What is Fax?

A fax, short for facsimile, is like sending a photocopy of a document over the phone. Imagine you drew a picture and wanted to send an exact copy to a friend who lives far away. Instead of mailing it, you can use a fax machine to send it instantly through the phone line.

Why is Fax Important?

Faxing is important because it helps people share important documents quickly and securely. Here’s why:

  1. Instant Delivery: You can send documents to someone far away almost instantly, which is faster than mailing them.
  2. Paper Copies: Faxes create physical copies of documents, which can be useful for records and signatures.
  3. Security: Faxing is considered more secure for sending sensitive information compared to email, as it sends a direct copy over a phone line.

How Does Fax Work?

Faxing works by scanning a document and sending it over a phone line to another fax machine. Here’s a simple way to understand it:

  1. Scanning: The fax machine scans the document and turns it into a digital image.
  2. Sending: This digital image is sent through the phone line to the recipient’s fax machine.
  3. Receiving: The recipient’s fax machine receives the digital image and prints out a copy of the document.

Fun Fact

Even though email and other digital communication methods are common today, fax machines are still used in many offices, especially for legal and medical documents.