Finally, You Can Ditch Your Fax Machine

Thanks to an ingenious new website, no more trips to Kinko's
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 6, 2011 3:48 PM CST
Finally, You Can Ditch Your Fax Machine
Farhad Manjoo won't be sad to see this go.   (Getty Images)

Farhad Manjoo hates the fax machine. It’s “a joke, … one of the most expensive, least flexible, and most annoying ways to send documents in the digital age.” Even so, thanks to “your bank, your insurance company, your lawyer,” and anyone else who insists on an actual signature, “faxing persists.” Since Manjoo refuses to own either a fax machine or a scanner, his wife has been forced to fax everything, on his behalf, from her office … until now. Thanks to HelloFax, Manjoo can now fax documents without leaving his chair, and he’s pretty happy about it.

Sure, you still need a camera, but only to take the initial photo of your signature. After that, all you need to do is upload the digital document that requires your signature, add and arrange the photo of your signature, and voilà, you’re done. You can even add text, if the document is a form that needs to be filled out. When all is said and done, you can either fax or email the completed document. Though other services have claimed to do similar things, this is easily the most “straightforward,” Manjoo writes on Slate. Better yet, it’s currently free—at least, for the first 20 faxes to US numbers. A paid service is coming—and as far as Manjoo is concerned, “HelloFax is a dream. I'd pay $5 a month—or even $2 per fax—just for the ease of use." (More faxes stories.)

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