How to Send Faxes Through the Web
Learn how to send and receive faxes on the Web and which services you should use.
Aliza Sherman
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How to Send Faxes Through the Web
Hi there, The Digital Marketer here, ready to help you put the power of the Internet and technology to work for your business.
Are you still futzing with an old-fashioned fax machine? Don’t tell me you’re still using that thermal paper that curls, fades and discolors? If you’re holding on to old equipment to send and receive faxes, there could be a better way. You can send and receive faxes via the Web and email.
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Why Send Faxes Through the Web?
There are many obvious benefits of turning in the old fax machine of yesterday and using the digital online systems of today. Faxes are sent and received via email and web sites using any computer or nearly any device connected to the Internet. You can often obtain either a unique local fax number or for a premium price, a toll-free one. Some services even let you send the text of an email to a fax number so the other person – who might still prefer fax paper – can receive it as if it originated as a fax.
Though most Web-based faxing doesn’t require any additional equipment to receive the faxes, sending still requires a scanner if you’re working with a paper document.
Online fax services are green because they don’t require paper on either end. Most services offer digital storage although if you’re using the service for free, some will limit the amount of space you get and others will offer free archiving for a limited time, such as a year.
Faxing via the Web and email can increase your office efficiencies because you can send multiple faxes to multiple numbers at once. You also don’t have to wait around and resend a fax when you get a busy signal–the service continues to try until the fax gets through. You can condense your equipment needs by sticking to a three-in-one printer/scanner/copier. And you don’t need an extra fax line or dedicated phone line.
Which Fax Applications Should You Use?
Costs for fax applications vary only slightly. Here are three services you can choose from:
Efax: Efax has two levels of service: eFax Plus and eFax Pro. The Plus level is $14.13 per month paid as an annual membership of about $169. At this level, you can receive 130 free pages; after you reach that number it’s15 cents per page. You can send 30 pages per month free; after you reach that threshold it’s 10 cents per page. Pro level is about $18 per month or $220 per year with a monthy fee of $19.95 and a $19.95 setup fee. This level comes with 200 free pages per month for sending and receiving and then it is an additional 10 cents per page after that.
Fax.com: If eFax sounds too complicated or is too much of a commitment for you, Fax.com is $9.99 per month; it allows you to send and receive 300 pages total per month. It has a one-time $9.99 setup fee but doesn’t require a long-term contract. Fax.com also doesn’t require a software download like eFax.
MyFax.com: MyFax.com is $10 per month or $110 per year and allows you to send 100 pages and receive 200 pages each month. The next level up is $20 per month, which allows you to send and receive 200 pages monthly. The next level costs $40 per month and you can both send and receive 400 pages per month.
Most of these services also offer enterprise levels and custom plans. And disclosure: My company uses Efax.com, and we’re pretty happy with it.
Are Online Faxing Services Secure?
Online faxing services are as secure as secure email and SSL-encrypted web sites, which means pretty darn secure. Your fax account is usually password protected–or at least you can opt to password protect it if that is not the default setting. With a service like eFax, you can sign faxes electronically by creating your own signature stamp with their free eFax Messenger software.
Bottom Line: You can get a lot of functionality even after eliminating the old fax machine. You can free yourself from the grips of old equipment by using a fax application instead.
Contact Me
That’s all we have time for today. Visit the show’s website at digitalmarketer.quickanddirtytips.com for links to all of the sites mentioned in the show. If you’d like to ask a question or request a topic for The Digital Marketer, e-mail me at digitalmarketer@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email . You can also find me at Facebook.com/thedigitalmarketer and Twitter.com/alizasherman.
The Digital Marketer’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Building Your Business With Web Tools is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network at quickanddirtytips.com.
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Resources
eFax – efax
Fax.com – fax
MyFax.com – myfax
Fax image courtesy of Shutterstock