Fax Machine

                                        Fax

Fax is a network-based fax messaging gateway. It was originally developed by Optus Software in 1987 and

first introduced to the local area network marketplace in 1990. Version 3.1 became widely accepted - especially in the Novell Netware market. In 1995 the company introduced the first fax server (Fasces 4.01a) for the Microsoft NT platform. em-fast Inc. has developed an extensive pre- and post-sales support program for the  Fax Messaging Gateway, the F.A.S.T. (Fax Authorized Support Team) program that eventually encompassed worldwide support and distribution of Fax. em-fast Inc. acquired the Fax Intellectual Property . Since that, subsequent versions of the Fax Messaging Gateway Fax, based on the Microsoft SQL platform have been introduced.

The latest Fax developments include integrations with business software systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and mail delivery systems. Fax also integrates with popular office equipment such as network scanners and multi-function printers (MFPs) from a variety of well-known manufacturers. Fax also supports Fax-over IP (FoIP).

About fax server technology

A fax server is a collection of software modules which allow users to send and receive fax messages directly from their desktop from email and/or document workflow applications. A fax server is equipped with either a hardware-based fax card or a software emulator, based on the T.38 protocol to send faxes over Internet Protocol (IP). Users are able to communicate with the fax server either on a Local Area Network (LAN) or over the Internet. Organizations tend to use a fax server to benefit from both an operational cost perspective (i.e., phone lines, supplies, maintenance) and a human resource perspective (i.e., travel to and from the fax machine, as well as prolonged waiting periods at the physical device). A fax server permits organizations to maintain an audit trail of all of the fax transactions, hence enables compliancy with legislations and mandates, such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). An argument can also be made that because faxing via fax servers is a paperless solution, it innately allows organizations in their goal to be environment-friendly, by reducing their overall carbon footprint.

Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopy or telefax, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device. The original document is scanned with a fax machine (or a telecopy), 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. Early systems used direct conversions of image darkness to audio tone in a continuous or analog manner. Since the 1980s, most machines modulate the transmitted audio frequencies using a digital representation of the page which is compressed to quickly transmit areas which are all-white or all-black.

Advantages and disadvantages of fax

Advantages:

• Scan

• Print

• Phone dial

• Fax

• Connected with internet

Disadvantages:

• Expensive communication

• Compulsory input white paper

• Slow working

• Very big machine