Sending a fax over Skype
Can I send a fax through Skype?
Yes, it’s possible to send a fax message through Skype. A new prepaid service called Skax lets its users send local and international faxes using their Skype account instead of a traditional phone line. The recipient must have a fax machine for the service to work, but the sender does not. Through Skax, you can send faxes from more than 20 file formats such as Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and HTML files. Various image files such as JPEG and TIFF are also supported.
The cost of sending faxes through Skax could be lower than your regular long distance rates, since you pay $0.29 per page sent within the US. In addition, the service doesn’t impose any monthly charges or subscription fees. You can buy Skax credits for as low as $5.00, and new users get $1.00 worth of free credit. Transactions are carried out via Paypal or Google Checkout.
Overall, Skax seems like a decent solution for people who only send a few occasional faxes every month (especially if you’re sending them to foreign countries) and don’t have a traditional phone line. If you’re worried about security, the Skax support page states that they only store your files during transmissions. They automatically remove the files from their servers once the fax is sent.
Although Skax is a promising service, it does have its limitations. For now, users are unable to receive faxes through their Skype account. Another limitation is that Skax currently doesn’t support operating platforms other than Windows. Skax requires installations of Windows XP SP1 or SP2, Skpe version 3.0 or above, and Internet Explorer version 6.0 and above. Windows Vista is not supported.
To learn more about Skax, visit their web site at www.skax.net.
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