Get the GUARANTEED lowest price on Internet service.
How to Fax a Handwritten Document Using Internet Fax
How to Fax a Handwritten Document Using Internet Fax
Even with the growing popularity of email, faxes still remain a popular method of communication in the business world. However, seeing as a computer can do many tasks that used to require other devices, another service has risen in popularity in recent times: the internet fax.
The advantages are of this technology are many. Fax machines do take up space, require connection to a regular phone line and also consume paper and ink. As a growing number of people no longer use home phone lines, internet fax is a good way for them to be able to send and receive faxes without having to install a phone line. Also, as faxes can be sent and received electronically, it helps reduce wasted paper and ink. Users could then choose which documents they would need to print after receiving them.
Internet fax is a great way to fax a document that you already have on your computer, but what if you need to send a handwritten one you have on paper?
Here is what you need to make it happen:
- A computer
- An internet connection
- A scanner
- An internet fax service provider
Equipment that you need.
In addition to a computer with a connection to the internet, the only other piece of hardware that is needed to fax a handwritten document over the internet is a scanner. A scanner is a device that works in a way similar to a photocopy machine, but instead of printing a duplicate of the document on paper, it saves it as an image on your computer.
With advances in technology, scanners have become much more affordable for the home user. A good quality scanner can be purchased for less than $30 at a computer store. You can also purchase a “multifunction device” instead of a scanner. This type of device combines the features of 3 different machines: a scanner, a printer and a photocopier. That way, you can save money and space by having 3 devices in one. Multifunction devices have also gained in popularity and are a lot more affordable than before.
If you only need to fax one handwritten document and don’t plan on faxing more in the future, and don’t have a scanner or multifunction device available, you can ask a friend who has one to scan the document for you. You can then save it on a USB key or email it to yourself. There are also computer stores, internet cafes and photocopy places who can scan a document for you and charge you a small fee per page.
Internet fax service providers.
Once you have the document on your computer, it is now time to select an internet fax service provider that would allow you to send the fax to its destination. The choice of provider will depend on your budget and your needs. There are certain providers which offer a basic service that lets you send faxes through the internet for free or for a small fee per document. Other offer a whole suite of additional services, such as a number to receive incoming faxes, a voice mail box, the ability to set up distribution lists of fax numbers that you often send to, etc.
If you are only planning to send a short document once, you may want to try a free fax sending service. There are many companies which provide this type of service. FaxZero, FreePopFax and FreeFax.com are some examples. You can do a simple Google search for “free internet fax” to uncover multiple such providers. Do take note, however, that free fax services might come with some disadvantages. Most put their logo or an advertisement on the cover page of the fax. While this may not be a major problem for most users, it may appear a bit “unprofessional” if one is sending important business documents. Also, they have some restrictions as to the number of pages that a fax may contain and have a limited list of destination countries to which a free fax can be sent. Some companies which offer free faxing also provide a paid version of the service. For a small fee per fax, this can let you bypass some of the restrictions on destination countries and length of the fax, as well as removing any ads from the cover page of the fax.
In the event that you intend to send and receive faxes over the internet on a regular basis, it could be a good idea to sign up to a service provider which offers a more complete range of services. Companies such as eFax and RingCentral offer you a wide variety of features to make sending and receiving faxes online easy. You get your own local or toll-free fax number to receive faxes, which are then forwarded to your email or stored on their website for you to download. They also keep logs of faxes that were sent and some provide you with a program that lets you send faxes straight from applications on your computer, without the need to upload the documents to their site. Once again, there are plenty of such providers, and a quick Google search would allow you to visit their sites and compare prices and services.
In most cases, the monthly charge varies from $10 to $30 a month depending on the provider and features offered. This would allow you to receive an unlimited number of faxes and to send a certain amount of faxes per month, depending on the provider and service plans. In addition, many companies offer a free trial period during which you can test their service to send and receive faxes without paying the monthly service fee.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Fax, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.