Fax

To fax (acronym: Facsimile Transmission) means to send the image of a hard-copy document, page out of a book, etc., over the Internet, the public switched telephone network, or some other network.

The first fax machines came on-line in the 1980's. They replaced the earlier telex (tele-transmission) systems most businesses then used. Fax is vastly superior because it:

1. Can send a document with only a few seconds of hands-on time at the ending or receiving end.
2. Can send a holographic or handwritten document, or a document bearing a handwritten signature.
3. Can send an image.