Contrary to popular belief, fax machines have been around for a very long time. In France between Paris and Lyon, it was first used for commercial purposes in 1865. That is 11 years before Alexander Graham Bell created the telephone!
Indeed, the reliable fax machine had a long and interesting life. It’s time to remember the history of fax technology with the launch of Paubox Secure 2017.
A Fax Machine: What Is It?
The fax, or “facsimile,” machine transmits text or graphic messages from a scanner over a phone line to a printer, which can print out the message on regular paper for the recipient to read. Since phone lines can only receive audio, the data is converted into tones and frequencies that the fax interprets as black or white, creating the overall layout of the page.
In its earlier years, the fax machine was also known as a “telecopy” or “telefax,” but nowadays most people just refer to it as a fax. In contrast to the early days when it was a standalone device, printer and scanner technology are frequently included with modern fax machines. For instance, a lot of HP all-in-ones have print, fax, copy, and scan features because these processes are interconnected. Full-color faxes can now be sent and printed with more vivid detail than ever before.
How Is A Fax Machine Operated?
Images of text or graphics are converted into data by the faxing process so that it can be transmitted over current phone lines. But what actually occurs?
- First, the sending fax or computer scans a document one horizontal line at a time, looking for shades of light and dark
- Each line is given a binary code of 0s and 1s, just like in standard computer code, with white getting 0 and black or shaded getting 1
- Each pixel scanned from the page is counted and assigned a binary code value that will then be sent a bit of data at a time
- These bits are decoded at the receiving fax or computer and printed out in the order received to recreate the image or text exactly
Fax machines use data compression to lower the amount of bits that must be sent and the time it takes to send and process them because all of this needs to happen quickly. Because of this, more recent fax machines can generate messages almost instantly, whereas older ones can take several minutes to do so. In 1968, sending a one-page fax took close to six minutes.
When Was The Fax Machine Created?
The Xerox company developed the first recognizable form of what we now refer to as the telephone fax in 1964, but the technology that enabled that development was developed much earlier. In actuality, Alexander Baine is credited with creating the electric printing telegraph in 1843. His innovation raised the telegraph’s limited communication potential to a new level by simulating a 2D image on paper.
Baine’s creation wasn’t extensively tested, but it served as the inspiration for several improved iterations. Frederick Blakewell created one in 1847, and Giovanni Caselli created the first commercial fax system in 1863.
The History Of The Fax Machine
The fax machine is one invention that has benefited from time passing. The first fax machine, developed in 1843 by Alexander Bain, was very different from the small fax machines we use today.
Transmissions were not very quick and the image quality was subpar. But this was to be expected given the technology at the time. Bain synchronized and took pictures line by line using “pendulums” and a “clock,” which isn’t exactly a quick method. The first fax was then created after the images were copied.
It wasn’t until English physicist Frederick Bakewell improved on Bain’s original “fax machine” that faxing started to take shape, albeit not at a breakneck pace. “Rotating cylinders” and a “stylus” were the two components of Bakewell’s fax machine. It failed to be a runaway hit despite making its debut at the 1851 World’s Fair in London to curious looks. Thank goodness Bakewell’s fax machine provided a model from which other creators could take cues.
Giovanni Caselli invented the Pantelegraph, a fax machine, in the late 1860s. But unlike its predecessors, it was a success, serving as the inspiration for the modern fax machine. However, it would take another century for fax technology to really take off.
Xerox
The Long Distance Xerograph (LDX), created by Xerox in 1964, was a fax machine that could send standard-size documents (one page at a time) to any other fax machine worldwide. Unfortunately, it took about six minutes to do so. Before a Japanese telecommunications company established the “ITU G3 Facsimile Standard” in 1980, the LDX remained the fax industry standard. It wouldn’t be long, though, before fax would be replaced by a new innovation.
The Rise Of Analog Faxing
There are a number of reasons why analog fax machines contributed to the advancement of fax. To get started, all you had to do was connect your fax machine to a standard phone line, and presto! You were prepared to send the following fax. This was a significant incentive in the 1980s and 1990s, in large part because internet use hadn’t yet taken off and people thought faxing was the safest method for sending sensitive information.
However, as businesses relied more on analog fax machines, their upkeep costs started to rise. There were expenses for paper, ink, maintenance, and repairs, among others. Additionally, it was a hassle for administrators to send and receive documents via fax while impatiently waiting for a busy signal to change into a much-needed ringtone. Administrators also had to hand out faxes one by one to the intended recipient after they had transmitted.
What can we learn from this, then? Although fax technology was evolving, it remained difficult.
Multifunction Devices
It was intended to make faxing more practical to incorporate fax machines into copiers or multifunction devices (MFDs). And it did in a variety of ways. It was great to have a standalone device that could print, fax, scan, and copy documents. Owners were still plagued by the cost issue, though. The cost of operating a MFD was frequently higher than the cost of operating a conventional fax machine. Additionally, we’re not just discussing the purchase price, but also the expense of fixing them.
Around this time, businesses started converting to fax servers to enhance the functionality of their MFDs and standalone fax machines. Fax servers were great overall. Owners of fax machines can send faxes more quickly and save money on paper. A fax server’s setup was pricey, though, as with any next-generation technology. In fact, the cost of purchasing, setting up, and running one server could reach thousands of dollars.
