Getting A Fax Sent

[Rasseru]

On the few occasions that I have needed to send a fax in Chiangmai (email + scanning has almost eliminated any need I have to send a fax), I have been able to get help at the front desk of the building I live in. Today their fax machine is not working and I must send two faxes to the United States. Any suggestions?

[Priceless]

On the few occasions that I have needed to send a fax in Chiangmai (email + scanning has almost eliminated any need I have to send a fax), I have been able to get help at the front desk of the building I live in. Today their fax machine is not working and I must send two faxes to the United States. Any suggestions?

I sent one (domestic, though) a couple of weeks ago through the nice people at the Montri Hotel. Try them

/ Priceless

[cmsally]

I think the small post office across from Montri Hotel sends faxes. (Just behind Black Canyon).

[p1p]

Many photocopy places also send faxes.

[elektrified]

On the few occasions that I have needed to send a fax in Chiangmai (email + scanning has almost eliminated any need I have to send a fax), I have been able to get help at the front desk of the building I live in. Today their fax machine is not working and I must send two faxes to the United States. Any suggestions?

Buddy Internet at 12 Huay Kaew Road accross from Kad Suan Kaew. I have sent and received several faxes there and never had a problem. Prices are very inexpensive.

[Rasseru]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions!

[gpdjohn]

There is a shop behind Meechoc Plaza, next to the fresh market.

80 bhat.

( it's behind the 7-11 )

[chiangmaibruce]

No, in my experience most internet shops don't have faxes now but some will scan and email for you... and some know how to use the scanner and some don't (and will give you a file that is H-U-G-E and your email program falls asleep trying to send it).

Some of the places that send faxes are also a bit of a rip-off is sending overseas so be sure to ask first.

The cheapest place I have found is almost next door to the big post office near the railway station - this shop is right on the corner.

- CB

[Rasseru]

Thanks again for all the help. I was inspired to check in my neighbourhood. The first internet shop I stopped in did not have a fax, but the second one did. At 60 baht a page, it was quite expensive compared to what the front desk of the building has charged in the past (but that just covered the cost of the phone call, less than 10 baht), but may have been a good deal compared with other services and in any case solved my problem affordably.

[Cyberstar]

No, in my experience most internet shops don't have faxes now but some will scan and email for you... and some know how to use the scanner and some don't (and will give you a file that is H-U-G-E and your email program falls asleep trying to send it).

Just ask the guys to save the scan as a PDF-file - the ultimate replacement for faxing of any kind of "text" and even the ultimate solution for any kind of graphics, you (yourself) don't know whether you have special requirements for. --- (I think the most scanner programs, yet nowadays, have TIF as the default saving format which produces a huge file even if the page getting scanned just says "Happy Songkran" in plain text).

If the guys don't know what the fancy term "PDF" means - go looking for an internet cafe that knows it.

[damole]

Just about every computer has a fax/modem so assuming you have a phone line, scan the document or take a digital photo and then you can fax it from your PC for the cost of the phonecall.

If you're using Windows XP, open control panel, open printers and faxes and on the file menu choose setup faxes unless this has been done before. When this is finished sucessfully you will be able use the standard print command in any program to 'print to fax'.

[Rasseru]

Just about every computer has a fax/modem so assuming you have a phone line, scan the document or take a digital photo and then you can fax it from your PC for the cost of the phonecall.

Thank you, but no, I do not have a phone line. Moved entirely to Skype a couple of years ago.

[FolkGuitar]

Just about every computer has a fax/modem so assuming you have a phone line, scan the document or take a digital photo and then you can fax it from your PC for the cost of the phonecall.

Thank you, but no, I do not have a phone line. Moved entirely to Skype a couple of years ago.

Pick up a copy of 'WinFax Pro' at the Computer center. If your computer can connect to the Internet for Skype, you can also use it to send a regular fax with WinFax Pro. If the page to be faxed is already in your computer, just open it in the program, type in the fax number to send it to, and push 'send.' If it's a hard copy page, scan it into your computer, open in WinFax Pro, and send. It's has all the bells and whistles of a regular fax machine, but is a simple computer program. All you need is connection to the Web. You can send AND receive faxes, program times to send, add a pre-made cover page, etc. Very easy to set up and use.

