I know what you’re thinking; it’s 2016, who’s still faxing? Well funnily enough, the answer is actually more people than you think!

 

Yes, despite stiff competition from more modern forms of communication, that old office stalwart the trusty fax machine, is still very much alive and kicking. And in spite of the many predictions from all corners that the days of faxing are numbered, it doesn’t look like this reliable and efficient method of communication is going anywhere. So if you’re one of the many people who have written the humble fax machine off in recent years, you might just want to re-evaluate your viewpoint! 

 

How Faxing Works

 

Believe it or not, the basic principle behind faxing was actually invented as far back as 1846, when the Scottish inventor Alexander Bain first created his ‘Electric Printing Telegraph’ and managed to reproduce graphic signs in laboratory conditions. Since then, the technology behind faxing has evolved a lot, developing from an analogue process prior to the 1980s to a digital one today, but the basic principle remains the same.

 

According to Wikipedia, the process of faxing works as follows;

 

“The original document is scanned with a fax machine (or a telecopier), which processes the contents (text or images) as a single fixed graphic image, converting it into a bitmap, and then transmitting it through the telephone system in the form of audio-frequency tones. The receiving fax machine interprets the tones and reconstructs the image, printing a paper copy.”

 

Got it? No, we’re none the wiser either. But regardless of the technical explanation, the lowly fax machine is actually pretty impressive when you think about it; you can send your hard copy document anywhere in the world through a phone line, and the recipient gets an instant hardcopy for themselves. Even in our modern world of endless technological wonders, that’s still fairly extraordinary.

 

 

Why Is Faxing Still Used?

 

And that may well go some way to explaining why, in today’s world of email, Google Docs, digital signatures, the cloud and handheld scanners, the fax machine is still around in enlightened offices all over the world. That basic ability to send a physical piece of paper from your hand to anywhere you want in the world remains indispensable and, in certain industries, it’s so essential that faxing remains their primary method of communication.

 

For example, in the banking and healthcare industries – or any industry that highly values privacy – faxing is still the preferred way to send confidential documents. For numerous reasons, it’s far easier to hack someone’s email or computer than it is to hack a phone line, hence faxing remains a much more secure method of sending sensitive data securely. Additionally, for industries who rely heavily on sharing documentation, such as government agencies, law firms or estate agents, the ability to send a document, have it signed and get it returned to you in literally minutes is essential.

 

 

And despite all the advances in recent years in the way we communicate, no modern form of technology has yet managed to replace the advantages of faxing, which is why – at least for now – as long as we’re still using paper, there’ll still be a place for faxing. Even if you haven’t sent a fax in years (or ever, if you’re of a certain age!), it’s not time to write it off yet!

 

Faxing And You

 

So whether or not you work in one of the industries that still uses faxing on a daily basis, you might want to make sure that your office has a fully functional fax machine, and that’s where NWD can help you out.

 

With our state-of-the-art machines, we can supply you with just the right device for your individual needs. Whether you want a single, standalone fax machine or a large, multifunction device that has faxing capabilities alongside its printing, copying and scanning functions, we can recommend, supply and fit the correct machine for you.

 

 

And as part of the NWD guarantee, we promise not to just provide you with the biggest fax machine we can find regardless of your needs. Thanks to your free, no obligation consultation, we’ll first of all take into account all the other contributory factors that are unique to you, such as how often you fax, how quickly you need the fax machine to operate, how high a definition you need to the printouts to have, how much physical space you have in your office and who will be using the device, and only then do we recommend the correct fax machine for you.

 

Regardless of which make and model of fax machine we provide you with, however, you can be sure of one thing; as all our devices are ultramodern and technologically advanced, they are all super-efficient, so you will be able to run a fax machine economically and much more cheaply than ever before. Now that’s one way the fax machine has changed since the 1980s!

 

Get In Touch

 

If you’d like to find out more about how North West Digital can help keep your business at the cutting edge of this retro technology, then please get in touch with us today to arrange your free, no obligation consultation.

 

You can contact us in any of the usual ways; by email at info@, by phone on 0161 477 8950 or by completing the contact form on the website for one of our friendly team to get back to you as quickly as possible.