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Your Complete Internet Fax GuideTable of Contents:What is Internet Fax (Quick Overview)1. Five Solid Reasons To Use An Internet Fax Service2. Internet FAQs - What You Need To Knowa. What is Internet or Online Fax?b. How Do I Send A Fax From My Computer?c. How Do I Receive A Fax On My Computer?d. How Does An eMail Fax Work?e. How Do I Read An Inbound Fax?f. Will Email Fax Work With My ISP?g. Is Fax To Email Private?h. How Are My Faxes Tracked?i. What Is Fax Broadcasting?j. What Is A "Junk Fax?"k. Is There a "No Fax List?"l. What File Types Can Be Used For Faxes?m. Can You Send Legal Size Faxes?n. Can I Use A Cover Sheet?o. Can I Add My Digital Signature To Faxes?p. How Do You Send An Email To Fax?q. Helpful Fax Forumsr. How Many Internet Fax Services Are There?s. How Much Does Internet Faxing Cost?t. Are Any Free Fax Services Really Free?3. History Of Internet Fax4. Going Green With Internet Fax5. Internet Fax Buying Guide6. Which Internet Fax Service Is Right For You?7.Using Internet Fax Comparison Charts To Find The Best Fax ServicePage 1 / 19
What Is Internet Fax?(Quick Overview)Internet fax is simply using the Internet and your emailsystem to send and receive your faxes. Since it is web based,you can send your faxes anytime anywhere, as long as youhave an Internet connection; and these days that's availablejust about everywhere.You sign up with an Internet fax service provider to getyour own fax number (local or toll free), which you usein the same manner as you would use any fax number.There is a small charge for this service but keep in mindyou do not need an extra phone line to do Internet faxingsince everything is computer based and done online.Many small and large business owners are switching overto Internet fax for some obvious advantages:-it is very convenientit is very fastit offers more privacyit is available wherever you have the Internetand many faxes can be sent/received simultaneously(no busy signals)Plus, there are no messy fax machines and no need for a secondphone line.One of the most asked questions about Internet fax relatesto the confusion over just how the whole thing works. Manytraditional fax users can't quite get their heads around theidea of using/having faxes without the traditional fax machine.Basically, you sign up with a fax service provider and getyour own fax number and you send/receive your faxes thruyour email system - your fax is attached to an email aseither a TIFF, PDF, JPEG or another common file format.You can access your faxes from an online interface (yourfax login site) where your faxes can be received and sent.You can also store your faxes online there.Many online fax services also have Desktop Applicationswhich you can place on your desktop or in your email carrier- when you need to send a fax, you just press this fax icon.What confuses most people who are not familiar with onlinefaxing is the question: can I still send my faxes to the oldtraditional machines, since many of my business partnersmay not be using Internet fax?The answer is YES!You can send your faxes to the old traditional fax machine;and if they have your fax number, they can still return a faxto you via the old traditional manner or fax machine.Here's how Internet fax works:You use a fax gateway or Internet fax provider/server tohandle your faxes. For example, say if you were sending a fax:Computer/Internet - Fax provider/server - Phone line- Fax machineYou use your computer and the Internet to log into youronline account/page to send your fax to your fax provider/server,which then uses the phone line to send your fax to the receivingfax machine. In many cases you can also use your email to senda fax.If you are receiving a fax:Fax machine - Phone line - Fax provider/server - Email message (thru Internet) - Your Email accountSomeone uses a fax machine to send you a fax which goesthru the phone line to your fax provider/server which convertsit into a TIFF or PDF file and sends you an email message withyour fax attached in your email.If both parties are using Internet fax, then your faxes canbe sent/received using your email systems over the Internet.Computer/email - Fax provider/server - Computer/emailGo Back To TopPage 2 / 19
What you really have to keep in mind, once you sign up foran Internet fax service you will have an online interface(login site) where you can send and receive your faxes.Then when you send or receive a fax, you get a confirmationin your web interface and/or by email.This offers some great advantages such as receiving andsending your faxes whenever and wherever you access theInternet. No more busy signals, no more messy fax machines,no more nosy workers seeing the contents of your fax, andno extra phone line. Plus, many faxes can be sent/receivedsimultaneously, even when your computer is turned off.No more missed faxes because your phone line was busy.What Is Fax Broadcasting?Another major advantage of Internet fax is Fax Broadcastingor sending out a fax to multiple numbers or