Send a Fax from Camera Phone or Digital Camera
Can I use my digital camera or camera phone to send a fax?
It’s been awhile since I wrote about using a digital camera to send a fax. Since then, more scanner services have gotten on board with fax capabilities. Besides ScanR.com, there is now Qipit and Comombo. You take a picture of the document and email it to the service, which converts it to a PDF. Then, you can send a copy via email, an online account or from many camera phone models. Many users can bypass this step and send the copy right away from an iPhone and other PDAs all the way down to simpler phones, if the picture quality is high enough and if they subscribe to a data plan that allows access to the Internet or sending multimedia messages (MMS). ScanR offers three free uploads; Comombo allows 10 free pages. Qipit is free.
There is also free third-party software available that will compress the images so they’ll send faster, saving you time and money. Comombo, a German company, requires the download of its own software to send faxes, but the software actually improves the image quality during the conversion process.
The ability to send documents this way can be really handy if you’re in a pinch. For example, students can send handwritten class notes to study mates and business brainstormers can pass along shots of whiteboard notes. Just be sure you’re getting a good shot of the document you’re faxing. Shoot head-on (not at an angle), don’t use flash and try macro or document mode, plus autofocus, to get a clear picture of the words. Steady hands help, too.
Do you have a question about faxing? Send me your fax question.