Many small-business owners and people who work at home need to be able to send and receive documents via a fax machine. In the past, that meant buying or leasing a fax machine and paying for additional phone service. Now, several companies offer Internet-based virtual faxing services. These services typically assign fax numbers to customers so they can receive faxes from traditional fax machines.
Typically, fax services charge a monthly fee. Many offer different levels of service, from accounts that can only receive faxes to unlimited local faxing. Some also offer additional services like voice mail.
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Here's how the process works:
- You sign up for the service.
- The service assigns you a fax number and provides instructions for how to send a fax from an email program or a Web interface.
- You send and receive faxes as attached documents via email.
- The service bills you on a monthly or per-fax basis, depending on your service plan.
Sending and receiving faxes through these services works much like with a traditional fax machine. To send a fax:
- You attach the document to an email message and address the message to the recipient's fax number. Depending on your service provider, you may add a domain name (for example: 18005551234@emailfaxes.com). The document can be a scan of a paper document or other types of documents, if the service supports them.
- The service translates the attachment so that the recipient's fax machine can read it.
- The service sends the data across the phone line.
- The recipient's fax machine decodes the data and prints it.
To receive a fax:
- The sender dials your fax number.
- The fax machine translates the data and transmits it over the phone line.
- The service receives the data and translates it into an image file.
- The service sends the image file to your email address.
- You open the email message and the attachment and view the file.
To learn more about the Internet and fax machines, follow these links:
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