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Guides > Free Guide: Scan-to-email
When faxing was mass introduced in the 1970’s, the world suddenly became a much smaller place. No longer did people need to rely on the postal services, or messaging services, they could now send a copy of a paper document in a matter of minutes, to virtually anywhere on the planet. Its simplicity meant that even the biggest technophobes felt comfortable using them.
With the advent of email though, the frustrations of faxing have become ever more apparent. In comparison to email, faxes are: slow, poor quality, costly to send, difficult to route to the desired recipient, and relatively insecure should a 3rd party chance seeing the faxed document.
Most multifunctional copiers either have scanning as standard, or it can be included as an option. If your current copier can print, then it's highly likely that it can scan also. As long as you use your own mail server (e.g. Microsoft Exchange), then you'll be able to scan documents directly from the copier to an email recipient. Documents can be automatically converted to PDF format and in some instances be password protected.
Fax |
Scan-to-email |
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| Ease of use | Easy to use for sending to single destinations, but multiple destinations requires technical knowledge. | Very easy to send to one or one thousand people. Email addresses can be downloaded directly from your normal address book . |
| Purchase price | Fax purchase prices can vary from as little as £50.00 up to many thousands. | Most copiers are sold with print/scan as standard - so the cost could be nothing at all. |
| Functionality | On a low end fax machine, the functionality is usually pretty poor. No faxing of double-sided documents, black & white and A4 only. | You can automatically send double-sided, colour, A6-A3 documents quickly and easily. |
| Availability | Variable. Is their fax line engaged? Perhaps your colleague is sending a multi-page fax? | Always on. So long as your email is working, then it will work. |
| Cost-per-message | Variable. From a few pence up to many pounds for an international fax call. | Virtually free! It's an email! |
| Speed of sending | Variable. Depending on the size of the document, the page coverage, and the quality setting. | Once the document is scanned it's only a few seconds before it's sent. |
| Convenience | Your recipient will need to be near a fax machine, have paper available, and toner. | So long as your recipient has internet access then he/she can pick up your message anywhere on the planet. |
| Quality | Very poor. It's a fax... | Original like quality. Documents can be scanned up to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi in full colour and converted to a PDF. |
| Security | Very poor. The recipient needs to be at the fax machine when it is being transmitted. | Excellent. Message are sent to peoples own email addresses and can be protected further using passwords and encrypted PDFs. |
If you are interested in scan-to-email and would like some further information then please go to the contact us page, Ask the Experts, or even call us on 08701 622511.
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