Results 1 to 13 of 13
Thread: Fax Machines
-
04-19-2005, 02:24 PM #1Junior Guru Wannabe
- Join Date
- Oct 2004
- Posts
- 35
Fax Machines
Hi, I know nothing about Fax machines, all I know is that I need one for my business.
1. Can you use a Fax-Line as the same number for your business? Is this unproffesional? Is it better to get a separate line for fax? (most businesses list their office # and the fax # separateley)
2. Can you use a Computer/modem/scanner as a Fax machine? Or is it just easier/better to go and buy a Fax machine?
Thanks, I'm sure many of you have established businesses with these alien devices known as "Fax Machines".
-
04-19-2005, 02:37 PM #2Disabled
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Posts
- 292
How Fax Machines Work
1. Can you use a Fax-Line as the same number for your business? Is this unproffesional? Is it better to get a separate line for fax? (most businesses list their office # and the fax # separateley)
Where abouts are you from that these "Fax Machines" are alien devices?
I hope this helps along with the link above.
-
04-19-2005, 04:17 PM #3Texan at Heart
- Join Date
- Jul 2003
- Location
- Castle Pines, CO
- Posts
- 7,189
You might also consider a service like efax or something similar. We use Freedom Voice & they have an extra service similar to efax as well but a little cheaper - about $9.95 a month for a toll-free number with 100 free minutes.
-
04-19-2005, 05:41 PM #4WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- Downers Grove, IL
- Posts
- 174
Heheh, I'd wish my fax machine would go away, but I guess they're staying around for a while....
Anyways:
1) Yes. We have one line with a nice panasonic cordless phone / fax / answering machine that can detect a fax call after the phone has been picked up (either by a person or the answering machine) and it handles that just fine. Is it professional? I'd say yes, but I'm not a big fan of the fax machine. I don't advertise my fax # anyway.
2) Yes. Any computer with a modem, scanner, printer, and the right software can serve as a fax machine. There are also all-in-one printer/scanners/faxes that work rather nicely. And if you're not concerned about sending faxes then there are services that will give you a dedicate fax number and then email you an image of the faxes you receive.
-
04-19-2005, 06:48 PM #5WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Jan 2004
- Location
- Canada
- Posts
- 130
I have a simple fax system setup.
I just got a VoIP line with an IAX uplink + Asterisk. Then any faxes that come in are emailed me in PDF format to any faxes I send to a secret email address (password protected of course!) .
Very slick. Cheapest of paper too
Best thing is since I get a constant ~10ms to the VoIP uplink there is no static and the faxes come in clean and are sent clean.Justin Cassidy, Accentra Inc.
www.faxmicro.com :: Your Internet Fax Solution
www.tollfreeexpress.com :: Hosted PBX Solutions
-
04-19-2005, 11:44 PM #6Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Nov 2002
- Location
- Mississippi
- Posts
- 558
Fax machines are artifacts from the pre email era but still come in handy once in awhile.
I use mine all the time for clients to send me signed contracts but thats about it. Every now and then I get an advertisment from my travel guy but thats about it.
-
04-20-2005, 12:07 AM #7Web Hosting Evangelist
- Join Date
- Jan 2005
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois
- Posts
- 476
Hi,
I started using Vonage business plan. Includes business line with a 2nd line for fax. 800 number if you need it for another 4.99 per month with 100 minutes included. The fax line includes 500 outgoing minutes per month.
Crystal clear faxes. I use it alot for contracts and other misc. things Alot of local business owners are still fax crazy so I think it is essential to have.
-
04-20-2005, 02:20 AM #8Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Jan 2002
- Posts
- 1,053
I have a vonage box that is connected to a fax machine. Works well as long as you have a good network connection.
-
04-20-2005, 02:58 PM #9WHT Addict
- Join Date
- Sep 2004
- Posts
- 136
Until we started our business, I wandered why shops still sold fax machines, it was my narrow view that e-mail completely replaced fax technology. It only took a couple of months of starting our business before we pruchased one.
It seems that people need hard copies of sheets signed and you soon realise that you NEED fax machine. I got tired of having to pay for the public fax machines and it is suprising how simple it can make things - and its much cheaper to send a document via fax than to post it!Andrew Thomas
JAB Web Solutions | Shared Hosting | Reseller Hosting
e : andrew@jabwebsolutions.co.uk
t: 0800 043 0 153
-
04-20-2005, 08:33 PM #10Junior Guru Wannabe
- Join Date
- Oct 2004
- Posts
- 35
Thanks, this is some great info! I would have never considered a phone-service like Efax until it was suggested.
The "How it works" link was interesting..... these Fax machine things, wow, these things are going to be huge!
-
04-21-2005, 08:15 AM #11Texan at Heart
- Join Date
- Jul 2003
- Location
- Castle Pines, CO
- Posts
- 7,189
If you are considering eFax - you might also consider the service from FreedomVoice. They offer a fax service for about $9.95 a month with 100 free minutes. They offer a web site where you can upload faxes & they are getting ready to release a print driver so you can "fax" right from Word or something. Ans all faxes are sent to you in TIF or PDF, not a proprietary file
-
04-21-2005, 08:42 AM #12Aspiring Evangelist
- Join Date
- Aug 2004
- Posts
- 351
Hi,
My Fax and telephone share the same line. The ring tone of fax and telephone are different. Therefore when faxes come I will not pick up the phone.
-
04-21-2005, 11:00 PM #13Newbie
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
- Posts
- 6
fax solutions
Hi:
I think you may want to consider having one toll free number to handle ur fax, voice mail, extensions and can forward to cellphones and phonelines. We use Tollfreemax. For fax, we can get messages from our computer or download it online. We dont need a real fax machine for it. The fax process works like Efax.