Faxing can be done from a computer with or without a modem and phone line. Windows and Mac operating systems have built-in fax sending capabilities. Online services also allow for faxing with a monthly fee and a dedicated fax number for receiving faxes.
When most people think about how to send a fax, they picture a dedicated fax machine sitting on their desk. With modern computers, however, you can actually send one directly from your home computer. There are several ways this can be accomplished, with or without a separate modem and phone line. Regardless of how the fax is sent, however, any document you want to send still has to get to your computer somehow. For documents you create on the computer, this obviously isn’t a problem, but for paper documents, you’ll still need some sort of scanner to feed the document into the fax software package.
If you’re using Windows® or a Mac operating system and have a modem connected to a phone line of some sort, you can send a fax as a native computer feature. Many programs on these computers, such as Microsoft Word®, can send documents created on them as faxes. This way, no special software or extra steps are required. All you have to do to send the document from within the program is to open the document you want to fax and select the Print option, as if you were sending it to a printer. You can then change the printer selection from the normal printer to the Fax option.
When you click Print, instead of printing the document on the printer, a special fax dialog will appear. This dialog asks for information such as the fax number, an optional cover page to add to the fax, and when to send the fax, if you want to delay its departure. Once the fax is sent, a fax monitor will start, keeping you informed of how the fax is going. The number will be dialed through the modem and if the number is not busy, it will be sent and received by the other party as if it were any other fax sent from a normal fax machine.
If you don’t have a modem or phone line to send your fax, you can also take advantage of a number of online services that allow you to send faxes through their systems. These programs typically charge a monthly fee for a regular leased line. To send a fax, simply log into their system and add as an attachment the file you want to fax, a document directly from your computer, or something that you scanned from a hard copy. This document is then faxed to the number entered, along with an optional cover page, using your own equipment at your facilities.
Additionally, when using an online system, a dedicated fax number is also provided for your personal use. This means you can receive faxes 24/7 without the inconvenience of having your own fax machine and dedicated phone line. Faxes are received at your number at the provider’s facility and then emailed as images.
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