[Rasseru]

That's an excellent bit of information, FG, many thanks -- and when I go shopping for the software, I'll remember to check whether it will run on my Mac!

[Foggy Bottom]

Alternatively, if you have even just an annual requirement to send a multipage fax, it'll only take a couple of years before it's cheaper to head up to Lotus and spend 1,900 baht on a thermal paper fax-telephone.

With most internet cafe's wanting 80-100 baht per page for faxing - after 20 pages sent, you're into money saving mode.

... and if you have any form of business, you'd be amazed at how useful it still is to have a fax you can feed sheets of paper into.

Gaz

[Rasseru]

Alternatively, if you have even just an annual requirement to send a multipage fax, it'll only take a couple of years before it's cheaper to head up to Lotus and spend 1,900 baht on a thermal paper fax-telephone.

That may make sense as an alternative to some of the other options, but it seems to me that the option outlined by FolkGuitar is even cheaper. Apart from not needing to spend money on a fax machine or fax paper, it does not require one to pay for a phone line either.

[Boksida]

That's an excellent bit of information, FG, many thanks -- and when I go shopping for the software, I'll remember to check whether it will run on my Mac!

I thought the Mac OS had fax functionality anyway. Found several places on the net saying:

"All mac's can fax all doc's as well as make a PDF so you can Email it. Just select file, print and in the print box select fax. your address book will open and choose you friend's info and hit fax."

I'm not a Mac user but it seemed to be a unanimous idea.

[Rasseru]

That's an excellent bit of information, FG, many thanks -- and when I go shopping for the software, I'll remember to check whether it will run on my Mac!

I thought the Mac OS had fax functionality anyway.

Thanks for the hint. My review of the information available on my Mac suggests that yes, the Mac OS has fax functionality, but you can only send a fax if you have a phone line hooked up to your computer. In other words, the computer as configured can substitute for a fax machine, but an internet connection will not stand in for a phone line. From Folk Guitar's description, it seems the application he recommends does not require a phone line, just an internet connection. True, FG?

[Foggy Bottom]

Alternatively, if you have even just an annual requirement to send a multipage fax, it'll only take a couple of years before it's cheaper to head up to Lotus and spend 1,900 baht on a thermal paper fax-telephone.

That may make sense as an alternative to some of the other options, but it seems to me that the option outlined by FolkGuitar is even cheaper. Apart from not needing to spend money on a fax machine or fax paper, it does not require one to pay for a phone line either.

Ok - I'm not going to retype the full explanation that the reply form just lost for me when I hit submit

You're looking at a false economy there

Suffice to say that I used to own a computer components distributorship and used to send over 15,000 faxes per night

However, just preparing each fax took one employee the whole afternoon (did include graphics and layout design mind you)

Fax-Modems and standalone faxes were just one of our specialist ranges - selling them and supporting them.

DO NOT EVER, NEVER, use WinFax Pro if you ever want to run another program at the same time

I recommend Cheyenne Bitware - we used to run a 40-modem array on it, plus each individual desktop used it for their individual modems and it never once caused a desktop / LAN / WAN or server problem.

Sending a one off multipage fax by a standalone machine - set up time = 2-3 seconds

Sending a one off one page fax by PC/Mac can be anywhere from 2-3 minutes to the whole damned day when you get a handshake modulation incompatibility from the far end and have to program custom handshake codes using trial and error.

Expect around 30-50% send failures from a PC (especially on the very flaky copper system in this city, and from here to BKK)

Expect around 1% send failures from a standalone - again it's all due to error tolerance in the firmware.

Gaz

[BigSnake]

You might try any major hotel in your area, it will cost a bit more If possible why not just invest about B3500 in a fax/phone unit. I and many other have no regrets.

[Rasseru]

Thanks for all that, Gaz, but despite the points you raise I don't think that it would be a false economy for me, who has to fax perhaps 5 or 6 pages a year. I will gladly spend the extra few minutes it would take each time to send that many faxes a year by computer and internet, and I have no problem with the idea of resending the fax a few times to deal with send failures.

Also, I cannot help but think something must have gotten garbled in your post. If "preparing each fax took one [of your] employee the whole afternoon" and you "used to send over 15,000 faxes per night", that suggests you had to employ 15,000 or more people just to send out your faxes every day. Surely that can't be right?

