Free Fax Numbers
Q: How can I get a free Internet fax number? What are the pros and cons of free fax numbers?
A number of Internet services offer a free fax number to anyone who provides a valid email address. You can use their fax number as if it was your own on stationery, business cards, etc. Sometimes, these free phone numbers double as voice message numbers; your contacts can leave voice messages for you that you can pick up later, although you can’t talk in real time.
Digitization of fax and enable these firms to provide free fax numbers. They receive incoming faxes, convert them to TIFF or PDF files, and email them to you. Alternatively, they may keep the fax files on their servers and let you access them via a Web interface from wherever you are on the Internet.
Free fax numbers are not without limitations. First, you may be assigned a fax number in an area code different from your regular business number. That’s a tip-off to customers that you’re using someone else’s fax service, which may not be the image you wish to project. Second, there are limitations on the size and number of messages that will be stored, and how long they will be stored.
K7.net is a good example of a free fax number service. Just sign up with your email address and you will receive a free fax number. Incoming faxes can be up to 2 MB in size. Voice messages can be up to five minutes long. Up to 20 messages, voice and fax, will be stored for up to 7 days on K7.net’s server, where you can access them via a Web interface. You can download your messages via email or from the Web.
You may be able to upgrade your account, for a fee, to accept larger faxes, store more messages longer, or send faxes in addition to receiving them.
Do you have a question about faxing? Send me your fax question.