Faxing A Document
| Field | Computers, Communications |
| Went Obsolete | Began decline in mid-1990s |
| Made Obsolete By | Email, Scanners |
| Knowledge Assumed | The ability to identify and operate a fax machine |
| When useful | When sending a copy of a document to another person over great distances |
Fax (short for facsimile, from Latin fac simile, “make similar”, i.e. “make a copy”) is a telecommunications technology used to transfer copies (facsimiles) of documents, especially using affordable devices operating over the telephone network. The word telefax, short for telefacsimile, for “make a copy at a distance”, is also used as a synonym. The device is also known as a telecopier in certain industries.
When sending documents to people at large distances, faxes have a distinct advantage over postal mail in that the delivery is nearly instantenous, yet its disadvantages in quality and its proprietary format have relegated it to a position beneath email as the prevailing form of electronic document transferral. The combination of email, scanners, and fast internet connections has allowed many documents which would otherwise be faxed to now be scanned and sent as attachments. Faxes commonly remain in use when documents require a signature, though the growth of personal scanners has significantly reduced the fax machine's presence. The decline of this technology has been hastened as more documents are sent solely via computers.
