September 15, 2021  |   

It's getting harder and less convenient to locate a fax machine as everyone has largely moved toward using email or online services to exchange information. However, there are a number of industries, like banking, healthcare, and real estate, that still routinely use faxes to send and receive documents. Luckily, there are a vast number of apps available now that will allow you to send a fax from your email.

Save Time with No-Hassle Faxing from Email

The beautiful thing about accessing fax service via your email is that you can do it from your smartphone or from your desktop computer. No need to trudge down the hall to the copy room or drive to town to the copy center.

Fax service through your email is simple to set up and very affordable. Once you have established service, it's as easy as sending an email.

How Does It Work?

Fax technology and web technology are two different things. They speak different languages and can't understand each other. Online fax services are, effectively, translators. They take the information you want to send, repackage it into something the recipient will understand, and send it to the right place.

This is why you can't just fax directly from your phone. Your phone functions using a different system from fax machines, and they don't understand each other.

What Does It Cost?

Bear in mind that there is infrastructure and maintenance required for this translation process to work. You need software to handle the interpretation and support to ensure it's reliable. There aren't any truly free online fax services.

Some companies offer an introductory set of free faxes, others offer a trial period or support through ads. Generally, you'll either pay a per-fax fee or a monthly subscription fee. Often there are tiers depending on usage, where you'll pay significantly more for high volume, and there is a low-priced option for your average casual user.

How Do I Get a Fax Number?

Your fax service will assign you a fax number, which will be associated with your email and any incoming faxes would be directed to that number. Often, you can choose your number from a pool of options or opt for a toll-free number for convenience.

How Do I Send a Fax?

Once you have your email linked to your fax number, all you have to do is attach your documents to an email. Then, you'll address the email to the destination fax number using your online fax service's protocol.

Generally, you'll use the destination number at your online fax domain. For example, let's say you want to fax to 888-444-5555. You'd address your email to “8884445555@yourfaxdomain.com.”

The recipient will receive the fax exactly the same way they receive a fax from a landline fax machine.

How Do I Receive a Fax?

Anyone who wants to send you a fax will send it to your assigned fax number exactly as they normally would.

You'll receive incoming faxes to your email inbox, clearly marked as incoming fax transmissions. Often, you can opt to have notifications sent as text messages to your phone so you don't have to keep checking if you're waiting on an important document.

You can streamline your business communication by handling your faxes from email. It saves you the time and hassle of dealing with extra physical documents and separate equipment. One of our favorite online fax services is aFax. You can sign up for an account and send your first fax through your email in less than five minutes. Visit aFax today to get your email fax line set up today.