2. Facsimile (Fax)

A Fax (short for facsimile) machine transmits an image copy of written and graphical information via the telephone network.  It works in a similar way to a photocopier, except the copy is transmitted to a distant machine via the telephone network. It normally only deals with A4 or American Letter sized paper.

Example fax message: this one is an order we received in 2017, so the fax is still very popular because it allows paper orders to be filled in then sent as a fax

A fax machine contains an optical scanner. This converts whatever appears on the paper sheet being fed into it into a black and white digital file. The fax also contains a modem to send this digital file over the standard telephone system.

Because the file is monochrome, you should ensure that the sheet contains high contrast material - for instance a red logo with green text would most likely just end up as a solid black block. The resolution is fairly low so expect the crisp laser-quality input sheet to come out the other end with a much poorer quality. Don't expect to send high quality images over a fax machine.

Each Fax machine has a telephone number, this may or may not be shared with a standard telephone. The cost of sending a fax is exactly the same as a normal telephone call of the same duration.

Faxes are widely used in business offices because they make it very easy to

• transmit invoices,
• orders
• rough drawings
• copies of contracts
• hand drawn sketches

You can also receive faxes as an email attachment if you pay for the service. The person sending it uses their normal fax machine and dials the correct telephone number. Then the telecom company converts the incoming fax into a pdf file that is then emailed to the correct inbox. It is called a fax-to-email service.