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Fax explained

Sending a fax over the internet: the four methods

There are four ways to send a fax without a dedicated line. They do not cost the same, do not leave the same trace, and do not suit the same uses.

Short answer

Four methods coexist: a web service like this one, an email-to-fax gateway, the fax option of a telephone carrier, or an adapter box wired to a router. The first needs neither contract nor hardware; the other three assume a subscription or equipment.

The most direct method, in four steps

  1. 1

    Prepare the document

    A PDF, pages in order, text legible in black on white. Colour fills and photographs travel badly: the transmission knows only black or white.

  2. 2

    Place the call

    The number is written in the local format of the target country. A malformed international prefix is the leading cause of routing failure.

  3. 3

    Let the gateway negotiate

    It calls, agrees on a speed with the remote machine, then transmits page after page. A busy line triggers a retry.

  4. 4

    Keep the report

    The report arrives by email. It is the report, not the PDF, that attests delivery: file it with the case.

What the comparisons leave out

An email-to-fax gateway routes the document through a mailbox, and therefore through a mail server that keeps a copy. For a medical or judicial item, that intermediate copy changes the nature of the risk — a web service that retains nothing after transmission never creates it.

Frequently asked questions

Which method costs the least?
A free web service charges nothing per transmission. A carrier option is billed as a monthly plan, and an adapter box is paid for on purchase and then on the line. The arithmetic tips at a few dozen transmissions a month.
Is internet faxing less reliable?
No, provided the gateway speaks T.38. Delivery becomes fragile again when an analogue machine is wired to a router, because the signal then undergoes two successive conversions.
Can it reach other countries?
Yes, where the destination is served. The international prefix must precede the national number stripped of its leading zero.

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