Essentially what a fax to email service does is convert your documents digitally to an analog signal that allows you to send and receive faxes trough your Gmail account to any fax machine worldwide.
These fax servers work non stop which means you can ditch using your fax machine and let the service do al the work for you by converting your documents electronically and sending it to any fax number you need it delivered to.
The reason to switch over to this service is because it has been proven to save money and time and now a days, who doesn’t want to save in these areas? You don’t need a landline, you’ll reduce ink and paper expenses and best of all it’s easy to use. The following tutorial will explain the entire process from start to finish so you’ll be a pro at sending a fax online in no time.
How to Send a Fax From Gmail
If you can send an email then you’ll be surprised to learn that the process is very similar. There are only a few differences when it comes to sending a fax through email:
- Instead of using an email for the recipient field you will enter the fax number.
- Any documents that need to be sent are uploaded as an attachment
- Anything entered in subject field becomes part of the cover page
Pretty straight forward right? And It just keeps getting easier, the following steps will guide you through sending your first Gmail fax:
Compose a new email as you would regularly either on your computer or mobile phone.
In the TO field you’ll place the fax number, including the area code, followed by the email server of the online fax provider you sign up with. For example if you use RingCentral Fax then you would place the fax number followed by @rcfax.com, just like this example: 1234567890@rcfax.com
In the SUBJECT field you can place the text for your cover page.
Attach files to be faxes just like you would attach files to a regular email. You can attach a variety of documents such as PDF’s, JPEG’s, DOC’s and more. Check with your online fax provider to learn all the accepted formats.
Review your email fax and then click send! Your email is automatically converted into a fax transmission.
To successfully follow this tutorial you will need to have an active Gmail account which will become your fax email when you sign up with an online fax service. The way this works is the service will automatically convert fax from email and send it to or from your virtual number that is linked to your Gmail account. The best way to get started with an email fax service is with their free account trials. Providers such as RingCentral or eFax let you create an account that is active for 30 days at no cost. If you like their service you can continue using your account with one of their plans.
You’ll also find a few services that let you send a fax through their website for free. You are limited to how many pages you can send each day and there is no option to receive faxes, only send. You’re also not guaranteed that your fax will be sent and sometimes the cover page will also have ads. If you have important documents or a business then it’s best to use a paid option that will also come with a free fax number.