Anyone still using FAX?

I've researched it a bit. The cheapest way to receive (only) faxes seems to be to subscribe to a VOIP service that offers fax-to-email as an option. I forget the cost, but it's quite low (much cheaper than a dedicated phone line). You may or may not be able to port your current number, if that's important to you.

When we got Verizon FiOS a few years ago, we dropped the old modem line that we used for the fax. Sales told us that a distinctive ring on a single incoming phone line (dialed with a separate phone number) would be fine for fax. Problem we found was that there were very few fax machines that could decode a distinctive ring and add-on fax/phone management boxes were as expensive as a fax... Consequently, we canned the fax at home and I use the fax from my office when required. I was looking at a few software based fax programs but haven't settled on any yet. I have a flatbed scanner that I use for documents and can be used with a fax program; just tedious for multi sheet documents. Nothing beats a good scanner with automatic document feeder if you have the money for it...

We had a demo of a fax program and never bought it. Worked OK though. It was not set to run automatically. We ran the fax program when we had to send something of if someone called and told us to expect a fax. On the odd occasion when we answered the phone and heard a modem, hang up, start the fax program and wait for the sending fax to redial.

Regards, Oppie

20 miles North of NYC where it's snowing

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

It depends on who you're doing business with, but purchasing departments still LOVE faxing paper PO's around. A very few can send them out as PDF's in E-mail, and a couple have PO's integrated into their E- commerce systems (even letting me invoice over their system.)

Yes... but mine has a delay of several minutes and that doesn't work when a PO is faxed and they call 10 seconds later and ask "did you get it?".

Tim.

I have a few customers who still insist on faxed PO's :-(

I guess I could go to manual receive and count on people calling first.

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

Obama is about to make Herbert Hoover look like a financial genius

We've been using eFax.com for years at our small company, and I find it's just great. I don't know how much it is per month, though. $10-15, I'm sure.

There is a free fax website for send> On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:47:49 -0800 (PST), Tim Shoppa

=A0 =A0 ...Jim Thompson

=A0 | =A0 =A0mens =A0 =A0 |

=A0 | =A0 =A0 et =A0 =A0 =A0|

=A0|

=A0 =A0 =A0 |

We still get purchase orders, and the occasional legal doc, by fax. Some want them signed and fax'd back. We probably average a few sheets per day. I did a heap of faxing when I bought the cabin in the mountains last year, all that real estate junk.

John

. . JT ..

I have successfully moved one of the largest companies in the country directly from "overnight document delivery service with a wet signature" requirements to scanned .pdfs that are "digitally signed" with a scanned copy of my "wet" signature imbedded into the secure digital signature routine.

Every Adobe Acrobat Pro from 6.0 on has this feature, to imbed a scanned signature into their secure digital signing routine and it supposedly is as acceptable to a legal level equal to a faxed signature.

You might want to move your "customers that demand a faxed PO" into the 19th century by showing them how much money they can save and at the same time have limitless copies of the document for all departments that need that document without having to make copy machine hard copies.

Fax is moving into the same place we store our model 33 teletype machine.

Jim

--
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought 
without accepting it."
        --Aristotle


"Jim Thompson"  wrote in 
message news:2rt0o4da9jajvn2lg8sacv0bhvvlf1q9m4@4ax.com...
> I\'m thinking of dumping my FAX-dedicated phone line.
>
> Haven\'t received a FAX since October, or sent one in more than 40
> days.
>
> Anyone successfully using an on-line faxing service?
>
>                                        ...Jim Thompson

I can sign a PDF'd PO, scan it, and E-mail it back.

How is faxing more accurate?

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
 I love to cook with wine     Sometimes I even put it in the food

Then, one fine and sunny day, the Internet goes on the fritz and you have to get an NDA or consulting agreement executed prontissimo because the client is in dire need. BTDT (my Internet was fine but theirs was out). Boy was I glad that I always keep one fax machine plus a spare.

Nah, just hit the receive button on your fax software when you hear "beeeeep ... bip ... bip ... bip ... shhhhhhhhhhh".

My multi-function thingie here in the office is even better. It listens in on the phone line and when it detects an incoming fax it'll take over. If I am not there and it ain't a fax it passes things on to the answering machine. Sweet. I could also press star-something if I answered a call in the lab and it fails to pick up. But it hasn't yet. Possibly fax software and modem/fax cards can be set up in a similar fashion.

If you have international clients like I do then it kind of has to operate that way. Unless you want to do a mad dash to the home office at

3:30am but you'd have to be able to make it from the bed to the fax machine in a few seconds.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

Well, I have a fax machine on my main line, so if they fax and I answer, the fax machine will pick it up. I just have to hang up when its ready. Works for me!

Charlie

And you keep a horse and buggy around for the one day in five years your car won't start in the morning? THat's a hell of a lot of wasted oats.

What's wrong with running the thing down to Staples or Office Depot and paying the $2 or 3 for that one time in a hundred thousand that you need to do a fax when the 'net fails?

Jim

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Sending FAXes from your PC works reasonably well, assuming it's just an occasional sort of thing.

This is what my wife uses:

... $1/mo, people FAX to a "regular" FAX machine with its own phone number, and it just shows up in your e-mail.

---Joel

I've got Acrobat 7.1.0, so I'll look into that.

Presently, for those sending and accepting PDF's, I simply paste an image of my signature onto the PDF.

Works except for those who screw with the background transparency.

Then I have to physically sign and re-scan :-(

Yep. I'm tempted to just kill the fax line and wait until someone squawks.

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
 I love to cook with wine     Sometimes I even put it in the food

There's a shop a 1/2 mile from here with a fax machine.

Even Safeway has a fax ;-)

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
 I love to cook with wine     Sometimes I even put it in the food

Does it trigger on the polling tone?

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
 I love to cook with wine     Sometimes I even put it in the food

You'd think that if they're really in such dire need they'd be willing to trust you for a day not to disclose any of their top-secret goodies anyway, you know? Your word is your bond and all that...

Almost. We do have a Pony Express station here :-)

Keeping an office fax-ready is a piece of cake. I need a scanner anyhow and all I had to do was buy a machine that can also fax. Didn't cost more. PCs with the exception of newer laptops almost always have a modem card with fax capability. Takes a 15 minute one-time effort to set up, very well spent time. But if you procrastinate and then hear the "beeep ... shhhh" on the phone it's too late to fumble through the manuals and configure it.

As the scouts say, be prepared. And yes, there is also a fully charged lead-acid battery in the garage with an inverter and so on. Call me paranoid but that has helped us more than once during a power outage.

It is quite a drive from here and my time is not free. Also, it is not one in 100,000. Many attorneys insist that some of the stuff be faxed, not scanned and emailed. Same with, for example, my CPA. He will not file anything electronically until there is a fresh and _faxed_ authorization from here. They pretty much all work like that. Ok, I could also mail it or hop onto the horse and ride over ...

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

Not in this here town. At least not for public use. I have often been asked by neighbors whether I can fax this, that or the other thing. They all ditched their machines and then an attorney insisted on fax. "S..t! Let's hope Joerg is home ..."

[...]

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

They do, but often they are contractually bound by a large corporation or a government agency. Trying to change procedure under that constellation is the same as kicking a huge oak tree ;-)

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.