Desktop Fax Machines vs Internet Fax Services: What's Right for Your Office?

Sending a fax was once the fastest method for getting printed materials from one place to another. Now, in the Internet age, faxin has a lot of competition in the form of email attachments, websites, and software - but it still plays an important role in business communication, particularly when it comes to official documents with signatures, notary stamps or other legal certification.

Fax technology has come a long way from the first simple fax machines. For instance, web-based fax services including eFax, MyFax and CallWave let you do all your faxing with email and secure websites. Incoming faxes are sent directly to your email account, and outgoing faxes can be sent out as email attachments as well. In addition to providing paperless convenience, online fax services save you a lot of space you'd otherwise need for a bulky fax machine.

Another selling point of online fax services is that they allow you to set up your own dedicated local or toll-free fax number, so you won't tie up your existing phone line when faxing. And because your faxes will be stored on a secure website, you'll be able view them from any computer with Internet access.

If you're in the market for a fax machine, the most innovative models offer a number of functions in one. Manufacturers such as Brother, Canon, and Sharp offer machines with functions including copiers, printers and scanners in addition to fax capabilities. So you'll be able to scan in a document, print out a high-quality copy, save the file to your computer, and then send it out by fax, all with a single machine. Equally impressive, these multi-function machines won't cost you much more than a stand-alone laser printer or desktop copier.

Once you've selected the fax solution that suits your needs best, you're just a few clicks away from great deals on shopping sites like Amazon and eBay, and affordable online services such as eFax, MyFax and CallWave. With the power of the web at your fingertips, finding the right fax system has never been easier!