Fax Software

In the age of internet, who needs a fax machine these days? For several decades, the facsimile machine has been the staple tool for sending documents in offices, homes and schools. But you will be surprised to know that a number of people are still using fax. Not the old facsimile machine way of sending, but a new tool that works the same way as fax – the fax software.

Fax software tools have been around just recently but it’s gaining popularity especially in the corporate communication world. And while email, FTPs and other similar technologies have allowed many office people to send softcopy of files through the internet, some companies are delving into the idea of turning fax into a paperless means of sending documents. But not necessarily eliminating the use of paper, fax software significantly reduces consumption of paper. You are about to get some insights on the latest fax software products on the market today ranging from the simplest to the most high-end fax software.

You might have heard of the term internet fax before, but if you haven’t, this should really interest you. Neither does Internet fax nor does fax software eliminate the use of a fax machine. The idea is that it allows you to send documents from your computer to a fax machine using the internet.

See, the traditional way of faxing works like this, you have a fax machine here, you dial the number of the recipient, you wait for the tone from the other party and then the document gets faxed. But what’s the problem with this?

The problem is that it really eats time. When your recipient requires a hardcopy of your document the usual thing to do is to print first your document. And then fax it. Now here’s the coolest part of using a fax software. You don’t have to print the document, just like emailing, you just send your softcopy to your recipient’s email, and what comes out on the other end is a facsimile. Isn’t that great? Saves time and effort too.

There are also other ways of computer-to-fax sending. Take for instance, the VOIP Faxing. It uses VOIP gateway for sending documents. This is the one that works exactly like conventional faxing, you make a call using voice over internet protocol to alert your receiver that his facsimile is on the way. Of course you will need a VOIP fax software for this one.

Now off with the basics and on with the products. First in the list is eFax Messenger from j2 Global Communications. Sounds like an instant messenger tool? More or less. The only difference is that you are exchanging fax! The software has five flavors, choose from eFax Pro, eFax Plus, eFax Corporate, eFax Broadcast and eFax Developer. Whichever product you choose, the idea is the same. The payment is subscription-based, so definitely eFax Plus costs more than eFax Pro.

To add, eFax is not just a pure faxing software. It can also send and receive voice mails too. In return, a fax machine can also send documents right to your computer. And just like real fax, you also get a real eFax number which is associated with your email address. A superb idea, in fact, you can make your email attachments as fax docs, so that your recipient can have it printed as fax.

eFax is just one of the many fax softwares. There are the Captaris RightFax and ElectraSoft Software to name a few. With all this hard selling of fax software, you might be asking how reliable is it? The answer can be found in many offices. More have already used fax software for the primary reason of reducing paper cost, ink and fax machines. So you should get one now.