Nowadays, when you walk into any office in the United States, you will find a device called a fax machine. A fax machine is a telecommunication tool which sends and receives graphics or important documents by means of telephone lines. Most offices have this nowadays because this is a fast, convenient, and easy way to send documents to any location such as proofs and contracts.

History of fax machines

The first fax patent in 1843 is often credited to the Scottish mechanic named Alexander Bain. By using his knowledge in electric clock pendulums, he was able to produce a back and forth line-by-line scanning mechanism. He used a stylus mounted on a pendulum when scanning a flat surface and this stylus picked up the images on the surface.

The first fax machine, which was called Pantelegraph, was sold by Giovanni Caselli in 1861. And since then, this has evolved into modern means of transmission on which offices commonly used for faster communication.

How fax machines work

Fax machines are composed of an image scanner, a modem, and a computer printer. These are combined to form a highly specialized package where the function of each component is important for its overall operation.

The process begins with the scanner or the sending end on which a sensor reads the paper documents that are feed into the machine and converts the content of these documents into a digital image. Once the content is encoded and converted to digital image, the modem then transmits this image data over a phone line. After transmitting, the printer or the receiving end marks the heat-sensitive paper and makes the duplicate of the original document.

Through the use of fax machines, sending documents to any part of the world is made easier and faster. There are many types of fax machines available in the market today. Their features and capabilities may vary but these are all reliable means of transmission.