I have to send some paperwork to the government and it seems that they are still only accepting faxes (!). Is there a program or service I can use to send three pages to them, as I assume I will never have to use it again. Or just go to FedEx?
I switched my fax number to https://www.srfax.com/ several years ago and haven’t regretted it. I don’t know if they offer a free service or allow just one month, but they are dirt cheap and easy to use.
My HP 8020 printer is able to send faxes but it needs an analogue phone line. Now I have a digital (broadband) phone line it won’t work 
So srfax might be your best bet.
I’m also looking for a way to fax to and from my computer, but srfax.com seems to offer only an email interface for consumer use, and since when is sending something by email secure? (Yes, it can be encrypted, but that’s an annoying extra step.) Am I missing something about how SRFax.com works?
They do offer an API, from which one could build a website that accepts an upload and sends a fax and examines the “inbox” of received faxes and allows secure downloads of them, but I just want to use something, not build something.
Sounds like you might need to find a local business that still has a fax machine and will let you use it. Maybe a lawyer or real estate agent? (Or is that why you mention Fedex)
For what it’s worth, I used a free service and it worked:
The fax portion of my Epson printer was not working and I needed to send a fax to a health provider last year. I found https://www.gotfreefax.com
which lets you send faxes up to 3 pages, 2 per day totally free. There are charges if you need more pages, volume, etc. It worked for me; I only used it that once.
There are other “free” fax services, but this one had the least restrictions that I could find.
(I had my printer’s fax fixed after that).
We ended up going to FedEx, because we thought it would be cheaper, but ended up at around $3 - so about the same as a monthly e-fax service would have been. I was predicting 10-25¢ a page, but was wrong. Will keep the other suggestions on file if I need it again. Thanks
I don’t think fax itself is at all secure. It uses analog phone lines and I’ve never heard of any security structure in it. Rick
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If I recall correctly… faxes are actually multipage TIFF files. No security whatsoever.
Cheers,
Dave
Don’t know if this is still true, but when I had an office it had one analog line for the fax machine and three digital lines that allowed call transfers with a virtual PBX. The problem was to make the answering machine pick up calls on the public line, which was one of the digitals; apparently answering machines prefer analog lines too. The phone company provided a digital to analog adaptor that let it work. Maybe a fax machine could work through one too?
I use ifax.app on macOS and iOS. It is less expensive than going to a store. I keep a few dollars in my account, just in case.
It is my experience that one can not avoid situations where fax is the most expedient way to submit paperwork where fax is preferred/required over emailed PDFs. So one can never say, “never again”. again.
I’ve needed to fax something perhaps two or three times in the past quarter of a century. Given how infrequently I need to fax, I’d rather just go to Staples or Fedex and pay the $3 rather than sign up for yet another service.
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Due to the way faxes are sent they are still the safest way to send documents. E-fax is not as safe as the entire document is sent over the internet as a single document to the fax server encryption for security.
faxzero.com. It works every time, and for occasional use, it’s dead-on reliable. For regular or heavier duty fax services, they have a subscription model that doesn’t seem unreasonalbe.
Is there a program or service I can use to send three pages to them…
TidBits published an article on this that you might find helpful:
Can’t say enough good about faxzero.com. Limited faxing is available without charge, although you’re offered the opportunity to “tip” $1 (I do, it’s well worth it).
Free Fax:
- FaxZero branding on the cover page
- Maximum 3 pages + cover
- Max 5 free faxes per day
Almost Free Fax
- $2.09 per fax (PayPal)
- Max 25 pages + optional cover
- Priority delivery vs. free faxes
- No FaxZero branding on the cover page
- Or, no cover page at all
I’ve been using PamFax for many years. I live in Thailand and have a need to send FAXs to the US several times a year (overseas voter ballot, government documents, etc.) My wife is a Thai attorney who also has occasional need to send FAXs internationally. PamFax has a Mac app and a web interface. It works well for us and the cost is minimal.