If you only need to fax a document occasionally, you may well be wondering how to fax without a fax machine. There's no need to spend your money and take up your office space by having a fax machine. You can easily send a fax online using your email address and an online fax provider.

How to Fax Without a Fax Machine

Sending a fax without a machine is as easy as sending an email. All you need is an email address and an online fax provider. Just follow these simple steps and your fax document will be on its way in no time.

Get an Email Address

If you don't already have an email address, then getting one is very easy. There are lots of email providers available, and most of them are free. Just do a quick online search and you will easily find your options.

You can choose your username, so your email address will be personal to you. If you already have an email address, you might like to set up a new one just for faxing. Make sure you have decided which email address you are going to use before you choose your online fax provider.

Sign up for an Online Fax Provider

Before you can send a fax from your email address, you will need to choose an online fax provider. This service will receive your document via email and forward it to your recipient as a fax. Your recipient doesn't need a fax machine, either. They can receive the document as an email if they have an online fax provider.

There are plenty of providers to choose from, and various payment plans are available. How much you pay will determine how many faxes you can send and receive, so you can choose a package that suits your needs. Some providers offer a free trial so you can make sure you've chosen the right package before you commit.

Get a Fax Number

Your online fax provider will give you a fax number so that you can receive faxes via email as well as send them. You can choose between a toll-free number and a local number, so weigh up the pros and cons and decide which is best for you.

Some of the packages available will provide you with more than one fax number. This can be very useful if you have a business and would like some of your employees to have their own numbers.

Work Out the Fax Address for Your Recipient

When you're sending a fax from your email address, you need a little more than just the fax number. When you signed up with your online fax provider, they will have given you their domain name. The fax number and this domain name are combined to create a fax address.

The fax address looks just like an email address. The fax number makes up the first part, and the domain name comes after the @. As an example, if the fax number is 800-555-1111 and the domain name is faxexample, the fax address will be 8005551111@faxexample.com. 

Compose and Send Your Fax

Composing a fax is just like composing an email. The fax address for your recipient is entered where you would usually put the email address. You can give your fax a title by entering it in the subject bar, and you can include a cover letter by typing it in the main text body of the email composer. A title and cover letter are useful to introduce your document to the recipient.

The fax document itself is added as an attachment. This is usually a PDF file, but most file types are supported. You can attach multiple documents if you need to and they will all be received as a single fax. Now hit send, and your document is on its way to the recipient.

Receive a Fax to your Email Address

If you need to receive a fax without a machine, you can have it sent to your email inbox through your online fax provider.

Just give your fax number to the sender. Any faxes sent to your number will arrive in your inbox, just like an email, with the document as an attachment. You can then open it, print it, or forward it as you need to.

It really is that simple to fax using your email. Go ahead and send a fax now and see for yourself. Once you've chosen an online fax provider, it's as easy as sending an email. Test Drive Our #1 Recommended Choice!