clients. Becauseof the advanced technology behind Internet fax, sending outlarge volumes of faxes can be done quickly and easily. Thishas important implications for those doing online marketingand business - most services can be scaled up to meet yourcompany's growing needs.What are the major Online Fax Services?However, in order to get all these advantages you haveto sign up for an Internet fax service. There are manywell-known Internet fax providers such as MyFax, eFax ,RapidFax, TrustFax, RingCentral. and some very goodlesser-known faxing companies such as MetroFax out ofSeattle and Faxage out of Denver.How Much Does Internet Fax Cost?A word of caution, when signing up for any long-termbusiness service it pays to do your homework first.It pays to shop around mainly because even any smallsavings may prove significant over the long haul. Pricescan range from very cheap (under 20 a year) to around 10 - 15 a month, depending on the kind of serviceyou need. There are many different plans and services,and keep in mind, you will usually pay more for internationalfaxing.Internet fax seems to be the way of the future as moreand more businesses go online. Besides, as we becomemore and more modernized, computers are offering ussimple and convenient solutions to many of our dailytraditional business tasks such as faxing. Can yourbusiness or any company for that matter, really affordnot to take advantage of the benefits of Internet fax?Can you still remain competitive without Internet fax?It's your call?Go Back To TopPage 3 / 19
1. Five Solid Reasons To Use An Internet Fax ServiceOnline or Internet Fax Services are becoming extremely popularwith our ever increasingly mobile workplace and workforce. As webecome more mobile, we want the ability to receive and sendfaxes through our email and the Internet. It's as simple as that!Receive and send your faxes anywhere, anytime.Plus, you have no more paper jams, no more bulky fax machines,no more busy signals and no more return trips to the officeto retrieve that important fax at 10 o'clock at night!If you need more convincing about the advantages of using orswitching to an Internet Fax Service, here's a short list ofreasons: ConvenienceThere's a great deal of convenience to receiving and sendingyour faxes through your email. You can access it anywhereand anytime; wherever and whenever you access yourcomputer and the Internet.Your faxes are right at your fingertips - just one click away.You receive a local or toll-free fax number that you can giveout to all your contacts. You can also store all your faxesonline or on your computer's hard-drive, so you know exactlywhere your faxes are. You know exactly where to find thatimportant fax when you need it. No more scrambling throughfiles or garbage bends to find your faxes. No more missedfaxes because of busy signals, not to mention the decreasein all that foul language as there are no more paper jams. MobilityPerhaps, the most important feature or selling point forusing an Internet or email fax service is mobility. Sinceyou receive and send faxes through your email system andthe Internet you can access them anywhere, anytime.This is great for mobile professionals, traveling sales people,real estate agents, onsite builders, etc. Our workplaces andworkers are becoming very mobile at a very fast rate - just inthe last five or ten years we have seen the explosion in thepopularity of cell phones, PDAs, Wi-Fi, Wireless Broadband,and portable laptop computers. All these new technologieshave changed how we do business and how we communicate.Internet or email fax fits perfectly into this mix and givesus the means to take our work on the road. Easy To UseInternet fax is as easy as using your email. How hard canthat be? Most, if not all email fax providers have a WebInterface (online site) where you can log onto and do allyour faxing chores. Send and receive your faxes. Most faxservices also allow you to store your faxes online for easyaccess.Most Internet fax services will work with Windows Outlook andWindows Office. Some have free desktop applications that youcan download and place on your desktop which allows you tosend and receive your faxes.Finally, most services let you send a fax by just sendingan email, i.e. (destination number)@yourfaxservice.com - Itdoesn't get any easier than that. InexpensiveInternet fax can be very inexpensive, especially if you onlyhave modest faxing needs. If you send or receive just a fewfaxes each month you can purchase a very inexpensive monthlyor yearly plan from many of the major fax providers. Many ofthese Internet fax services have various plans and fees;Go Back To TopPage 4 / 19
