Alternatives to Fax Machines

• Fax machines are becoming outdated in a paperless environment. Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

  With developments in technology, bulky fax machines are becoming outdated as we move into a paperless environment. Instead, sending and receiving faxes can be done electronically through fax services on the Internet, scanning and Windows Fax Service. Electronic faxing provides affordable alternatives at $10 per month or less, and they are easy to use. Unlike fax machines, with electronic faxing you can receive several faxes simultaneously within seconds, as well as detailed logs and notifications.

Internet Fax Services

• You can send and receive faxes over the Internet without ever needing a fax machine if you have an Internet connection and an email address. Myfax and eFax are two Internet fax services. Once you sign up, you will receive a fax number. Your faxes are delivered to your email address or available to view on their website, through your account. With this system you can send and receive multiple faxes simultaneously from anywhere.

Email

• One of the reasons fax machines are used is because documents need to be signed. Instead of a fax machine, you can send documents via email by signing documents electronically with your digital signature. You will need software to create and encrypt your digital signature. This method will not work for documents which require original signatures.

Windows Fax Services

• With a telephone line and fax modem, you can install Windows Fax Services, a feature of Windows XP, and send and receive faxes without the need for a fax machine. To fax printed documents, you will also need a scanner. This feature is not installed automatically and requires configuration for installation.