Fax Machines - A Buyers Guide.

Fax Machines - A Buyers Guide.
First invented in the mid 1800's, fax machines reached the
height of their popularity during the 1980's and early
1990's, with their ability to encode and transmit data over
a phone line and send it to another fax machine, where a
hard copy of the data would be created.

When fax machines first appeared, they were sold as
individual units. Today, they are usually available in
combination with printers, copiers, and scanners in
machines known as multifunctional machines.

Even though they are not as popular today as they were a
decade ago, fax machines are still a valuable and necessary
piece of equipment in today's businesses and offices. When
it comes to purchasing a fax machine today, factors such as
the speed of transmission, the type of printer the fax
machine uses, amount of memory and the size of paper it can
handle should all be considered.

Transmission Speed - Sending a fax is not free, and usually
has charges associated with doing so. As a result,
choosing a machine that has higher sending speeds is key to
saving money. Most fax machines send data at a speed of
36.6 kbps, which means they can send a page of data in
about 8 seconds. Machines do not have to have the same
speed in order to communicate with each other, although
communication will take place at the speed of the slower
model.

Laser vs. Inkjet Printing - Fax machines come in both
inkjet and laser printing varieties. Inkjet fax machines
are usually slower, but produce good quality text and
images. They are however, not designed for heavy use. Fax
machines with laser printing capabilities are designed to
handle more use and more wear and tear, but they do provide
excellent image quality while requiring less servicing and
repairs.

Memory - The more memory a fax machine comes with, the more
pages and incoming and outgoing data it can hold. A
typical fax machine can store about two-dozen pages in its
memory, and additional memory cards can be purchased in
order to increase the amount of data it can hold. Memory
on a fax machine becomes important when the fax machine
runs out of paper, a paper needs to be scanned before being
faxed, or when a fax needs to be sent out at the same time
that one is being received.

Paper Size - Before purchasing any fax machine, make sure
that it is capable of handling the particular paper size(s)
used in the office. Most fax machines are designed to
handle standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper.

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If you would like to learn more about the different makes
and models of fax machines available online then visit the
website :
http://www.abt-fax-multifunction-desktop-machines.co.uk/fax-
machine.htm for a detail list of fax machines.