can't send information to everyone you know or everyone who needs to see it all at once.

5) You can't send information to people in your home country. Even countries that don't require a fax are very likely to require one from you if you live there long term. If you move back to your native country, the government may start requiring a fax machine again!

Tips for Dumping Your Fax Machine:

1) Use it for document delivery but not for sending bulk data or content unless there is no other way (e.g., when faxing emergency information).

2) Upgrade your fax machine. It may be heavy and clunky, but it still has an electronic connection that you can use to send information from your computer. This can save money, time and energy.

3) Use email for sending documents that need to go to many people at once (e.g.; renewing work permits for seasonal employees).

4) Use it for faxing emergency information in case of an emergency (e.g., "Call 911").

5) Don't use it for faxing sensitive information, especially if you are sending it over the phone. Just contact your customers and tell them to send their information via email.

6) Don't use it to fax money as a way to transfer money. It's faster to transfer money using wire transfers or other methods, even if you send the document first and have the recipient fax you back the payment details.

7) If necessary, upgrade your printer so that it can print directly from your computer. This will make all of your documents paperless. You can also use a scanner for text documents but not for images, photos or anything that would need special equipment to scan (e.g., enlargements).

Conclusion:

People who want to ditch the fax machine can do so more easily than ever before. However, it's important to know how to use the fax machine and when to use it because you may still need it at some point in your life. Faxing is generally easier and cheaper than emailing and much faster if you need something on paper, which is great for sending contracts, agreements or other documents that you don't want someone else to read over the phone.

However, in most cases faxing is slower than sending information via email because the process of scanning each page takes time.