Fax machines were the go-to device to share documents and pictures since as early as the 19th Century. The invention was surely ahead of its time and has made the work of companies constantly needing to share documents with one another really easy. Fax machines work by connecting to each other through a telephone line. The sender machine scans the document, sends it through the telephone, and the receiving machine prints it onto a piece of paper. It is now even possible to send a fax without a fax machine.
Part 1: Sending Faxes Online For Free
Fax machines got obsolete around the 21st Century. But faxing as a medium of sharing formal documents hasn’t died out yet. So it’s natural for you to have to fax somebody, but not own a fax machine. Maybe you need to send some documents over to some office who still haven’t gone digital, due to nostalgia or maybe the general benefits and safety that fax machines offer. Lucky for you, we still live in the modern world, the internet can help you solve almost anything. There are a lot of options for you to send faxes directly through the web. Today let’s talk about the best way to send a fax without a fax machine online for free using CocoFax.
CocoFax is an app available on iOS, Android, and PC that lets you send faxes online for free. By signing up you get a temporary private fax number designated to you and 10 free pages which you can use for sending and receiving faxes. CocoFax is also one of the leading fax online software mentioned in G2.
With its interactive and simple UI, CocoFax is an incredibly modern and easy option for you to get faxing immediately. To send a fax, you need to —
- Sign-up on their website.
- Click on New Fax on the dashboard.
- Select the recipient’s number.
- Select the document you want to fax.
- Add text if necessary.
- Click Send.
It’s that easy! Receiving a fax is as easy as checking your email, just head on over to the Unread Fax section and see what other fellow faxers have sent you. This is a premium feature, but chances are, you probably aren’t in the need of receiving faxes. You may just have to send a fax over to some archaic office that still uses fax machines.
Part 2: Features of CocoFax
CocoFax makes faxing easy and accessible to everyone. Let’s look at some of the things that it’s offering —
2.1 Private Fax Number
You don’t have to register anything from your end to get a fax number. Just sign up, and get a temporary fax number for absolutely free.
2.2 Sending Is Free
You get 10 free pages once you sign up on CocoFax’s website. Admittedly, receiving faxes is a premium feature, but most people don’t need faxes to be delivered to them. So it will probably suit your needs for free for the time being.
2.3 Cheaper Than Buying A Fax Machine For Premium Features
Although some of its features are premium, it’s cheaper than buying an actual fax machine with the competitive monthly pricing that CocoFax offers. Not to mention the inconvenience of storing an actual large fax machine.
2.4 Fax Internationally
Sending faxes internationally takes no extra charge with CocoFax supporting over 180 countries.
Some other nifty features include —
- Option to send documents directly from Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox.
- Cross-platform support.
- Microsoft, Google, and Stack Integrations.
- Reliably secure.
Part 3: Why are the benefits of using fax?
Faxing has a lot of benefits, even in the modern world. Some of them are described below.
3.1 Safe And Reliable
Sending media through the internet requires you to communicate to the global web and leaving an online footprint, thus making you prone to hackers. But faxes eliminate this footprint by being a direct way of sharing, thus making it reliable and safe.
3.2 Easy to Set Up
Fax machines are easy to set up. Just connect the machine to a telephone line, ensure you have enough pen and paper refilled, and sending fax becomes as easy as just typing the sender or receiver’s fax number.
3.3 Easy to Use
Some people find printing documents from email super tedious, with the multiple printer options and the digital technicalities. So if you prefer the old-school ways of doing business, fax machines are perfect for you, requiring no extra step but to just wait and let the machine do its magic.
Faxing does have its share of general limitations though, such as —
3.4 Takes More Time
Fax machines take more time to send the same document compared to electronic options like email. There is a time discrepancy between the sender typing up the fax number of the receiver, the receiver’s machine reading the data and decoding it, sending it on to its printing unit, and the printer doing its work. This may be inconvenient in some cases.
3.5 Always Online
Fax machines always need to be connected to a telephone line to work and need a running flow of electricity. A sender cannot fax you anything if you don’t have electricity and a connection line on your machine. It may be inconvenient to sync up time like this all the time.
3.6 Low-Resolution B&W Imaging
Fax machines don’t work too well in sending high detail images, being limited to only being able to send Black and White low-resolution images.
3.7 Weight and Portability Issue
Fax machines are heavy, making it extremely hard to move around. You also need to ensure electricity and a telephone line, which isn’t available in all places. It also takes up a lot of valuable office space.
But all things considered, faxing is still a viable option in 2021 for you to send and receive documents if you can deal with its quirks.
Part 4: Conclusion
CocoFax is therefore without a doubt one of the best online free faxing options out there for you to try. With its handful of nifty features, ease of access, and availability worldwide, it’s truly one of the best. With just a computer or mobile phone or tablet, you can get started faxing easily and effectively right now using CocoFax!