The Biggest Fax Myths and Misconceptions 

During the last few decades, few things have been more important to businesses than fax machines. They helped businesses to communicate, share documents and securely send files directly to another machine. However, despite its widespread use for many years, there are many rumors about the fax, many of which aren’t very kind.

Several myths and misconceptions on fax have come about in recent years, many of which people believe as fact. However, most are simply not true or have been greatly exaggerated. Without any further ado, let’s take a close look at some of the biggest fax myths and misconceptions that many people still believe.

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No One Uses Fax Anymore

This is one that is quite common to hear and experience – that faxing is outdated and no longer used anymore. Well, that simply is not the case. In fact, results from a fairly recent International Data Corporation (IDC) survey shows that the usage of fax is actually growing, up around 27% percent year-over-year. They continue to be one of the most popular and safe ways to share information with another individual or company.

Sure, some companies may have stopped using fax, but that is true with any type of machine or technology. However, there still exist thousands of different businesses (big and small), that still rely on faxes to send and receive information, documents and data. For example, this well-known online fax company has over 10 million customers worldwide!  It is, by no means, dead and continues to play an important role for many businesses.

Faxing is Wasteful and Takes Up a Ton of Space

Another misconception about faxing is that it is wasteful and takes up a lot of space. While it is true that some fax machines are quite large and use a lot of ink, paper, and toner, this doesn’t have to be the case. There are several smaller, portable and more economic fax machines out there.

Better yet, there is also internet faxing, which is an increasingly popular option. This eliminates the need for a fax machine altogether, as everything is done online. These services allow you to use any device connected to the internet to send and receive faxes incredibly quickly, easily and efficiently. They can be stored completely online and downloaded at any time.

If you are worried about things like getting signatures, you shouldn’t be. Many internet and online fax providers are able to do electronic signatures. They come with many features and options to provide you with a true faxing experience, without all of the waste and potential clutter.

Making the Switch to Internet Faxing is Complex and Expensive

So while the move to internet faxing dispels the myths of faxing being wasteful and taking up space, new myths have materialized in their place. Some believe that switching from physical faxing to internet faxing is a cumbersome process. However, in reality, it is quite easy. The setup shouldn’t take long at all, and can often be done without any assistance.

Not only that but using these internet faxing providers is also quite easy. Many come with great user interfaces and, if you are able to send an email, you should have no problem sending a fax via the internet. 

The costs associated with using these online services are also less. You won’t have to maintain a fax machine and won’t have to purchase the paper and ink ever again.

In conclusion, there is a lot of misinformation going around about faxes, and the information in this article should be able to clear it up. Be sure to share these faxing myths and misconceptions with your friends and coworkers to make sure they know what is true and what’s just a myth.

Ranbeer Maver is a Computer Science undergraduate. He's a geek who embraces any new consumer technology with inhuman enthusiasm.