Fax machines

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I still find, even in this day and age, the need to send a fax about 3-4 times a year. Worth it to buy a fax machine or is this just a ridiculous thought.

 

[CoogarXR]

Do you have a scanner on your PC? Just scan whatever and email it.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Do you have a scanner on your PC? Just scan whatever and email it.

Ehhhhhh... I would if I could. Some places only want physical mail or faxes, no scans allowed!

Yes, it's true. Currently it's my wife's student loans stuff. No scans allowed.

 

[ddawg16]

Ehhhhhh... I would if I could. Some places only want physical mail or faxes, no scans allowed!

Yes, it's true. Currently it's my wife's student loans stuff. No scans allowed.

What do you think a FAX is? It's a digital scan of a document. The only difference between an emailed scan and a FAX, the FAX is sent over a phone line to another FAX machine.

There are FAX programs that will 'FAX' a scanned document to a FAX machine.

 

[Thumper68]

I use e-fax, I can scan, send and receive faxes directly from my PC, there are other services like it as well.

 

[Thumper68]

What do you think a FAX is? It's a digital scan of a document. The only difference between an emailed scan and a FAX, the FAX is sent over a phone line to another FAX machine.

There are FAX programs that will 'FAX' a scanned document to a FAX machine.

A lot of entities think that faxes are more secure since it is machine to machine.

I had to send a lot of faxes when my father passed, insurance companies, financial institutions, lawyers etc...

Mostly when you are trying to get money from them, if you want to give them money then they are happy to use e-mail of online sources

 

[shelteredV]

Fax. How novel. If you must, e-fax is the way to go. If the receiving side is actually a fax, then you need the program to transmit to an actual fax machine.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

What do you think a FAX is? It's a digital scan of a document. The only difference between an emailed scan and a FAX, the FAX is sent over a phone line to another FAX machine.

There are FAX programs that will 'FAX' a scanned document to a FAX machine.

Take it up with Nelnet.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Fax. How novel. If you must, e-fax is the way to go. If the receiving side is actually a fax, then you need the program to transmit to an actual fax machine.

I looked into e-fax last time I had to send a fax, it costs $20 a month. Not cost effective for sending a few times a year.

Other issue, fax information has SS numbers and such, not sure I wish to send through an intermediary.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

I use an online fax service for $10/month.

www.myfax.com

send and receive from computer and smart phone

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

In past I used faxfresh but I found a tad uncomfortable having my Social sec # go through an intermediary.

Honda was the last company who needed a fax or snail mail, no scans allowed. For a legal document I believe.

 

[dawgee]

i boutght a brother fax machine from Walmart 20 bucks

 

[Doug Arthurs]

Just called to disconnect my fax the other day. No use for it anymore. If you need to send a fax a couple times a year there is usually a local business that will do this. I believe Staples up here in Canada does and I think the variety store up the road from me does it as well.

 

[gipraw]

FaxFile. It is a phone app that allows you to pay by the page. Nice and cheap. You take a pic of the document, then fax it.

 

[Marctrees]

Fax - How Droll - LOLOLOLOLOL.

Funny stuff it seems, but some niches still use fax machines. Marc

 

[cowboy73]

I bought a new fax machine last year. It was about $40. I've used it enough to pay for it. It's a simple one but it does the job. It sits unplugged in the box it came in most of the time. I drag it out to use it and then put it away after I have sent the fax and got a confirmation. I usually follow up with a phone call to see that the receiver got my fax.

 

[BillK]

I am almost certain that my Wife's HP printer has the option to scan and fax right from the printer. I think you can even hook your cell phone to it to send the fax, no phone line needed. If I remember I will take a look when I get home.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I have better luck trying to get the flashing clock on my VCR set than sending a facsimile. Thank goodness for Tiny Scan that will convert a photo to PDF.

Can you purchase a multi function printer to use as a fax machine- assuming you still have a land line?

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I have better luck trying to get the flashing clock on my VCR set than sending a facsimile. Thank goodness for Tiny Scan that will convert a photo to PDF.

Can you purchase a multi function printer to use as a fax machine- assuming you still have a land line?

I have an old MF printer I will attempt to use. The thing is probably 15 years old though.

 

[HOTFR8]

I still have a Fax and I can understand why you would still use a fax over a scanned emailed fax document.

If you send a fax to another fax as far as I am aware there is no way for the information to be hijacked or stolen by scammers.

 

[Whitworth]

Just easier to buy one, they've become very inexpensive. Just a few times a year use should last a long time before you need more toner.
Alot of businesses still live in the 1980's technology wise; purchase orders, W-9 forms, medical records, etc.

 

[Bluedodge]

anything medical related (insurance companies, doctor offices, etc) will only accept US Postal mail and / or faxes. Email need not apply.
Since my car accident, I've gotten on a first name basis with the customer service Gal at the local Piggly Wiggly.

