HOW TO FAX FROM YOUR COMPUTER

HOW TO FAX FROM YOUR COMPUTER, written by John Kinses, Presales Engineer, Solutions Specialist at Discovery Office Systems

Sharing business documents has never been simpler. With the advent of “smart devices,” - such as phones and tablets - scanners and cloud based file sharing services the fax machine is slowly becoming an office dinosaur. However, knowing how to fax from a computer is still, at times, a necessary skill for office workers. 

In today’s office environment faxing is often performed not only from the desktop computer or laptop but also directly from the application the document was created with. As an example a paralegal in a law firm can complete a brief, using Microsoft WORD and fax the document directly from the desktop without exiting WORD. 

If you are planning to use your PC or laptop to send and receive faxes from your home or office you will need a fax modem. 

Modem—there’s a word you don’t read very often. A fax modem is an inexpensive hardware add-on that allows your computer to communicate with other fax machines over a standard phone line. Fax modems come in two configurations, internal and external, and can be purchased from just about any brick and mortar or online computer retailer. Below are examples of both:

• The primary advantage for an internal modem on your PC is that they are, internal. Modems typically fit into a PCI slot inside your computer.  The downside is they are slow, 56Kpbs, and if you don't have an open slot you're out of luck.

• External fax modems are usually slightly more expensive than an internal modem. The additional expense does not give you more speed when faxing but it does give you the ability to monitor functions easier than with an internal modem. An external modem does utilize one of the computers COM ports.

Microsoft still provides the ability to fax from the PC with their Scan and Fax utility.

If you're planning to send and receive faxes at home, you first need to outfit your PC with a fax modem.

To set up a fax modem on Windows 7:

Once you've properly installed your fax modem, and it's plugged in to a standard analog phone line.

• Click the Start button Picture of the Start button, click All Programs, and then click Windows Fax and Scan.
• At the bottom of the left pane, click Fax, and then click New Fax on the toolbar to launch the Fax Setup wizard.
• Click Connect to a fax modem and follow the instructions.

In the office environment companies will often use a network fax solution known as a fax server. The fax server is a dedicated computer and software that not only allows outgoing faxes to be sent from the desktop but also can route incoming faxes to the desktop through email or some other means.

2. Fax Service

Another option is using a fax service. The fax service is a combination between a dedicated fax modem/server and a cloud based file sharing service logging into the website of your fax service, or in some cases dropping directly into a desktop “hot folder” your faxes will be transmitted from your desktop to a fax machine anywhere in the world.

Today’s multifunction copier and print devices make it simple to keep the ability to fax from your computer when other “modern” technologies aren’t an option. The multifunction device provides the ability to have desktop faxing without the need for a dedicated fax modem, fax server or fax service.

Using a universal print driver that gives you the ability to set up your configuration one time and then fax any document from any application that you can print from is the most economical and time efficient means to accomplish faxing from the computer.

The Kyocera universal print driver allows computer users or IT staff to only install one printer driver that will work with any Kyocera print device. This not only makes learning the ins-and-outs of multiple printer drivers it makes learning how to fax from your computer simple.

Today's faxing technologies have made it easier for anyone to fax documents from just about anywhere. Whether you're utilizing a fax modem on your PC or Mac, an enterprise network fax server, fax service or your multifunction printer you now can get those documents faxed with relative ease.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please contact John at (800) 862-7001.