faxtoemail

Faxtoemail refers to a service or feature that routes incoming faxes to an email inbox as electronic documents, and may also enable sending faxes by emailing to a number through a gateway. In typical deployments, a fax signal received on a traditional line is captured by a FoIP gateway, converted to a digital document (often PDF or TIFF), and delivered as an email attachment to the user. Conversely, users can send a fax by composing an email to a designated address, with the document attached, and the gateway transmits it to the recipient's fax number.

Some services offer optional OCR for searchable PDFs, auto-cover pages, and metadata such as sender name and time. Depending on the provider, faxes may be delivered as PDF, TIFF, or other formats, and may include multiple recipients or forwarding rules.

Standards and interoperability are supported by ITU-T specifications such as T.37 for fax by email and T.38 for real-time fax over IP. These standards help integrate fax with internet-based communication and enterprise networks, while allowing compatibility with traditional fax systems.

Faxtoemail provides convenience for distributed offices, remote workers, and small businesses by integrating with existing email workflows and digital archiving. It can reduce paper use and simplify document delivery, but may introduce latency or deliverability variability in some network conditions.

Limitations include potential privacy and regulatory concerns, dependency on network connectivity, and varying security practices among providers. Security measures may include encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and audit logs. Faxtoemail is commonly offered by telecom carriers, hosted fax providers, and unified communications platforms. Related concepts include Fax-over-IP, email-to-fax gateways, and traditional fax.