Internet Fax

To use an Internet fax service, a subscriber signs up for a small monthly fee and is assigned a fax number. When a fax is sent to the subscriber's number, the service accepts the fax, turning it into a file that is forwarded to the subscriber's existing email address.

To send an Internet fax, the subscriber creates an email. The fax content can be written in the body of the email, and attachments are normally permitted. The destination fax number is entered in the "To" field, along with "@" and the Internet fax service name.

A small toolbar, available for download from the Internet fax service, is used as a plug-in inside the email program. Clicking on the "Send" button on the toolbar sends the email to the Internet fax service. Upon receipt, an automated program converts the email to a fax format, then faxes to the number supplied in the "To" header. The recipient receives the fax normally, through his or her fax machine.

This service can be very convenient. Of the many advantages, your assigned fax number is active 24 hours a day, so that your account can accept faxes around the clock. Contrast this with using a fax machine, which relies on your phone system being free to accept a fax. For those that use one phone line for fax, telephone, and dial-up, an Internet fax service is especially handy. Internet fax services also save paper and fax toner, and do not rely on a serviceable fax machine. All faxes are sent and received as files.