finding one that matches your faxing needs can save you alot of money in the long run.Really modest fax users can get an Internet fax service fora few dollars a month. One of the major service providers,eFax will even let you have a Free account where you canreceive up to 20 faxes a month for free, but be aware youwill have to upgrade to a paid service to send faxes.For a person starting a home business or office, using anonline fax service will save you the extra cost of purchasinga fax machine and an extra phone line. Actually, onlinefaxing may save your company or organization around 85%on up front costs and 34% on monthly costs of traditionalfax servers. This is a great plus.Most online fax services are business-ready, and are completelyflexible and scalable to meet all your company's faxing requirements.Fax broadcasting to a large number of recipients can also be morecost-effective with these online services. There's usually specialcustom pricing for companies. CompatibilityLastly, in a world that's constantly changing, having a faxingsystem that's compatible to all the latest gadgets and gizmos,is more important than it may seem at first glance. As ourcommunication and business tools keep changing with theintroduction of new hardware and services, Internet or emailfax will work with all of these new inventions: Laptops, PDAs,Cell Phones, Wi-Fi, VoIP, Wireless Broadband, Satellite Internet,come what may.Choosing an Internet fax service will meet all your presentand future personal and business faxing needs. It is the rightchoice at the right time. Discover the advantages of an emailfax service for yourself. Easy to use, affordable, mobile,accessible and of course, compatible.2. Internet Fax FAQs - What you need to know.Here are the most frequently asked questions about Internet Fax:A - What Is Online or Internet Faxing?Internet or email fax is simply using your email systemand the Internet to receive and send your faxes.Anywhere. Anytime.Your faxes are sent as email attachments, usually ina TIFF, PDF, JPEG or GIF format.Major Plus - instead of a fax machine and an extraphone line; you use your email and an Internet FaxService Provider. Of course, most of these fax providerswill charge you a fee for their services. Also keep in mind,all these fax services have different plans and rates - so itpays to shop around and find the one best suited to fulfillyour faxing needs.B - How Do I Send A Fax From My Computer?Actually there are several ways to a fax from yourcomputer - basically you can "Do It Yourself" (DIY)since most if not all computer modems comes with a faxfunction or can be used as a fax modem.Go Back To TopPage 5 / 19
Your fax modem will fit into an internal PC slot whichthen connects to your telephone line thru a regulartelephone cable. You will need fax software (such as HotFaxMessage Center or WinFax Pro) to let you enter a destinationfax number and to manage your faxes, etc.Keep in mind, using the same fax system above you canset-up a "network fax server" to let all network userssend faxes as in an office environment. You will needextra software such as Captaris RightFax or ACCPAC FaxServeto do this.Second, perhaps the easier way is to sign-up for toInternet Fax Service Provider since you don't needto install any hardware or software.This Fax Service Provider will give you your ownfax number (local or toll-free) so that you canreceive and send faxes thru your email system.You will also get an online interface or sitewhere can store and track your faxes. You willalso be able to send and receive faxes from youronline fax site.Faxes are usually received as email attachmentsin TIF, PDF, JPEG. and other formats. Some faxproviders let you send your faxes as email links- where the receiver has to confirm receipt and showthey have opened the link or seen the fax. Aconfirmation email is send back to the sender.C - How Do I Receive A Fax On My Computer?If you have installed and you're using a fax modem andfax software on your computer you can receive faxes.Faxes are received thru a telephone line to your fax modem.If you're using an Internet Fax Service Provider thereis no need for the hardware or the software. You sign upfor a subscription and get your own fax number. Youreceive your faxes as email attachments, usually inTIF, PDF or a JPG format.You may need a fax viewer software in order to readyour faxes, although recent versions of Windows have abuilt-in fax reader. This Window's Fax Editor will alsolet you edit a fax, as well as let you switch betweendifferent fax pages. You can also zoom in and out.D - How Does An eMail Fax Work?Internet Fax works by using email. You receive and sendfaxes by using your email system and the Internet.First, you must set up a local or toll-free number with one ofthe Internet Fax Service Providers. You use this fax numberto receive and send faxes via email as attachments.Most, if not all, Internet Fax services will let you usea Web Interface (online site) to do your faxing. Or you canuse an email program like Windows Outlook. Many Internet FaxProviders also give you a free desktop application downloadthat you can place on your desktop to send and receivefaxes. Most will work with Windows Office Documents.You can access your faxes wherever you have the Internet,this is great for busy mobile professionals, onsite workers,business travelers or just the ordinary person on vacation.Go Back To TopPage 6 / 19
