How Do I Send a Fax from My Computer?

When fax capabilities first came to computers, both standalone fax machines and computers shared the same connection to the outside world - a phone line. For many years, "phone modems" were the way we got our first e-mail, browsed with AOL 1.0 and sent faxes with the various PC and Macintosh fax software packages. It was a simple, one-standard era, and whether you printed a page for sending through a standalone fax, or sent that page itself as the fax with the available software, the message went out on the phone line and arrived to the recipient the same way.

Broadband Internet over cable changed this formula. Although some people are still connected to the Internet with phone modems, the number grows smaller every day. People connected in this way can still send faxes directly over the phone lines with FaxSTF and other applications, which are still being distributed and bought (and will be for some time, as long as there are enough phone modems being used). So, to the question - How do I send a fax from my computer? - there's the first answer for folks not quite on the cutting edge. Just keep doing it the old way, it still works.

The fax upgrade
However, most people are not using phone modems anymore, but getting broadband, mostly over cable. Instead of presenting a problem, this offers up other, more advanced opportunities. You can always keep an old standalone fax machine hooked up to a phone line, but for a modern digital workflow - where everything is going to go in and out of your computer - you should be using an online fax service. They are simple, there are plenty of choices and the cost ranges from just about zero to not very much. There are some incredibly good deals in Internet fax services, frankly.

The way it works is rather simple, really. The interfaces may differ slightly, as the procedures may, but essentially you interact with the fax service through either your e-mail or your browser. The e-mail model typically has you send your fax document as an attachment to a certain address, with the recipient's phone number entered in the Subject field. The fax service then forwards the document along. This system is dead simple and, with various tweaks, is used by a number of firms.

The online-only solution
Other fax services provide a simple Web interface where you log in to an account and take advantage of preset templates, or use your original document, your choice. With the template approach, you can write a message and attach a picture, drawing or other document, as long as conversion to black-and-white is acceptable. The system will then send to the number you input, and the recipient's fax machine will spring to life and crank out your message.

Your own situation will determine what is most convenient for you. The advantage to online or e-mail faxing, of course, is that you can do it from anywhere as long as you have your laptop, netbook or smartphone with you and have WiFi or 3G connectivity. You can even fax documents that you don't have with you at the moment if you use MobileMe for Mac or any of the go-to-my-computer services for the PC. You can be at the airport, remember the document that you left home, access it as described and get it on its way - with a series of button clicks and commands.

Total convenience
Once you have removed your umbilical cord to the fax machine, you will find that you can use the technology to your advantage, regardless of its 1950s vintage. The fact is, there are tens of millions of fax machines in use today, and millions more sold every year. As a businessperson you just cannot neglect that size of an audience, some of whom cannot be reached any other way. You can bring these people into your contact list(s) and integrate them into your communications plan with online faxing or an e-mail-based fax service.

Fax machines helped shrink the world, putting documents in people's hands in mere seconds rather than through the mail. Adding fax capability to your new digital tools - at the office or on the road - ensures that you can reach everyone you need to reach, regardless if they are first adopters of every iPod, iPhone or iPad that hits the market. You need to reach people where they're at, and with the devices they use, in order to maximize your marketing reach and sales potential. Fax services bring the technology into the rapidly shrinking world of instant communications, and keep you connected. It's among the biggest tech bargains on the planet, and will be for some time. Don't neglect it in your strategic planning!

Article Source: http://www.go-see.info

Metro Hi Speed is a leader in internet fax solutions for any sized business. Less expensive and more reliable than traditional fax services - you'll enjoy the convenience and well as the cost. Visit us today for more information on our small business and corporate fax solutions.

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