Fax machines

Fax machines

A fax machine is a telecommunications technology used to transfer copies, facsimiles, of documents, especially using affordable devices operating over the telephone network. The word telefax, short for telefacsimile, for "make a copy at a distance", is also used as a synonym. Although fax is not an acronym, it is often erroneously written as such (“FAX”). The device is also known as a telecopier in certain industries. When sending documents to people at large distances, faxes have a distinct advantage over postal mail in that the delivery is nearly instantaneous, yet its disadvantages in quality have relegated it to a position beneath email as the prevailing form of electronic document transferral.

They can be useful to make technology.

As a security precaution, thermal fax paper is typically not admissible as evidence in a court of law unless photocopied. This is because the ink used on fax papers are delible, brittle and tend to come off over long periods of storage.

One popular alternative is to subscribe to an internet fax service. Fax service providers allow users to send and receive faxes from their personal computers using an existing email account. No software, fax server or fax machine is needed. Faxes are received as attached .TIF or .PDF files, or in proprietary formats that require the use of the service provider's software. Faxes can be sent or retrieved from any place at anytime that a user can get internet access. Some services even offer secure faxing to comply with stringent HIPAA and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requirements to keep medical information and financial information private and secure. Utilizing a fax service provider does not require paper, a dedicated fax line, or consumables.

Another alternative to a physical fax machine is to make use of computer software which allows people to send and receive faxes using their own computers.