Just the FAX, please...and keep it green!

The widespread adoption of the fax machine in the 1980’s revolutionized communication of images. By using a relatively inexpensive facsimile machine one could transmit document based images over a basic telephone line.

Fax machines have since become common in organizations worldwide and provide a significant role in office communication.  However, according to GreenFax (www.greenfax.com), government research has shown that fax machines consume 200 billion pages of paper each year in the United States alone. If just five percent of this were done paperless, it could save up to 1 million trees a year.

So, how can you Fax more responsibly? It’s actually quite easy…

Think about using email instead of physically mailing a letter. In a similar manner, paperless faxing  (also termed Internet faxing or electronic faxing) has many advantages and features that a normal fax machine does not have, with only a few challenges that are easy to overcome.

The fundamental principle with paperless faxing is simply to keep the document in a digital format to the extent possible, only printing it when necessary. This might be easier than you imagine. Let’s break it down into two broad categories – inbound fax and outbound fax.

Inbound Fax:

Documents being sent to you are already in an electronic format, usually in a file format called .tif or .tiff (tagged image file format).  You know the process well. A sender places the document on a fax machine (scanner) and it is converted into an image file and transmitted electronically over a telephone line; and your fax machine interprets the electronic file and reconstitutes it into a printed image.

What if we just delivered that electronic image into your email inbox instead? Then you could read the fax and act upon in before printing it. Better yet, you could send it to the person in your organization that specifically needed the information – and keep a copy if you like.
 
Outbound Fax:

Many documents you fax outbound originate as digital images or files. They often consist of letters, memo’s, drawings, etc. which you are manipulating in one way or another on a computer device. Why then would you take the time to print the document on paper only to turn around and convert it back into an electronic image for transmission? This is a waste of both time and precious resources!

A simpler approach might be to just send the document directly from your workstation in one of the following ways:

• Attach the document to an email message and fax it to an electronic fax service
• Upload the document to a web based electronic fax service
• Print the document to a virtual fax printer setup on your computer
• Select send Internet Fax from within your Microsoft Word or Excel program

We know there are times when an electronic transmission of a fax will not do. Required signatures, notes on originals, and expediency are all valid reasons to not use electronic means of faxing. But like so many good ideas, just knowing the options and making a choice is a place to start.

If you would like to explore how your school can do more than pay lip service to the “Green” movement, and actually save some trees. Contact us for a demonstration on how you can begin using a paperless fax system in your organization. It costs about the same as a ream of paper per month, so it is pretty much a free solution!

For an interesting history about the development of the fax machine, go here: http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/fax.htm