All-In-One Printers: Why Yours Doesn't Need a Fax Machine

Whether your wireless all-in-one inkjet printer comes with a built-in fax option or not, you really don’t need it. More often than not, you can accomplish many of the things a fax machine does by using a scanner and email, and this method will usually provide better results too. If you do need a fax machine and your all-in-one printer doesn’t have one, you can also use faxing software to handle the task.

When choosing an all-in-one printer, don’t let the lack of a built-in fax machine sway your decision and keep you from buying an otherwise great printer, copier and scanner combo. In today’s work environments, email and the ability to scan documents have just about completely replaced the role of fax machines anyway.

If you’re doing business online, such as purchasing a new automobile insurance policy, many websites allow you to provide a legally binding virtual signature to complete and submit documents. There is little need to fax or overnight documents that require your signature, although there are some occasions when you will still need to provide an original, hand-printed signature. In these cases, you won’t be able to fax or scan and email the documents because you must provide the original copy of the documents with a physical signature.

There are many third-party fax software apps such as VentaFax, FaxTalk FaxCenter Pro and SuperFax that you can use to send and receive faxes from your Apple computer or Windows PC. You can directly fax a document you’re working on, including a Microsoft Word document or a PDF file.

You can these same fax apps to save incoming faxes as PDF files to avoid printing and filing a bunch papers and the resulting clutter. If you have to print and sign a document like an auto insurance policy, you can use your Wi-Fi all-in-one printer’s scanner and return the signed document as an email attachment or fax it from your computer with a fax app.

There are also online fax services such as RingFax Central, MyFax and eFax that allow you to send and receive faxes from your computer, using either your own fax number or one the service provides for you. You can receive faxes as PDF files attached to email messages that are easy to save or print, so you won’t have to sit and wait for the fax machine to receive and print out the fax. However, unlike fax software, you’ll pay a monthly subscription fee to use an online fax service.

There are also some PDF software apps that allow you to digitally sign PDF documents safely, legally and securely, including Adobe Acrobat X and PDFpenPro. With this feature, you’ll be able to skip printing, signing and scanning (or faxing) documents that require your signature. Simply add your signature by using a mouse, trackpad or tablet pen. Or, you can scan your signature and save it as an image file, which you can then add to documents that require your signature.

Summary

It isn’t necessary to own a fax machine now that fax software and online fax services are available for both Windows PCs and Apple computers. If you’re in the market for a new wireless all-in-one inkjet printer and the particular model you’re drawn to doesn’t come with a built-in fax, don’t let that be a deal breaker because you have plenty of other options.