Some people might think that faxing is a thing of the past, but this is hardly the case. In fact, faxing is still quite popular, and some industries even require it as a form of sending certain types of documents. You might wonder what the time to send a fax typically is. If you haven’t faxed in a while - or perhaps have never done so - it would do you good to familiarize yourself with the process and the factors involved in fax transmission times.
In this article, we will describe the typical time to send a fax, and look at various factors that might influence the process.
How long does it take to send a fax?
The last thing people want to spend their time doing during office hours is standing next to a fax machine waiting to see a delivered status. There are quite a few things involved in any given fax’s going through successfully. Of course, the length of the fax is one thing: if it consists of 100 pages, it will clearly take longer than a fax that consists of 10 pages.
There are other factors involved, as well. The distance between the sender and the receiver can play a role, and international faxes can take significantly longer than those sent from one local number to another. Even the quality of the paper can be a factor as some paper goes through more smoothly than others.
For all these reasons, faxes can take anywhere from a few seconds to several hours to make it through. And, of course, if the receiver’s fax is turned off or if there is a queue on the other end, he or she will not receive fax until those things are resolved.
The science behind faxing
It would be useful to look at the actual science of faxing in general. What happens when you send a fax is that the document you are sending is scanned, and it then gets converted into a “bitmap.” The bitmap is then made digital, and the digital image is sent through the phone line that is represented by your fax number to the number that you are sending to. On the receiving end, the reverse process takes place, resulting in the same picture that you sent initially.
While this was considered a revolutionary science when it was created, it is not without flaws. Faxing has allowed businesses to fax documents in a way that is fairly secure and efficient. However, there are things that can slow down the process - as mentioned above - and there can also be security issues if the sender gets a number wrong, an unintended party picks up a fax, etc. It can also sometimes happen that images get blurred because of problems with ink or issues with clarity in the initial documents that get compounded in the process of sending.
How can this be remedied?
There are different things you can do to speed up faxing process. Some fax machines are more efficient than others, of course. Newer models tend to have fewer issues than older ones. And, of course, checking with people on the receiving end to ensure that conditions are right for the fax to go through smoothly is important.
Another thing that you can do to speed up transmission times is reduce the size of documents that you send, or find a way to compress them. Sending multiple small documents rather than single big ones could be a solution to this.
Online faxing
The most efficient way to fax is to do so via the Internet. At this point, technology is available that allows people to send faxes via an email address that converts a fax number digits into an email. In other words, when you get a fax number, it will convert the telephone number into digital online forms of sending documents.
Faxing online can be infinitely easier and faster than mailing or traditional faxing. There are many benefits to online faxing, including:
- Increased speed. With online faxing, all you have to do is log into your digital fax account and choose your recipients’ numbers from your existing database. You can then upload documents in PDF format and send them as attachments. The only delays might come from the fact that your recipient’s fax machines might be turned off, or there might be a queue for receiving faxes at the other end. But in general, this method is infinitely faster than the traditional one.
- Not having to deal with big, clumsy machines. Everyone knows that fax machines take up an undue amount of space in offices, and when you add to this the paper that you need to buy, ink cartridges, etc, it all really starts to add up.
- Cost savings. With online faxing, you won’t have to pay for individual faxes as you send them. All you have to do is subscribe to an online fax service, and you can send faxes as you wish to any fax number you like. You will save money not only on the cost of faxing itself, but also on the machine and all of the other things you have to buy. And you will not have to purchase a separate phone line for your fax because it will all function through an email address.
- Ability to send multiple faxes at one time. If you have a long list of recipients, you can send faxes to all of them more or less simultaneously. With traditional faxing, this process can take hours. Additionally, with online faxing you can tailor different cover sheets to different recipients simply by adjusting your settings before you send the faxes. This is a huge time saver.
- Ability for multiple people on a given team to fax simultaneously. When you sign up to everyfax.com, you can create logins for different people on your staff, and they can all fax at the same time. This also saves time as people do not have to line up behind a physical fax machine.
Conclusion
Faxing can be a simple process if you only have a short document to send, have easy access to a fax machine, and know the information of the person you are sending to correctly. In cases like this, you can expect faxes to go through very quickly.
There are other situations that are far more complicated, though. And in these cases you will often face delays. Long documents, incorrect information, or multiple people competing for the use of a fax machine can complicate things significantly. In these cases, you should consider looking into an online fax program. With an online faxing service, all you have to do is upload your documents and email them. The process is usually instantaneous.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to receive a fax?
Sending and receiving through software are essentially the same. But you will still be subject to whatever obstacles might slow things down on the other end.
If I use an online fax solution and still face a delay, does it mean that I did something wrong?
Not necessarily. Delays can be due to a number of causes, including machines that are turned off at the other end, and queues on the other end. Always look for the digital notification to check the status of your fax.
Can I fax from different kinds of devices?
Yes, you can send fax from your mobile phone. Everyfax allows for mobile faxing app downloads on iPhone or Android, as well as desktop usage. All you have to do is learn the instructions for how to navigate the interfaces on each type of device, and you will be able to send faxes as you please.
How will I know that my fax has reached the correct recipient?
While you can never be 100% sure that someone other than the intended individual will pick up your fax, you will save yourself a lot of unnecessary errors by putting your recipients’ numbers in a database before you start faxing.