E - How Do I Read An Inbound Fax?Incoming or inbound faxes are delivered to you as anemail, with the fax as a file attachment. This fileattachment will usually be a TIF format file, or itcan be PDF, JPG or other formats.To view these File Attachments or faxes you will needa viewer. Most computers have an Adobe AcrobatReader which will read PDF files. Also, you should note,Windows has a built-in viewer, with the latest versionof Windows just double-clicking the file attachment willautomatically pop-up the Windows Fax Viewer. Then youcan then zoom in and out, move between the fax pages.Please note - most recommend that you NOT use anyGraphics program like Paint Shop Pro to read faxes.F - Will Email Fax Work With My ISP?Yes, provided you have set up an account with oneof the external fax service providers listed in thisguide or others. These fax services are well suitedto work with DSL, ADSL and ISDN Internet CableBroadband Connections.G - Is Fax To Email Private?No and Yes!While many Internet Fax Providers use SSL and PGP encryptionwhen sending your faxes and most email service providers arecompliant with privacy regulations as Gramm-Leach-Bliley &HIPAA in the United States and PIPEDA in Canada - you arestill using email and the Internet to send your faxes.While encryption does insure safe transmission, many faxservices will store your faxes online in their systems fora period of time - your faxes will be as safe or as privateas your Provider's security measures.Therefore, it is a good idea, if you're worried about sensitivefaxes - to delete these from any online storage system ASAP.Keep in mind, any online site, no matter how secure maybe hacked - including governments and banks, as youfrequently read about.If you're careful and take the right steps, email faxing canbe relatively safe. But you should also ask yourself, how safeor private are ordinary phone lines if you're faxing old school?Finally, if security is a real concern, you must ask whether ornot your fax provider can send encrypted/signed emails?Encryption ensures only you and the receiver sees your faxes.Many top brand companies do offer this encryption service soyou can make sure all your faxes are emailed in an encryptedformat.H - How Are My Faxes Tracked?Usually, your fax service provider will have a coupleof ways of notifying you about the success or failureof your fax. They will send you an email or you can loginto your Internet fax account and track the status ofyour fax.Go Back To TopPage 7 / 19
Many providers will also report to you the cost of eachfax you send.I - What Is Fax Broadcasting?Fax broadcasting is sending a fax out to a large groupof recipients at one time. Most Internet Fax providersoffer this service, especially to businesses or organizationsthat have to send a document to a large group of contacts,such as in Company Newsletters and Press Releases.You can also use your email contact list to send a Fax Broadcast.J - What is a "Junk Fax?"Similar to spam - it is any unwanted communications ormaterial transmitted via fax - advertising goods, products,or services without the receiver's prior expressed permissionto receive such faxes. One of the best resources to stopunwanted or junk faxes is:http://www.junkfax.orgK - Is there a "4o Fax List?"There is no one "Master List" but you can add your fax numberto certain lists that will cut your unwanted faxes considerably.Keep in mind, any legitimate Internet Fax Provider will removeor block your fax number from any unwanted lists or unwanted faxes.So as well as removing your fax number from a particular merchant,also request the Fax Service Provider associated with the unwantedfax sender to remove or block your fax number.This link will help:http://www.junkfax.org/fax/action/stop.htmlL - What File Types Can Be Used For Faxes?The most common Internet Fax format or extension isTIFF (Tagged Image File) format but other popular onesare Acrobat PDF, JPEG/JPG and GIF.However the list of fax formats that can be convertedfor faxing is quite large - you should always check withyour own Internet Fax Service Provider to see which formatsthey use for faxing or which can be converted for faxing.For example, here's a list of formats or file extensionsthat can be converted for faxing:This list is courtesy of TrustFax:Adobe Acrobat version 1.0 - 6.0, PDFAdobe Framemaker version 6, MIFAdobe Photoshop version 4, PSDASCII Text, ASCBitmap, BMPGo Back To TopPage 8 / 19
Corel Draw version 6.0 - 8.0, CDRCorel/Novell Quattro Pro version 1.0 - 10Corel/Novell Word Perfect version 1.0 - 10, WPDGEM Paint, IMGGraphics Interchange Format, GIFHpertext Markup Language, HTM HTMLIBM Picture Interchange Format version 1, PIFJoint Photographic Experts, JPG JPEG JPEKodak Flash PIX, FPXKodak Photo CD version 1.0, PCDLotus 1-2-3 version 1.0 - 5.0, WK1
Internet fax is simply using the Internet and your email system to send and receive your faxes. Since it is web based, you can send your faxes anytime anywhere, as long as you . Seattle and Faxage out of Denver. How Much Does Internet Fax C
