Copiers and printers: Choosing and obtaining your fax number

Although fax machines’ popularity peaked in the 1980s, they’re still very popular in homes and offices around the world. They represent a rational alternative to emailing, and are particularly suited to the transmission of manuscript or hand-signed documents. Likewise, while internet connections are still impossible to find in many remote locations, fax machines only require a landline to work. Getting a fax number is really easy and quick, and thanks to online faxing you’ll be sure to get faxing facilities at the best price.

Traditional fax plans

As fax machines use telephone lines to transmit data, if you have a phone number, then you have a fax number. Plugging a fax machine into one of your free phone plugs will work, and you’ll be instantly able to send or receive faxes. Depending on your phone company, it may even come at no extra cost. However, this system implies that you can’t use the phone and the fax machine at the same time. Therefore, if you send or receive more than 1-2 faxes a day, it would be best to pay for an additional number

Getting a local fax number

Adding a fax number onto your telephone account is a fairly straightforward process: just call your phone company and ask them a fax number, which you may even be able to customize. Usually, a fax number will only add a couple of pounds to your phone bill, and it may even be free if you have a phone, internet and television package.

Toll-free solutions for businesses

Toll-free numbers are obviously reserved to businesses. They allow the sender, a customer for instance, to send documents for free, while the recipient, in that case a company, will be charged for the transmission. Most users pay their phone company for a toll-free fax number, which will complement the local number. Another option is to pay for a toll-free forwarding number which will redirect calls onto the existing local number. In general, toll-free forwarding numbers are obtained via online faxing providers.

International numbers

International numbers are actually the same as toll-free numbers. However, when giving your toll-free number to an overseas customer, you will have to add your country’s international calling code, for instance +44 for the UK, before the fax number. On his side, your customer will also have to dial the calling code of his country first.

Online fax numbers

Online faxing is more popular today than ever before. They allow home users and business owners alike to use fax technology without even using a fax machine, with all the modern features the internet adds to it.

How to get one?

Most internet providers offer online faxing facilities. Shop around to find the best subscription fee, taking into consideration sign-up incentives such as free trial periods or additional free faxes. Once you have activated your account and obtained your fax number, faxes will be sent and received via the provider’s website, ready to be forwarded to your email account, your smartphone or any Wi-Fi multi-function printer.

Why choose online faxing?

There are many advantages to online faxing, among which the ability to convert any e-mail attachment into a fax, sending or receiving, and even editing faxes on-the-go from any connected device, and of course reduced prices with monthly subscription fees as low as £6. It’s also very eco-friendly as faxes are not printed automatically, saving paper in the process.