How to Fax from Your PC

You call your attorney to ask her to review a contract, and she says, "Sure. Fax it over." "But it's a Microsoft Word document," you say. "Can't I just e-mail it to you? I don't have a fax machine." No, she prefers fax. Or, she says, if you'd rather, you can drop it in the mailbox or drive it over. Grrr!

But wait! You probably do have a fax machine and don't even realize it. It's right in your PC. You may have forgotten this if you've moved to broadband, but most computers still ship with fax modems. And Microsoft Windows XP includes fax software, although you may not have realized that either, since it's not part of the default installation. Fortunately, installing it is pretty painless. You'll also need a phone line near your system. If there isn't one there already, you can run a long extension cable, have the phone company install a jack, or use a device like the GE InstaJack, which lets you easily extend your phone lines over your AC wiring.

Why not use an Internet fax service? Well, services such as Efax.com start at about $13 per month for sending, and a desktop fax is almost free (you'll be charged for long-distance faxes). Desktop faxing also saves time: You can resume important tasks while your modem processes the transmission. It's faxing at your fingertips, and you've been able to do it all along.