Sending a fax in 2017 - my Paubox induction

 I did something today that I had not done in a very long time. I sent someone a fax.

My instructions were to transmit a facsimile – or fax – to the number of Paubox’s advisor, Geoff Clapp. My immediate reaction was panic.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I had even seen a fax machine. Did they still exist? Could I get to one by the end of business hours?

RELATED:  A Wake for the Fax Machine -Paubox SECURE Conference

A bit of research online calmed my nerves a bit. I found a FedEx Office Print and Ship Center and confirmed by phone that they indeed had a fax machine that I could use.

So far, so good. I arrived at the store, grabbed a cover sheet and filled it out. I fed the cover sheet and the document I wanted to send into the machine and used the keypad to dial the fax number.

My first attempt was unsuccessful, as I didn’t realize that I had to feed the paper in face down. That was $3 down the drain. After two tries and about 10 minutes, I headed back to work with my confirmation sheet and newfound empathy for anyone who relies on a fax machine for sending information.

If it took as long as it did for me to send one fax consisting of just one page, what would my day be like if I had a send several faxes, each with multiple pages? I probably wouldn’t be able to get much else done. Thank goodness for email.