How to Send a Fax: Methods, Steps, and What Fax Authority Covers

Fax Authority (faxauthority.com) is a reference site for fax machines, online faxing, and fax communication issues. Its "How to Send a Fax" article states that faxes can be sent in several ways: from a fax machine, through an online fax service, or using technology already on your computer. Which method fits you depends on how often you fax, whether you need a dedicated fax number, and whether you have a landline or scanner available.

Method 1: Send From a Traditional Fax Machine

This is the original approach and still works for one-off or high-volume paper documents.

Prerequisites: a fax machine, a phone line (or the machine's connection method), the recipient's fax number, and the document.

Steps:

1. Set up the machine per its manual — Fax Authority's "How to Use a Fax Machine" article covers setup, sending, receiving, and troubleshooting.
2. Place the document face-down (or per your machine's feed direction) in the feeder or on the glass.
3. Enter the recipient's fax number on the keypad.
4. Press the send/start button and wait for the machine to dial, handshake, and transmit.
5. Check the transmission report or display to confirm the pages went through.

Common snags: paper jams (Fax Authority has a dedicated guide, "How to Fix a Paper Jam in a Fax Machine"), busy signals, and wrong-number dialing. If the machine reports an error, re-send and confirm the number before retrying.

Method 2: Send Through an Online Fax Service

Fax Authority's review section covers providers such as eFax (Plus plan), RingCentral (Fax 750 plan), Nextiva (Basic plan), and MyFax (Best Value plan). These are the services the site has reviewed in depth, so its comparisons are a reasonable starting point if you want a provider rather than a machine.

Prerequisites: an account with an online fax provider, and — per Fax Authority's "How to Get a Fax Number" article — a fax number, which can come as a local phone number, a VoIP number, or a number issued by an online fax service.

Steps:

1. Choose a provider and plan. Fax Authority's reviews describe each provider's background and plan structure; use those to compare before signing up.
2. Obtain a fax number through the service (or port/use an existing one).
3. Upload the document to send, or use the service's email-to-fax option if offered.
4. Enter the recipient's fax number and send.
5. Confirm delivery through the service's sent/status log.

When this fits: you fax occasionally, don't want to maintain a machine, or need to send from a laptop or phone. Fax Authority also notes a Popfax.com iPhone faxing application in its news section, an example of mobile faxing.

Method 3: Send From a Computer

Fax Authority has separate how-to articles for faxing from a computer, including "How to Fax From a Computer," "How to Fax with Windows 7," and "How to Fax with Windows XP." These cover using existing technology on your computer rather than a standalone machine.

Prerequisites: a computer, a document in digital form (or a scanner to digitize it), and either a fax modem with a phone line or an online fax service account.

Steps (general pattern):

1. Prepare the document as a file, or scan the paper copy.
2. Either connect via a fax modem and dial the recipient's number through fax software, or log in to an online fax service and upload the file.
3. Enter the recipient's fax number.
4. Send and verify the transmission or delivery confirmation.

Note: the Windows 7 and Windows XP articles reflect the operating systems of their time; the underlying approach (modem plus fax software, or a web service) still applies, but exact menus differ by system.

Before You Send: Preparation Checklist

• Confirm the recipient's fax number — a wrong digit wastes a transmission and may send your document to a stranger.
• Check page order and orientation in the feeder or file.
• Decide on a cover page if the recipient needs context; Fax Authority's how-to content treats sending as a multi-step process including setup and troubleshooting.
• Know your confirmation method — transmission report on a machine, delivery log on a service.
• For sensitive documents, be aware that misdirected faxes happen; Fax Authority's news section includes a report of confidential health records accidentally sent to a Florida couple.

Where to Go on Fax Authority

Fax Authority describes its aim as providing "serious and reliable information" plus tests, reviews, news, historical references, and technical information, and it links to reviews of the same topics on other sites — useful if you want a second opinion before choosing a provider or machine.