Fax Printers
by Matt Gerchow
Businesses are seeking ever more functional and versatile technology for their everyday needs.
Printing and communications are no exception and the advent of printer, faxing and scanning technology can now be found in one device.
Fax printers have become a popular business tool to save space and offer less machinery to maintenance and install.
What are fax printers?
This device is similar in size and shape to a typical desktop ink jet or laser printer however, manufacturers have devised ways to have the same machine do tasks like printing, faxing and sometimes scanning.
They are commonly marketed as all-in-one printers or faxes. Typical models can perform functions like faxing, copying, scanning to a computer, and basic document printing which, in the past, would take up to three or four machines to accomplish.
They would all have to be installed separately on a computer and in the case of faxes, would have to have a phone line installed in order to work.
Today faxes can be sent from the device over an internet connection even to another fax that only works on a phone line.
While specific steps for sending a fax will vary among devices, in general they are mostly the same. Most machines will have a software program that accompanies them from the manufacturer.
This program will control all features that the device is capable of. For example if an individual wanted to scan something to a computer, they would open up the software program on the computer and select a scanning option from a menu in the program.
The software would then take the user through the process of inserting a document or picture into the all-in-one machine and scanning it to be used on the computer.
For faxing, the process would be similar.
Users would select the faxing option from the software menu, insert the document to be faxed into the scanner, which is the only way an all-in-one device can read the text or images to be faxed, enter a phone number for the recipient, and then fax the document.
It should be noted that not all printing devices can fax only over an internet connection and features should be studied before purchase to determine what other tools will be needed in order to send a fax such as a phone line.
Another popular feature that can come standard for many models is a wireless feature.
Wireless printers have the capability to be recognized on a home or office network so that users can print from anywhere within the network range.
This feature eliminates the use of cords or even being close to the printer. It also allows for multiple computers on the network to use the same printer.
Wireless printers generally do not cost much more than printers without the feature.
If you are in the market for a device that has all of these capabilities, here are a few for your consideration.
The first is the HP Office Jet 4500 All-In-One, which retails online for about 129 dollars. Features include full color printing, copying, scanning, and fax.
The device can print up to 28 PPM (pages per minute) for black and white and 22 PPM for color drafts. It can print up to 3,000 pages before ink cartridges need replacing.
The 4500 has a 100 sheet input and 20 sheet output tray. For faxing, the device has a 3 second per page transmission speed, a 100 page memory and a fax resolution of up to 300 by 300 dpi.
The 4500 also comes equipped with wireless capabilities.
Another device comparable to the HP model previously discussed is the Canon Pixma MX 860 Color Ink-jet fax. This all-in-one device features many of the same benefits of the HP model with a few extra.
It retails for about 200 dollars online and sports a 2.5 inch color LCD display and a 9600 by 2400 maximum dpi, which far surpasses the HP model.
It also features a 5 color ink system with dye-based inks that produce high quality color images.
A more economical model of multifunctional fax printers is the Epson Workforce 310 Color Inkjet.
The model features wireless connectivity, claimed to be the world’s fastest all-in-one printer, reliable paper feed, and instant drying inks as well as copy, scanning and faxing capabilities.
It retails for 129 on the company’s website; however, prices across the web on sites like amazon.com sell the product new for around 60 dollars.
A similar model to the Epson is the Brother MFC 7840W B/W Laser Fax, which features laser instead of ink jet printing.
Test drive RingCentral and fax free for 30 days
Printing and communications are no exception and the advent of printer, faxing and scanning technology can now be found in one device.
Fax printers have become a popular business tool to save space and offer less machinery to maintenance and install.
What are fax printers?
This device is similar in size and shape to a typical desktop ink jet or laser printer however, manufacturers have devised ways to have the same machine do tasks like printing, faxing and sometimes scanning.
They are commonly marketed as all-in-one printers or faxes. Typical models can perform functions like faxing, copying, scanning to a computer, and basic document printing which, in the past, would take up to three or four machines to accomplish.
They would all have to be installed separately on a computer and in the case of faxes, would have to have a phone line installed in order to work.
Today faxes can be sent from the device over an internet connection even to another fax that only works on a phone line.
While specific steps for sending a fax will vary among devices, in general they are mostly the same. Most machines will have a software program that accompanies them from the manufacturer.
This program will control all features that the device is capable of. For example if an individual wanted to scan something to a computer, they would open up the software program on the computer and select a scanning option from a menu in the program.
The software would then take the user through the process of inserting a document or picture into the all-in-one machine and scanning it to be used on the computer.
For faxing, the process would be similar.
Users would select the faxing option from the software menu, insert the document to be faxed into the scanner, which is the only way an all-in-one device can read the text or images to be faxed, enter a phone number for the recipient, and then fax the document.
It should be noted that not all printing devices can fax only over an internet connection and features should be studied before purchase to determine what other tools will be needed in order to send a fax such as a phone line.
Another popular feature that can come standard for many models is a wireless feature.
Wireless printers have the capability to be recognized on a home or office network so that users can print from anywhere within the network range.
This feature eliminates the use of cords or even being close to the printer. It also allows for multiple computers on the network to use the same printer.
Wireless printers generally do not cost much more than printers without the feature.
If you are in the market for a device that has all of these capabilities, here are a few for your consideration.
The first is the HP Office Jet 4500 All-In-One, which retails online for about 129 dollars. Features include full color printing, copying, scanning, and fax.
The device can print up to 28 PPM (pages per minute) for black and white and 22 PPM for color drafts. It can print up to 3,000 pages before ink cartridges need replacing.
The 4500 has a 100 sheet input and 20 sheet output tray. For faxing, the device has a 3 second per page transmission speed, a 100 page memory and a fax resolution of up to 300 by 300 dpi.
The 4500 also comes equipped with wireless capabilities.
Another device comparable to the HP model previously discussed is the Canon Pixma MX 860 Color Ink-jet fax. This all-in-one device features many of the same benefits of the HP model with a few extra.
It retails for about 200 dollars online and sports a 2.5 inch color LCD display and a 9600 by 2400 maximum dpi, which far surpasses the HP model.
It also features a 5 color ink system with dye-based inks that produce high quality color images.
A more economical model of multifunctional fax printers is the Epson Workforce 310 Color Inkjet.
The model features wireless connectivity, claimed to be the world’s fastest all-in-one printer, reliable paper feed, and instant drying inks as well as copy, scanning and faxing capabilities.
It retails for 129 on the company’s website; however, prices across the web on sites like amazon.com sell the product new for around 60 dollars.
A similar model to the Epson is the Brother MFC 7840W B/W Laser Fax, which features laser instead of ink jet printing.
Test drive RingCentral and fax free for 30 days