Fax machine was the fastest facility for sending written messages till the introduction of email and mobile phone. A fax machine sends and receives facsimiles or copies of messages and documents via telephone line. The machine facilitates scanning the documents and transmitting them through telephone lines as signals. Fax machine at the receiver’s end will decode the signals and print the copies of the documents sent. The machine consists of keypad for dialing, telephone instrument, liquid crystal display, feeding slot for documents to be sent as well as another slot to receive documents. To be precise it combines scanner, modem, telephone and printer.

Fax machines are of different types. They are mainly dedicated faxes and multifunctional faxes. Dedicated fax will have an additional advantage of a telephone handset. Multifunctional fax will also be connected to telephone line but will not be provided with a handset. Fax machines can be connected to the computers.

The printers in the fax machines are either inkjet based or laser based. The former is comparatively cheaper than the laser based printers. However, if the workload is high the cost of running the machine will go up as more inkjet cartridges are to be used. It is better and economic for those who have lesser workload to use inkjet fax machines. In case the output tend to be substantially high it is better to go for laser based printer.  Initial cost will be definitely higher but in the long run it will be economical. Further the quality of output will be better than that of the inkjet based machine. While the inkjet printers use liquid ink, the laser printers use powdered ink which can provide more pages of output than the inkjet printers.

The consumer who is contemplating on buying the fax machine should assess the workload before deciding the type of machine. Many factors are to be considered. The speed of the machine is a very relevant one. Both workload and time factor are important, when productivity is the key index. Latest models of fax machines provide ‘memory’ so that the documents that are received in high speed mode will be processed and printed systematically with the facility. Another important factor is the type of paper to be used in the machine. The texture and size of the paper varies in different machines. The consumer should make sure whether the different sizes and types of papers are compatible in the chosen machine.

Fax machines have many moving parts. It is therefore apt for the prospective buyer to enquire and assess the maintenance cost. Laser printer toner, inkjet cartridges, drums, fax ribbons are all consuming items. Some of them are to be replaced only by original parts.  However reconditioned parts are also available which will reduce the cost. Additional features like colour fax machines with speed dialing, forwarding facilities and multiple paper sizes are also offered by manufacturers. The consumer should make sure of the long term warranty and network connectivity. You have latest brands of Fax Machines in the market including Epson, Samsung, Panasonic, HP, BT and Brother Fax Machines. So, you can select the suitable Fax Machine matching the required features and your budget.