Fax Machine

Fax Machine Guide Content

Fax Machine Guide Introduction

How Fax Machines Work

Types of Fax Machine

Specification

Common Misspellings

Further Resource

FAQs

Introduction to our Fax Machine Guide

Fax Machines have now become commonplace in most offices, and offer a quick way of sending documents to people without the need for email and separate printing.; We supply well known brands such as Brother Fax Machines, Canon Fax Machines, Samsung Fax Machines and Sharp Fax Machines.

Mounting Strips

When a document is put through a fax machine, it is 'read' and electronically noted which parts of the page are black and which are white. This information is then encoded and sent through the phone lines. At the other end, the information is collected back together and the information about black and white sections decoded. This is then replicated and printed onto a blank sheet of paper. View our full range of Fax Machines.

Types of Fax Machine
Most fax machines will work in the way explained above. The 'type' of machine refers to the method it uses for printing out received faxes. There are two main types inkjet and laser, as well as a method known as thermal faxing, which work in a different way
Inkjet These type of machines print out faxes by putting drops of ink onto the paper to form words and images. This is done by either putting a slight pressure on the ink cartridge to force ink out, or by using a current to heat the ink, which then forms bubbles which push the ink out. Most home and small office faxes currently use the first of these methods, with many big businesses using the latter. View our range of Inkjet Fax Machines.
Laser This form of fax printing works by using an electrostatic charge on a rotating drum. The faxed document is imprinted on this drum in electronic form before being charged. The black and colour sections of the document will attract different charges, whilst white will not attract any. The toner inside the fax is then attracted to this electrostatic charge and deposited on the paper being run through the machine to duplicate the electronic fax. View our range of Laser Fax Machines.
Thermal These were widely used when fax machines first appeared in offices, although they are less popular now. They are inexpensive and have no need for accessories such as new ink cartridges, because the ink is stored with in thermal paper. This is coated with chemicals that react to heat from the machine by turning black, making images and text appear. The main disadvantage of using these machines is that documents can be ruined when left in heat, (e.g. under the sun for too long) and they will discolour over time. View our range of Thermal Fax Machines.

Specifications
Print Type Type of fax machine, e.g. laser, inkjet, thermal.
Automatic Document Feed Whether documents can be automatically loaded into the fax machine or whether they need loading by hand.; For machines with automatic feeders, this will state the Document Feeder Capacity, or the amount of sheets the machine can hold.
Paper Tray Capacity / Standard Media Capacity This is how many sheets of paper can be stored in the machine for printing received faxes onto.
Built in Handset Many modern fax machines now come with a standard telephone handset attached for making and receiving calls.
Answering Machine Some machines have the added functionality of an answering machine so that people can leave messages if the person they dial is away.
Colour Printing Whether the fax prints in colour or in grayscale. The majority of modern faxes are now colour.
Speed Speed for fax machines is measured in ppm - pages per minute. This is how many blank sheets the fax machine can get through in a minute rather than actual processed pages. Generally the better the quality of the document, the longer it will take to copy. Print speed is the rate at which received faxes can be printed out by, Copying speed is the rate at which faxes being sent can be processed.
Resolution Resolution is measured in dpi - dots per inch - and will determine the quality of your faxes. The higher the resolution, the better the quality will be. Printing Resolution is the maximum resolution that documents being printed out can be Copying resolution is the maximum resolution that documents being sent can be.
Maximum Fax Transmission Speed / Modem Speed. This is the speed at which a fax will be sent. It is measure in Kbps - Kilobytes per second.
Data Compression System This is a method of compressing the electronic size of the document being sent, allowing them to be sent and received quicker.
Media Size The maximum size of paper that can be put through the fax machine. This will usually be standard A4 size.
Media Type The type of material that can be put through the machine. This will usually just be plain paper.