What Is an Email Fax Service

When faxing first became the preferred way of sending documents across the country quickly, they required standard telephone lines and fax machines for both the recipient and the sender. Once the Internet became mainstream and more people were getting rid of standard telephone landlines, fewer people were able to send or receive faxes the traditional way.

Still, many companies require this method for receiving documents. Fortunately companies that offer email fax services such as, online email fax services by Metrofax, have provided a solution for those that don't have the phone line or don't want to absorb the cost of purchasing a fax machine.

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Differences Between Traditional and Email Faxing

As mentioned above, if you wanted to send or received a traditional fax from home, you would need certain equipment to do so. At bare minimum, you would need a fax machine, a telephone landline and a paper document. To send a fax with the machine, you would place your important document in the tray, call the recipient, and press the Send button.

Conversely, email faxing doesn't require any of this equipment. You don't need a fax machine, a telephone landline, or even the document in physical, printed form. Instead, you need Internet access, whether dial-up, DSL or cable, an email fax service account, and the document in digital form. Since all requirements are digital, you can send faxes from any computer connected to the Internet and not just from home.

After signing up for your account, you can send the digital document, whether in PDF, DOC or other formats, straight to the recipient's fax machine using your email. You can even receive faxes in your email from fax machines. Good email fax services also include faxing from mobile devices and smartphones.

Are Email Fax Services Right for You?

Email fax services aren't for everyone. If you already have a fax machine and a telephone landline, you are set to send and receive faxes the traditional way. Signing up for an email fax account would be an unnecessary expense.

However, if you do not have a landline or a fax machine, it is often cheaper to get an email fax account rather than buying the equipment. Most online faxing companies offer multiple levels for payments. They have cheaper accounts for individuals that don't fax very often, medium accounts for small businesses, and bigger accounts for corporations. Some companies even offer free trials if you are not entirely sure if email faxing is right for you.