Facsimile Machines

April 13, 2006

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The ability of facsimile (fax) machines to instantly send and receive documents have made them fixtures in the modern office. Contracts, orders, letters, and other time-sensitive documents that businesses previously sent by courier or next-day delivery services can now be transmitted over the telephone lines at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time.

Of course, whether you in fact need a fax machine is really dependent on the nature of your business. If you don't envision sending or receiving a lot of faxes, you may be better off finding a local package depot, copy shop, or other business that provides facsimile services. Or, if you expect that you'll primarily be faxing documents created on your computer, a fax/modem may adequately meet your needs.

In assessing your need for a fax machine, keep in mind that communicating by fax is now a favored method of doing business in most quarters. Accordingly, you should consider whether the lack of a fax machine will adversely affect your dealings with customers, suppliers, and others who may be accustomed to doing business by fax.

If you're going to have a fax machine and you depend on not missing any phone calls, you probably should have a two-line telephone system. This is because if you have only one line, no one will be able to get through to speak to you while the fax machine is sending or receiving.