Best New Home or Small Office Fax Machine Models

Fax machines have made communication easier by making it possible to send documents long distance almost instantly. It’s the hard copy equivalent of the Internet. Having one in your office is no longer optional and they are becoming quite popular in homes as well. If you’re in the market for a fax machine, here are some of the best ones available.

Brother IntelliFax 2820

• Includes 8 MB of storage and can save up to 500 pages in memory for future printing
• Holds up to 250 sheets in its paper tray
• Allows for faxes to be scanned into memory while unit is receiving or sending other documents
• Prints at up to 15 pages per minute
• Includes copying feature that even allows for enlargements and reductions
• Costs around $130
• Operating costs are reasonable because it uses toner instead of ink cartridges

Canon L170

• Has a 450 page memory
• Has the option for adding up to 32 speed dialing numbers
• Transmits pages via fax at around 3 seconds per page
• Works with three different paper sizes, including A4
• Costs around $230
• Uses toner cartridges but ink but the toner can be a bit pricey

Panasonic KX-FP145

• Transmits pages at around 15 seconds per page
• Includes speaker phone and Caller ID features
• Has a built-in answering machine
• Includes a phone directory that can hold up to 100 numbers
• Provides distinctive ringing feature so you always know who is calling without looking
• Uses toner cartridges but ink but the toner can be a bit pricey
• Makes copies at the rate of 2 per minute
• Holds up to 24 pages in memory for future printing
• Costs under $100
• Operating costs are minimal because the unit uses thermal rolls which cost around $10 each and can produce about 300 pages

Brother IntelliFax-1960c

• Comes with a 5.8 GHz cordless phone and up to 3 additional handsets can be added
• Includes a digital answering machine built-in
• Provides both black and white and color faxing and copying
• Has a 16 MB memory for holding documents for further printing or faxing (up to 300 pages)
• Transmits pages at about 3 seconds per page
• Is Energy Star compliant to save electric costs
• Costs around $170
• Uses black inkjet cartridges which are very affordable

Overview of Best Faxes

Remember that the fax machine you choose based on the above recommendations depends on how you are going to be using the unit. If you only use a fax machine occasionally, you may want to pay more attention to price or to practical functionality, such as the addition of cordless handsets.

If you’re going to be using the fax machine in an office environment, you may want to spend a little more to get the faster speeds and larger memories, as well as some other features that might prove useful.