The Best Fax Machines

You might be wondering how modern homes and businesses can benefit from having a fax machine when one can just send emails instead. Due to the security afforded to sensitive information sent via fax, faxing is still the primary way businesses expect you to communicate with them when they need vital information in a hurry. Additionally, since fax machines allow for both automatic confirmation receipts and a paper trail, most companies still rely heavily on the technology for compliance reasons.

Buying Guide for Fax Machines

Why buy a fax machine?

If you’re a small business owner or work from home, having a fax machine can save you trips to public fax businesses or libraries. If you send or receive faxes on a regular basis, having one on hand saves time and gas, and therefore, money, too. Additionally, many fax machines print as well.

What should you look for in a fax machine?

• Design: Modern fax machines come in all shapes and sizes. If you are looking for a fax machine for your home, finding one with a compact design and all-in-one functionality can help reduce clutter while affording you a printer, fax machine, copier, and scanner in one convenient package. However, a fax machine for the office should be durable enough to withstand heavy use and should be easy to use so that sending faxes won’t lower a worker’s productivity.
• Capacity: If your fax machine will be used to send or receive a large number of faxes, finding an option that can handle high-capacity use is important. Look for a model that features an auto-feed tray with a capacity that is ideal for your personal or business needs. Additionally, a fax machine’s transmission speed will also come into play, although this will be more important if your fax machine sees a lot of use.
• Long-term Considerations: There are also some long-term factors to consider when shopping for a fax machine. How much will it cost to replace a fax machine’s ink and toner? Is it easy to replace? Additionally, finding a durable fax machine is imperative if it will be used in an office environment.

What else should you consider before selecting a fax machine?

Think about how you want to use it. Today, people go for multifunctional fax machines over the standard machine, and wireless, too. Wireless versions often come with Smart apps, too, which gives more people remote access to the machine, for printing, faxing, and so forth. Do you need to keep the data you share via fax with your coworkers secure against cyberattacks? Do you or other coworkers travel frequently? We’ve reviewed a couple of products with features that both protect your data and also paperless faxing from anywhere.

Our Picks for the Best Fax Machines

Pros: Use this wireless, business multifunction fax machine to print, scan, copy, and fax securely. With the HP Wolf Pro Security feature, the fax machine safeguards against cyberattacks and protects your company’s data. You can’t see it from the outside because the protection is built into the printer hardware, firmware, and operating system. In addition to shielding your company’s data, this product is geared to increase productivity. Use the easy-to-read touchscreen control panel and save your settings to save time for future tasks. In addition to streamlining workflow, the color laser multifunction fax machine saves energy with duplex printing and dual band Wi-Fi. And if you don’t have a local connection, use the built-in Wi-Fi Direct to connect your smartphone directly mobile printing.

Cons: You may run into problems with setup if you don’t have the latest OS updates on your computer. Fortunately, you get a year of 24-hour, 7 days a week free HP Web support.

Bottom Line: If you haven’t noticed, this machine’s mission is to support your company with the best technology. It can save you time, energy, and security breaches.

 

Pros:  This compact inkjet printer, scanner, copy and fax machine is a great addition to a home office. It’s engineered to print black-and-white at 8-8ppm and color photos at 4-4ppm, and produces crisp, clean prints at 4800 x 1200 dpi in both black and full color. The scan resolution is also impressive at 600 x 1200 dpi. The Canon PIXMA supports mobile printing options including Air Print and Google Cloud Print as well as PIXMA Cloud Link for enhanced functionality. The automatic feeder handles up to 20 letter-sized sheets at a time; the paper tray holds up to 100 sheets; it prints up to 99 multiple copies in a single job.

Cons: A few users commented that this inkjet printer goes through ink quickly.

Bottom Line: Yet another impressive wireless all-in-one machine, the Canon PIXMA’s exceptional feature is its high-quality photo printing. This product also works with Alexa.

 

Pros: CimFAX paperless fax machine is a step above the rest in terms of advanced technology. Use it wherever you want, with or without your phone or computer; it’s an independent fax device that send and receive faxes wherever you happen to be. You need your computer or mobile device, only, to view faxes. When you purchase this paperless fax machine, you’re also getting the CimFAX server and software. All the faxes you send and receive are stored on this server and your Windows or Mac computer, or iPhone or Android phone only. Set up to five users and install CimFAX client on up to five computers for safe and secure teamwork.

Cons: You need to have landline or high-quality VoIP service to use the CimFAX. Also, you need a VoIP adapter to make CimFAX work with VoIP.

Bottom Line: This to fax machine will save you money and time. It’s perfect if you must travel or want more freedom to work wherever, whenever.

 

Pros: For those seeking an affordable, dedicated fax machine for their home or office, the Brother FAX-2840 High-Speed Mono Laser Fax Machine is our top pick. Featuring a 33.6-Kbps modem and speedy fax transmissions, this easy-to-use fax machine is ideal for small to medium workloads and sports a USB 2.0 connection to connect your computer for 21-pages-per-minute laser printing with excellent quality. This model also stands out for its energy-saving sleep mode, which is especially useful for those with occasional fax needs.

Cons: Unlike most fax machines of similar quality, this product is not wireless.

Bottom Line: If you need a high-quality fax machine with basic functions, this Brother model may be a great buy. It prints and copies, too, and does so excellently.

Final Thoughts

There’s no reason to settle for a slow and load fax machine with so many great alternatives. From all-in-one fax machines for your home or home office to dedicated fax machines that are made for high-demand business environments, we hope you found a product a to suit unique needs.