Facsimile number is the formal term, fax no. the abbreviation on a letterhead, fax machine number the way someone describes the number their office machine sits on, and fax numbers the plural on a supplier's contact page. They are one thing: a telephone number that a fax device or service answers. This page is for the reader who has been given one of these and wants to know what it is used for, how fax numbers work on the phone network, and how to use a fax number to send something today without a machine.
What is fax number used for
A fax number exists so that documents can be sent to it with a confirmation of delivery. Hospitals publish one for referrals and records requests, courts and agencies for filings, insurers for claims, banks for signed instructions, suppliers for orders. The sender needs the number and a way to dial it; the receiver's device or account collects the pages. What is a fax number used for by an individual is usually one of those: a form that must reach an office that only accepts fax. In that case the individual does not need a number of their own, only a service that can send to the one they have been given.
How do fax numbers work on the network
A fax number is routed by the telephone network like any call. When it is dialled, the network connects the caller to whatever answers on that line: a machine on a phone line, or a service's equipment in a data centre. The answering device sends the fax handshake tones, the calling device responds, and the pages go across. Nothing in the number itself says fax; a facsimile number on a modern service is simply a number the service has assigned to an account and answers on the account's behalf. Porting moves an existing number from a phone company to a service so that the same number keeps working, and WestFax prints a $20 one-time fee per number for that.
How to use a fax number you have been given
From a machine, dial it as written with a 1 in front for a different area code. From an online service, type the number into the send form, attach the PDF or photograph the pages, and send; the service dials it and returns a report. From email, most services accept a message addressed to the number at the vendor's domain with the document attached. If you only need to send once, a one-time or free sender will do it without an account. If you will be receiving as well, a plan with a number starts at Fax.Plus's printed $6.99 a month with 200 pages and one number included. A fax no. that answers with a voice is a phone line, and the sender should call the office for the right number.
Questions people ask about facsimile number
Is facsimile number different from fax number?
No. Facsimile is the full word and fax the short one. Forms that ask for a facsimile number want a fax number.
Can I use a fax number from my phone?
Yes, through an online service's app. The app photographs or uploads the document and sends it to the number; the phone itself never places a fax call.
What if the fax number is busy?
The machine or service at the other end is on another call. An online service retries automatically and reports the result; a machine will need redialling.