Mary B. Moore
The fax systems are one of the most modern technologies in the field of communications. At present, it is one of the leading devices of the electronic-imaging revolution that has had a major impact on business and the way it disseminates information. It is the most dynamic device to hit the office-products industry since the personal computer. Next to the telephone, facsimile has become the most popular communication device in American business. It moves information faster for companies, thus saving them substantially on overnight delivery costs.
As the number of installed units continue to increase, the use of facsimile as a practical and cost-effective application of office-to-office communications becomes more of a standard communication method. Facsimile is no longer a peripheral means of rounding out the total office technology field. It is gaining devoted users who need to relay information and documents from one point to another as quickly as possible. Facsimile can reproduce an image of pictures, graphs, letters, and forms that can be transmitted around the world in a matter of seconds. All it takes is a sending-and-receiving device and a common telephone line in between.
Some fax machines are as comfortable on the road as in the office. Their light weight (under 16 pounds) and small size (less than 13 inches square) make them ideal for traveling. Some models of fax machines have special features such as a built-in autodialer, send-later capability, recorded voice announcement, monitor speaker, 64-shade halftone control, full 8 1/2 inch scanning and recording width, transaction confirmation report (TCR), error report, page header (TTI) w/batch numbering and delayed sequential polling.
The list of uses and methods of applying facsimile to diverse office applications is extensive. The ability to develop a variety of network configurations to fit specific ever-increasing facsimile community. Facsimile is no longer a technology of limited use, because it is gaining a foothold in office environments around the world. It will continue to grow and evolve to offer more enhanced features and capabilities. It will play an important role in tomorrow’s office.
(Recommended for Business Management, Business Communications, Office Procedures, and Information Processing classes, grades 10-12, and Cooperative Work Experience, grade 12)
Key Words
Communication FAX System Computers Facisimile Machine Technology
