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Are Fax Online Services the Same as a Regular Fax?

Despite the fact that most businesses have stopped using fax machines, faxes are still commonplace in many government agencies and offices. We’ve covered situations where you might want to send a fax online before, but many people are unsure if they can use online fax services for their important documents. Is online faxing the same as traditional fax? When you use the easiest online fax service, the answer is a definitive yes.

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What Is an E-Fax?

You might have seen the term “e-fax” floating around online. Whether you call it online faxing or e-fax, the idea is the same. You can send a fax using your computer or cell phone instead of using a fax machine. When you use an online faxing service, your recipient gets a digital copy of your fax instead of a physical one at a machine.  

But users are often worried about using online faxing for important documents. Since faxes these days are typically reserved for high-priority items like tax documents, legal filings, and court papers, you certainly don’t want to take any chances with those files. Fortunately, you absolutely can use e-fax services to get the job done.

How Online Faxing Differs

Even though online faxing is just as valid as regular fax, there are a few differences you should be aware of. For one thing, online faxes can be delivered to an email address or a phone number, depending on how the recipient has configured their settings. If your fax goes to email, it’s still valid. The fax service will “stamp” the document on its way out. If the recipient prints it out, it’ll look just like regular fax.

But if your online fax service has a phone number connected, then you can fax directly to a machine online. This is usually the best way to handle formal documents.

Security Issues

Is it safe to send faxes online? We get this question a lot because people assume that traditional faxing is much more secure. However, if you stop and think about it, online faxing is actually the safest way to send your faxes. What happens when you send traditional fax to a fax machine? It gets printed out in the middle of an office where anybody could walk up and read it.

If you send an online fax, the recipient gets a notification that tells them to go check the fax machine. If it goes to their inbox, then they are the only person that can see it. And the best online fax services use encryption to make sure that nothing is intercepted during transmission.  

The Same Fax Service From Home

The biggest benefit of online faxing is that you don’t have to go anywhere. Now you don’t need to drive out to the local office supplies store to fax a document. You can just do everything from the comfort of your home. So, all that’s left is to find a great online fax service.

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