Fax servers did, however, bring convenience; that is not to say that they did not. Without using a physical printer or fax machine, users could send faxes right from their desktop. Fax servers also provided a crucial solution to the problem of handling private data, which HIPAA regulations forbid from being left exposed on devices like anachronistic fax machines.
Small business owners and private individuals were still looking for ways to make faxing simpler for them as fax servers became the new standard for corporations.
Internet Faxing
In the middle of the 1990s, fax underwent a new evolution as the majority of the world’s data needs—including email, cloud storage, and document editing—migrated to the web. For the first time, anyone could send a fax using an online fax service from their computer. The price was reasonable, and the technology was straightforward. All you required was a device that could access the internet and an online fax account.
Online faxing is quick and practical in contrast to traditional fax machines. Anywhere you have internet access, you can send faxes that are instantly connected to fax machines all over the world. The best part is that you can avoid the high cost of maintaining a fax server. The same features you’d expect from a traditional machine, like cover sheets, free local fax numbers, and transmission verification reports, could be had for a very low cost when sending faxes while on the go for both individuals and businesses.
Additionally, end-to-end audit trails offered by online fax services confirm the transfer of your faxes as soon as it is finished. Even better, you can enter a digital signature or include a cover letter when signing a contract.
A single electronic device, like an iPhone, can be used by online fax service providers to send and receive faxes via email and mobile. With a fax app, all you need to send faxes instead of a large, cumbersome fax machine is your smartphone. One administrator-controlled account will allow you to send, read, edit, and manage all of your faxes.
The Impact Of Fax Today
Because of reputable online fax providers like eFax, fax technology is still relevant today. You can send multiple faxes to numerous recipients in a matter of seconds using the eFax Mobile App, one of the best fax apps. Your faxed documents print out just like real faxes, and you can monitor every step of the transmission procedure, including the completion time and date.
The ability to read and send faxes was revolutionized when busy people and business owners could carry around their own fax machine. We used to be dependent on antiquated fax machines, fax servers, phone lines, printer paper, ink, and IT professionals. Thanks to online faxing—the best fax machine substitute—we can send faxes just as easily as we can send emails in the modern world.
Since its introduction into our daily lives, both professionally and personally, faxing has undergone significant change. However, one thing is obvious: its impact continues to grow. Online fax can help us save time, be more responsive, maintain our connections, protect sensitive information, and do many other things.
Many other inventors who came after Bain and Bakewell may not have received the recognition they deserved during their lifetimes. However, they have undoubtedly altered the way we perceive data transmission, and for that alone, they deserve a mention!
Three Things You Will Miss About The Fax Machine
- the thrilling suspense of receiving a cover sheet that is incomplete. (Like getting a gift from an unknown person.)
- the enchanting screech of a dial tone.
- there is only one phone line, so you have to hang up before sending a fax.
Fax Machine, 1865–2017, rest in peace. The days of the fax machine are gone, and you will be sorely missed. With a secure email, you can accomplish what the fax machine needed several minutes to do in just a few seconds.
Timeline Of Fax Machine History
1843: Mechanical Fax — The world’s first fax machine was created in 1843 by Alexander Bain and was called the “Electric Printing Telegraph.”
1880: Scanning PhotoTelegraph — The first telefax device capable of scanning and transmitting a two-dimensional image is the Scanning PhotoTelegraph device, invented by the Englishman Shelford Bidwell.
1888: TelAutograph — Elisha Grey created the TelAutograph device in 1888, allowing users to send signature images over great distances.
1924: Wire Transmission — By sending pictures over the phone or wire, AT&T Corporation researchers advance fax technology.
1924: Wireless Transmission — The TransOceanic Radio Facsimile is created by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), who also successfully transmits a picture between New York and London.
1924: Color Fax — The AT&T Corporation develops a fax machine that can send the first color facsimile ever.
1924: 6 mins — A single page of fax took six minutes to send.
1960: Satellite Fax — The U.S. Army sends Puerto Rico the first photograph ever taken via satellite.
1964: Telephone Transmission — The Xerox Corporation introduces and patents the first telephone-based commercial version of the modern fax machine.
1974: 3 mins — How long does it take an eFax transmission to send a single page of text? It took 3 minutes.
1982: $20,000 — The price of a fax machine was $20,000.
1982: Computer Based Fax Board — The GammaFax, developed by GammaLink, was the first computer-based fax board.
1996: Internet Fax — The first internet fax service is made available to the general public, enabling users to send and receive facsimiles using a computer instead of fax machines.
2010: Internet Fax via Apple Devices — eFax launches iOS app, allowing users the ability to fax directly from their Apple devices.
2011: Internet Fax via Android Devices — eFax launches Sending faxes is possible thanks to an Android app.
Conclusion
The general public has used fax technology for a very long time now. It’s unlikely that the fundamental idea of taking an image, disassembling it, sending it over the phone or internet, and then reassembling it onto a printed page will vanish.
Although many of us no longer use landline phones, there is still a use for the fax. We’ll probably see it change more, and we might even say goodbye to bulky standalone fax machines in favor of sleeker all-in-ones and cloud service providers.