[Rasseru]

If possible why not just invest about B3500 in a fax/phone unit. I and many other have no regrets.

Thanks, but that does not make sense for me. If you are curious, I think my earlier posts explain why I prefer Folk Guitar's option.

[Foggy Bottom]

Nope - no garbled in my post

the 15,000 fax numbers were in the address book, click address group to attach, then click send

The afternoon prep was mostly price and availability verification, page layup, photo import etc.

Once that was done, each fax had to be sure of going out in under 1 minute - not dead on 1 minute, or 1 minute 1 second, because that counted as a full extra minute for billing - doubliing the bill for the night's transmissions.

Page optimisation to ensure under one minute for the then most common fax speed (9600 baud) usually took about an hour and a couple of test sends to our internal stand alone via the PABX.

Then immediately before batch transmit, all pricing had to be reverified - back in the mid-90's a 16MB RAM module's price was more volatile than oil today, and more expensive than a barrel of oil today .... especially in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake when the substrate factory got severely damaged (1994? 1995?) RAM tripled in price in 36 hours and we had around 11,000 units in stock with another 30K units in Customs (woohoo - big commission days them was).

[FolkGuitar]

That's an excellent bit of information, FG, many thanks -- and when I go shopping for the software, I'll remember to check whether it will run on my Mac!

I thought the Mac OS had fax functionality anyway.

Thanks for the hint. My review of the information available on my Mac suggests that yes, the Mac OS has fax functionality, but you can only send a fax if you have a phone line hooked up to your computer. In other words, the computer as configured can substitute for a fax machine, but an internet connection will not stand in for a phone line. From Folk Guitar's description, it seems the application he recommends does not require a phone line, just an internet connection. True, FG?

I've used WinFax Pro on a wireless network.... I also use it while using other programs. I have never had a fax error, although I really don't send that many. Perhaps 6-10 a year. No problems, adds a cover sheet if you want, or not if you don't. If you have enough RAM you can run it while doing graphics or audio work. I do...

My friend in HongKong uses Mac and uses WinFax Pro, or at least he 'did' some years ago. I really don't know if they still make it for the Mac platform. Cheyenne Bitware is excellent software too, and can turn your computer into a full service multi-function communication station with answering machine, fax send and receive, and copying. Of course, I haven't seen a copy of this in about 10 years, so I don't know if it's still made either.

[mcgriffith]

Or ye can just scoot on down to Buddy Internet (as mentioned above) on Huay Kaew Rd, opposite Central (the real Central, not that Airport pretender ).

I've used them many times for faxes.....dirt cheap, professional, and with a confirmation report. I sent quite a flurry of pages to my CPA last year from Buddy- very reasonable.

[john b good]

A PDF attachment on an e-mail does not meet the legal requirements that a regular fax does.

A telex is still the minimum as required by many international banks etc.

[Rasseru]

A PDF attachment on an e-mail does not meet the legal requirements that a regular fax does.

Yes, and that is the only reason I ever have to send a fax to anyone.

[elektrified]

Or ye can just scoot on down to Buddy Internet (as mentioned above) on Huay Kaew Rd, opposite Central (the real Central, not that Airport pretender ).

I've used them many times for faxes.....dirt cheap, professional, and with a confirmation report. I sent quite a flurry of pages to my CPA last year from Buddy- very reasonable.

As I mentioned above, i sent some faxes to Europe and USA from Buddy and was never charged more than 50 Baht per fax. Like mcgriffith says, dirt cheap, professional, and confirmation report.

[Rasseru]

Or ye can just scoot on down to Buddy Internet (as mentioned above) on Huay Kaew Rd, opposite Central (the real Central, not that Airport pretender ).

I've used them many times for faxes.....dirt cheap, professional, and with a confirmation report. I sent quite a flurry of pages to my CPA last year from Buddy- very reasonable.

As I mentioned above, i sent some faxes to Europe and USA from Buddy and was never charged more than 50 Baht per fax. Like mcgriffith says, dirt cheap, professional, and confirmation report.

Thanks for the reminder. For me, saving the extra ten baht it costs me to send a fax at the internet cafe I found fairly close to my home is not enough to make traveling instead to Central worthwhile, but it is a good bit of information for the others who, one expects and hopes, will find this topic when they need it in the future.