 

[Jon_E]

I work at a nursing home. We use fax machines daily, frequently and it is a major issue if they go down. HIPAA does not permit patient names to be used in e-mail, or even text messages, but a fax is acceptable. I personally think it's a giant load of horsepucky. At least we finally have electronic medical records (but we still have to use the fax for pharma/meds).

 

[LS6 Tommy]

What do you think a FAX is? It's a digital scan of a document. The only difference between an emailed scan and a FAX, the FAX is sent over a phone line to another FAX machine.

There are FAX programs that will 'FAX' a scanned document to a FAX machine.

Yup. A fax is an analog scan. Get a $99.00 Oficejet fax/scan/printer. It comes with all the needed software. Done. Fred Flinstone had one...

Tommy

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Strange. For those companies that only accept faxes for security reasons.. they must have never stood in my employers office equipment room....

I watched every day or so, as various employees picked up someone else's received fax from the machine and read it, then tossed it in a pocket hanger on the wall marked "faxes received". . Then, they inserted their fax in to the machine to send.

 

[manwithtools]

I've had this kind of stupidity from hotels that I try to prepay for my employees stay.

They want me to fax a copy of the credit card and my drivers license to them.... not going to happen, the night shift idiot leaves it out on the counter for anyone to grab...

I just give the employee an advance if they need it.

 

[PeterT]

There are a number of online fax services, some free ,,, others pretty cheap for use. You email it to a designated email address and it turns it into a fax. Some of them even give you a fax number, so people can fax you and it turns it around into an email. Google free fax online,,

 

[reader2580]

My health insurance company now will at least use a secure website to send me documents, but then they also mail them to me. They still make me fax them back or send them via mail.

 

[Barnabas]

Talk about fax security.

We get faxes weekly with pages and pages of health records that we should not be getting. We have faxed back when there is a return fax number to let them know, but nobody seems to care. We keep the fax machine turned off, and now just listen to the beeps on the answering machine that is on the same number.

 

[James-W]

FAX machines aren't terribly expensive and if you go to a Goodwill store, or a similar store, you will probably find a used one really cheap.

Or, as has been suggested, you can buy a printer/scanner/FAX all in one machine for around $100 that will do the job quite well.

 

[tthornto]

IT person and former Business Phone system tech here. I hate fax machines. No they are not more secure than e-mailing a scanned document! It is simply an old technology that needs to die, the only reason it is still around is its grandfathered into regulations (like HIPPA)as being acceptable and unencrypted e-mail is not. Anyone with a modem and some technical know how could tap an analog phone line and intercept a fax without either the sender or receiver knowing.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[wasfuzz]

Take it up with Nelnet.

I routinely scan and email info to Nelnet, they have an awesome system - sends you a message when it is received and another when it is forwarded to whomever retrieves it!

 

[ChevyEFI]

Let's be honest, if they received it on their fax machine, there's no second guessing on their end what "fax machine" scanned it in.

My earliest "F this fax machine stuff, I'm going to scan things in and use the computer to fax it" moment was late 1996 to apply for an apt. lease out of state.

At 3-4 times a year, a cheapie would be worth the hassle if it saves you a good bit of time.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I routinely scan and email info to Nelnet, they have an awesome system - sends you a message when it is received and another when it is forwarded to whomever retrieves it!

Do you have federal or private loans? My wife's were federal and the forms were for the income based plan, which said mail or fax only.

BTW with my income, we'd be paying over $900 in student loans per month for the next 10 years, fun stuff. We file separately to not include my income.

 

[gungatim]

I just use a free ap on my phone. takes a picture of the doc, you adjust it, then email it off to yourself or wherever. ...just used it today for my mobil rebate. It makes a .pdf, I believe an actual fax to fax uses a .tif file, but it can probably be converted.

 

[rburke65]

We have a HP 4 yo copy/scan/printer/fax machine, not expensive at all. Don't use the fax often but when needed it's here.

 

[sz0k30]

Local library. $1.00/sheet.

 

[Chevy-SS]

Most multi-function printers have fax capability, plus they can print, copy and scan, plus they have a document feeder. I have three machines of this type (all with wireless connectivity), and it is the only type of machine that I will continue to buy. Mine are all ink-jets made by HP.

So my advice is to buy a decent multi-function machine (aka: all-in-one).

Good luck. Happy FAXing!

 

[pmiranda]

For the one time a year I need to fax something, I go to FedEx (formerly Kinko's), UPS store, or one of the independent mailbox places.
We're refinancing our house now and it's all online with scanned documents. Easy. Still have to meet a notary for closing. That's something the local mailbox places cover as well.

 

[pinkerton]

FaxFile. It is a phone app that allows you to pay by the page. Nice and cheap. You take a pic of the document, then fax it.

YES - this is what I do (for the one fax/year that I need)