With a Fax machine it is easy to send documents over phone lines.
Faxing is a faster option than regular mail and an affordable
alternative to overnight
delivery. A fax machine scans each outgoing page and converts
the images into a series of light and dark dots. This pattern
is then translated into audio tones and sent over regular phone
lines. The receiving fax machine "hears" the tones, pieces the
grid together, and prints the total compilation of dots. What
you get are black and white copies of the original pages. When
buying a fax machine, look into the following:
- Look for a model with the lowest available power level
in "sleep" mode, because most fax machines are in standby
mode most of the time.
- Consider a fax machine that scans duplex (two-sided)
originals; this avoids the need to recopy a two-sided
document before faxing it. Some models also offer two-to-one
image reduction for incoming faxes; this reduces transmission
time and saves paper.
- Make sure that the power management features of
your fax machine have been "enabled."
- To save on both paper and energy, use stick-on labels
in place of a separate cover sheet for outgoing faxes.
- Consider using waste paper with one blank side
for receiving faxes.
- Sending speed: Fax machines with higher sending
speeds, though more expensive, will often pay for themselves
in reduced phone charges. The majority of fax machines transmit
at speeds of 9,600 or 14,400 bits per second (bps). Faxing
at 9,600 bps takes 15 to 60 seconds per page. A transmission
standard called V.17 helps send faxes at 14,400 bps, reducing
the sending time for a single page to six to 10 seconds.
- Data compression protocols reduce the time it
takes to send a page by describing it with a minimum amount
of data. You can reduce transmission costs by buying a machine
with advanced data compression protocols. Virtually all
fax machines are equipped with a basic compression protocol
called Modified Huffman, or MH. However, machines equipped
with the more advanced Modified Read (MR) or Modified Modified
Read (MMR) protocols can send documents as much as 25 percent
faster.
- You can choose from a few types of fax printing technologies:
Thermal printing uses a small heating
element within the machine to mark heat-sensitive paper.
It has a few drawbacks. Because they're stored on rolls,
all your faxes will be on curled paper. The waxy coating
on the paper is hard to write on, and the ink fades with
time. And if the paper is exposed to too much heat, it will
darken completely.
Inkjet: The least expensive types of
plain-paper fax machines print using inkjets. Although very
slow, inkjets produce relatively crisp text. The drawback
is that it takes time to print out the text.
Laser: A more expensive
type of plain-paper fax uses a laser or LED (light emitting
diode) printing engine. It produces high-quality images
with toner on plain paper. Laser/LED printing is quite reliable,
with few service needs beyond toner and paper. However,
they are much more expensive than thermal or inkjet machines.
- Memory lets a fax machine store incoming or outgoing
pages without relying on paper. The amount of memory required
to hold a page depends on the density of the image. In general,
however, you can expect 512 kilobytes to hold about 20 to
25 pages. There are three common types of memory features:
Out-of-paper reception. This is one of the
most useful memory features because this saves incoming faxes
in memory if the machine runs out of paper.
Quick scan. With this feature, you can scan
a page into memory before beginning a transmission. The advantage
is that you don't have to wait at the machine until it finishes
sending the original.
Dual scan. This capability uses
memory to let you send and receive faxes at the same time. For
example, you can scan an outgoing fax into memory while a fax
is being received. The scanned fax is then sent directly from
memory when the phone line becomes free.
- Multifunctional devices: Many fax machines can
be connected to a computer to serve as a printer and/or
a computer scanner.
- Legal-sized faxes: Firms that receive faxes on
legal-sized paper should look for a machine with two paper
drawers. This will allow legal- and letter-sized faxes to
be printed on the appropriately sized pages without switching
paper trays.
- Service contracts: If you expect to receive more
than 50 faxed pages per day, make sure you have a service
contract in case of a breakdown.
- Incoming fax pages: Some fax machines print the
pages of incoming faxes last page first. This means, you'll
have to rearrange the pages in the correct order before
reading. If you find this bothersome, don't get a machine
with this feature.
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