Internet Fax FAQs

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Internet Fax FAQs - What you need to know...

Here are the most frequently asked questions about Internet Fax:

What is Internet Fax? Internet or email fax is simply using your email system and the Internet to receive and send your faxes. Anywhere. Anytime. Major Plus - instead of a fax machine and an extra phone line; you use your email and an Internet Fax Service Provider. Some Internet Fax Services are MyFax, eFax, RapidFAX, Send2Fax, TrustFax, Metrohispeed, Faxage... of course, most of these fax providers will charge you a fee for their services. Also keep in mind, all these fax services have different plans and rates - so it pays to shop around and find the one best suited to fulfill your faxing needs.

How do I send a fax from my computer? Actually there are several ways to a fax from your computer - basically you can "Do It Yourself" (DIY) since most if not all computer modems comes with a fax function or can be used as a fax modem. Your fax modem will fit into an internal PC slot which then connects to your telephone line thru a regular telephone cable. You will need fax software (such as HotFax Message Center or WinFax Pro) to let you enter a destination fax number and to manage your faxes, etc. Keep in mind, using the same fax system above you can set-up a "network fax server" to let all network users send faxes as in an office environment. You will need extra software such as Captaris RightFax or ACCPAC FaxServe to do this. Second, perhaps the easier way is to sign-up for to Internet Fax Service Provider since you don't need to install any hardware or software. This Fax Service Provider will give you your own fax number (local or toll-free) so that you can receive and send faxes through your email system. You will also get an online interface or site where can store and track your faxes. You will also be able to send and receive faxes from your online fax site. Faxes are usually received as email attactments in TIFF, PDF, JPEG... and other formats. Some fax providers let you send your faxes as email links - where the receiver has to confim receipt and show they have opened the link or seen the fax. A confirmation email is send back to the sender.

How do I receive a fax on my computer? If you have installed and you're using a fax modem and fax 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 there is no need for the hardware or the software. You sign up for a subscription and get your own fax number. You receive your faxes as email attachments, usually in TIFF, PDF or a JPG format. You may need a fax viewer software in order to read your faxes, although recent versions of Windows have a built-in fax reader. This Window's Fax Editor will also let you edit a fax, as well as let you switch between different fax pages. You can also zoom in and out.

How Does An eMail Fax Work? Internet Fax works by using email. You receive and send faxes by using your email system and the Internet. First, you must set up a local or toll-free number with one of the Internet Fax Service Providers. You use this fax number to receive and send faxes via email as attachments. Most, if not all, Internet Fax services will let you use a Web Interface (online site) to do your faxing. Or you can use an email program like Windows Outlook. Many Internet Fax Providers also give you a free desktop application download that you can place on your desktop to send and receive faxes. 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.

How do I read an inbound fax? Incoming or inbound faxes are delivered to you as an email, with the fax as a file attachment. This file attachment will usually be a TIFF format file, or it can be PDF, JPG or other formats. To view these File Attachments or faxes you will need a viewer. Most computers have an Adobe Acrobat Reader which will read PDF files. Also, you should note, Windows has a built-in viewer, with the lastest version of Windows just double-clicking the file attachment will automatically pop-up the Windows Fax Viewer. Then you can then zoom in and out, move between the fax pages... Please note - most recommend that you NOT use any Graphics program like Paint Shop Pro to read faxes.

Will email fax work with my ISP? Yes, provided you have set up an account with one of the external fax service providers listed in this guide or others. These fax services are well suited to work with DSL, ADSL and ISDN Internet Cable Broadband Connections.

Is fax to email Private? No and Yes! While many Internet Fax Providers use SSL and PGP encryption when sending your faxes and most email service providers are compliant with privacy regulations as Gramm-Leach-Bliley & HIPAA in the United States and PIPEDA in Canada - you are still using email and the Internet to send your faxes. While encryption does insure safe transmission, many fax services will store your faxes online in their systems for a period of time - your faxes will be as safe or as private as your Provider's security measures. Therefore, it is a good idea, if you're worried about sensitive faxes - to delete these from any online storage system ASAP. Keep in mind, any online site, no matter how secure may be hacked - including governments and banks, as you frequently read about. If you're careful and take the right steps, email faxing can be relatively safe. But you should also ask yourself, how safe or private are ordinary phone lines if you're faxing old school? Finally, if security is a real concern, you must ask whether or not 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 so you can make sure all your faxes are emailed in an encrypted format.

How are my faxes Tracked? Usually, your fax service provider will have a couple of ways of notifying you about the success or failure of your fax. They will send you an email or you can log into your Internet fax account and track the status of your fax. Many providers will also report to you the cost of each fax you send.

What is Fax Broadcasting? Fax broadcasting is sending a fax out to a large group of recipients at one time. Most Internet Fax providers offer this service, especially to businesses or organizations that have to send a document to a large group of contacts, such as in Company Newsletters and Press Releases. You can use your email contact list to send a Fax Broadcast.

