FAX Questions, Please

[Robert11]

Hello,

Sr. Citizen now, and frankly not at all sharp with this stuff.
Would be most appreciative for any help.

Is it possible to have my PC receive FAX's, as it would regular e-mail ?

Or, do I have to purchase one of those FAX modems I read about, and utilize
our phone line ?

Obviously, I would like the first option to receive like a regular e-mail.
Is this possible ? Send as well as Receive possible ?

The e-mails, either receiving or sending would be very few and far between.
One or two per month probably.

If doable, detailed how-to would be very appreciated.

Also, is there a free, or very inexpensive, FAX program that I should use to do this ?

Much thanks,
Bob

 

[HammerHead]

Options

I use Essential Fax software ($30.00) but there are cheaper ones. I have a internal fax modem. They run from $10 to $20. An external modem will be about $30.
Windows has fax software for free. I just didn't like it.
Another choice is on the net you can sign up for a fax service that they will deliver to your mail box. Not sure about the cost for that.

 

[strollin]

There are a number of services that will receive a fax and email it to you. eFax is one that I have used for quite a few years. Sending is where they get you, the "free" services I've seen require you to have an account and pay a monthly service fee in order to send faxes.

Look into Pam Fax. Receiving is free and unlimited. They have a plan with no monthly fee where you pay only for the faxes you send, 13 cents to send a fax. You don't need a fax modem or a phone line but you will need a scanner (or camera) to send copies of documents if they aren't already on the computer.

 

[DeaconFrost]

My company uses eFax for confidential faxes, so there are no loose papers somewhere. You pay a monthly fee, and the faxes arrive to an e-mail address that you specify. I wouldn't pay too much or sign a contract long term, because faxes are a dying form of communication.

 

[dsperber]

Is it possible to have my PC receive FAX's, as it would regular e-mail ?

Or, do I have to purchase one of those FAX modems I read about, and utilize
our phone line ?

Well, as was pointed out by others, there are services that will deliver faxes to you by email.

However if you actually want to receive faxes in the conventional way, i.e. using your PC as if it were a fax machine, then that too can be done. And yes, you'd need to purchase an external modem (virtually every modem made that was previously used for dial-up Internet access is also capable of receiving a fax) if your PC didn't already have a built-in modem on the motherboard.

But the answer is that if you wanted to use your PC to send/receive faxes you need a modem connected to the PC, and you must obviously have a phone line plugged into the modem... just like with a real FAX machine.

Also, is there a free, or very inexpensive, FAX program that I should use to do this ?

Can't beat "free" for inexpensive, can you? Win7 (and WinXP as well) has built-in FAX capability, although it's delivered deactivated by default since most people actually don't need it (or don't have the requisite modem).

However if you configure it to be active, you will be able to both send and receive faxes. For example you can "print" to a FAX from word processing applications like Word, simply by selecting "FAX" as the "printer". The process triggers the FAX driver to capture the print, initiate the send-FAX wizard to help you prepare the optional cover sheet, specify the phone number to be dialed, etc.... just like you were a real FAX machine in send-mode. Once all of the setup is complete the software will dial the phone (using the modem), and when the other end FAX machine answers the phone your PC will send your document to the receiving FAX system exactly as if it were a real FAX machine in send-mode. The completed fax will be stored in a queue for you to later examine, just like the "sent" folder for email.

Similarly, the FAX software can be enabled into manual or auto-answer receive mode, to allow the PC to "pick up the phone" when an incoming call ring is detected by the modem. Then the software will receive the fax, place it in a queue (on your hard drive) where you will subsequently be able to view/print it, just like the "inbox" folder for email.

All for free, sitting there waiting for you to make use of in Win7.

Or, you can go with more sophisticated document handling software products that can be cheap or expensive. And I suspect there are free programs out there as well.

 

[Robert11]

From OP:

Hi,

Just a quick thanks for all the info.

Appreciate it.

Bob

 

[BudVitoff]

What kind of printer do you have? It's just possible that it will solve all your fax problem at no additional cost.