What is a "Junk Fax"? Similiar to spam - it is any unwanted communications or material transmitted via fax advertising goods, products, or services without the receiver's prior expressed permission to receive such faxes. One of the best resources to stop unwanted or junk faxes is: http://www.junkfax.org

Is there a "No Fax List"? There is no one "Master List" but you can add your fax number to certain lists that will cut your unwated faxes considerably. Keep in mind, any legitimate Internet Fax Provider will remove or 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 unwanted fax sender to remove or block your fax number. This link will help: http://www.junkfax.org/fax/action/stop.html

What File Types can be used for faxes? The most common Internet Fax format or extension is TIFF (Tagged Image File) format but other popular ones are Acrobat PDF, JPEG/JPG and GIF. However the list of fax formats that can be converted for faxing is quite large - you should always check with your own Internet Fax Service Provider to see which formats they use for faxing or which can be converted for faxing. For example, here's a list of formats or file extensions that can be converted for faxing: This list is curesty of TrustFax: Adobe Acrobat version 1.0 - 6.0, PDF Adobe Framemaker version 6, MIF Adobe Photoshop version 4, PSD ASCII Text, ASC Bitmap, BMP Corel Draw version 6.0 - 8.0, CDR Corel/Novell Quattro Pro version 1.0 - 10 Corel/Novell Word Perfect version 1.0 - 10, WPD GEM Paint, IMG Graphics Interchange Foramt, GIF Hpertext Markup Language, HTM HTML IBM Picture Interchange Format version 1, PIF Joint Photographic Experts, JPG JPEG JPE Kodak Flash PIX, FPX Kodak Photo CD version 1.0, PCD Lotus 1-2-3 version 1.0 - 5.0, WK1 WK3 WK4 WKS MacPaint, PNTG Micrografx Designer version 1.0 - 3.1 Micrografx Designer version 6, DRW Micrografx Draw Draw version 1.0 - 4.0, DRW Microsoft Access version 1.0 - 2.0 Microsoft Binder version 7.0 - 97, OBD Microsoft Excel Charts version 2.x - 7.0, XLS XLC XLT XLW (verify the converted file prior to faxing to ensure that Excel page breaks don't make additional fax pages) Microsoft Excel version 2.2 - 2003, XLS Microsoft Outlook Message, text only MSG Microsoft PowerPoint version 3.0 - 2003, PPT PPS Microsoft Project verison 98 text only Microsoft Rich Text Format, RFT Microsoft Word, DOC Microsoft Works for Windows version 1.0 - 40, WPS Paint Shop Pro Win32 only version 5.0 - 6.0, PSP PC Paintbrush, PCX Portable BitMap, PBM Portable Grayscale, PGM Portable Network Graphics version 1, PNG Postscript Level II, PS Tagged Image File version 1.0 - 6, TIF TIFF Text Mail, MIME Visio version 5, VSD Windows Enhanced Metafile, EMF Windows Metafile, WMF WordPerfect Graphics version 1.0 - 2.0, WPG WordStar 2000 version 1.0 - 3.0, DOC

Can you send Legal Size faxes? Yes, most online fax services allow you to send legal size size documents. Most will retain the original size of your document - this is usually done automatically - both to detect the size and keep it the same.

Can I use a CoverSheet? Yes, you can send a fax with or without a coversheet. Most companies will allow you to add your own custom coverpage and let you modifly your CSID - this is the caller ID on the fax page. In most cases you create a standard coversheet with all your information and contact details which is keep on file in your online fax account. If you want to send a lone fax just click the ""Send without coversheet" box or button. Again, just check with your own fax service provider to find out the precise procedure for creating your coversheet.

Can I add my Digital Signature to faxes? Yes, your digitized signature can be saved as an image and this image can be applied to your document or fax. Most providers have this feature in their control panels and you can send out your fax with your signature added.

How do you send an Email to Fax? In most cases, in order to send a fax thru your email you simply enter the fax number you want dialed as a prefix in an email to your Fax Provider account - i.e. recipient's phone number@yourfaxcompany.com. For example, 1234567890@yourfaxcompany.com will deliver a fax to the number 1234567890.

How much does Internet Fax Cost? Perhaps the most important questions you have to ask concerns the cost or price of your online faxing. Is there a set-up cost? Some companies do charge a small set-up fee; most don't. The individual fax companies all have different plans and fees... so it pays to shop around... most services go for around $10-$15 a month. Heavier volume faxing will be more expensive. A yearly subscription can be bought for around $20 - $30 a year from certain providers. You must always check to see how many faxes you can send and/or receive each month with your particular subscription? Each company is different and keep in mind, you will be charged more for international faxes. Remember, as general rule of thumb, page calculations are done based on fax time. With the 60 second per page limit as standard. Most faxes are less than 40 seconds, but faxes with large graphics can be counted as two or more pages. Some fax providers base their fax rates on a per/minute fee... at 5 cents a minute. In figuring out the costs of Internet faxing you also have to remember, with online faxing you don't have the cost of a fax machine, nor the cost of a second phone line. Plus, you don't have ink, toner and paper costs. Overall, Internet Faxing is a very viable alternative to the old fax machine. It offers some very distinct advantages because it is completely mobile, you can send your faxes anytime, anywhere. And since it is computer and Internet based it can be much more effecient than the old fax machine.

Are free fax services Really Free? Be very cautious of free Internet Fax providers, many times it is free only to receive faxes - you will have to pay to send them. Or you will have to use their company's fax viewer which may be supported with advertising. This free service may be worth your while if you only receive a few faxes in a month but you usually get what you pay for. Remember, if your faxing needs are very modest, you can pay a very small yearly amount to get faxing services for yourself or your business.

What is Online Faxing?

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