By David Thompson · Published August 30, 2025 · Updated March 15, 2026 · 7 min read
Quick answer: To use a fax machine, prep your document (remove staples), load it into the feeder, dial the recipient's fax number on the keypad, press Send or Start, and wait for the confirmation page. The whole process takes under 3 minutes once you know the steps.
It's your first day at a new job. Someone hands you a stack of papers and says "fax this to legal." You walk up to the beige box in the corner and stare at it. It stares back.
Learning how to use a fax machine isn't hard — but the machine gives you almost no help. There's no tooltip, no tutorial, and the paper tray icon is about as clear as ancient hieroglyphics.
This guide explains every step, from loading the paper to reading the confirmation report. We'll also cover receiving faxes, common problems, and when it makes more sense to skip the machine entirely.
What You Need Before You Start
Before touching anything, gather three things:
- Your document — printed, no staples, no sticky notes, no torn edges
- A fax cover sheet — required for business and medical faxes; see our free fax cover sheet templates if you don't have one
- The recipient's fax number — a 10-digit number, the same format as a phone number
Verify the number first
Faxing to a wrong number sends your document to a stranger. Always double-check the fax number before sending — especially for medical records, legal documents, or anything confidential.
Also confirm the machine is ready:
- Plugged in and powered on
- Connected to an active phone line (RJ-11 jack)
- Paper loaded in the output tray (for the confirmation page)
- No flashing error lights on the display
How to Send a Fax from a Fax Machine: Step by Step
No machine within reach? See every way to send a fax — from a phone, computer, email, or a store counter.
Prepare Your Document
Before loading anything, go through your document page by page:
- Remove all staples — this is the #1 cause of paper jams. Check every corner.
- Pull out sticky notes — they get wrapped around the internal rollers.
- Flatten any creases — a crumpled page can misfeed, causing a skipped page.
- Put the cover sheet first — it goes on top of the stack, as the first page the machine scans.
- Count your pages — write that number on the cover sheet (including the cover sheet itself).
Load the Document into the Feeder
This is where people get confused. Face up or face down?
Look for the small icon printed on the plastic near the document feeder tray:
- Lines on the front of the paper icon → Face Up. The printed side faces the ceiling.
- Blank front or folded corner icon → Face Down. The printed side faces the floor.
When in doubt: Feeder-tray (ADF) machines are almost always face up. Flatbed scanner lids are almost always face down.
Align the paper guides snugly against the edges of your stack — not so tight that you bend the paper, but enough so the pages feed straight.
Dial the Fax Number
Use the numeric keypad on the machine's front panel. Before dialing, check:
- Need to dial "9" first? In most offices, you need to press 9 to get an outside line before dialing any external number.
- Long distance (different area code)? Dial 1 before the 10-digit number:
1 + area code + 7-digit number. - International? Dial
011 + country code + number. For example, a UK fax:011 44 20 XXXX XXXX. See our international faxing guide for full country codes.
Type slowly and double-check the display before proceeding.
Press Send (or Start)
Look for a button labeled Send, Start, Fax, or a green button — it varies by brand. On most machines:
- Canon/HP all-in-ones: Press Color Start or Black & White Start (black is standard for faxes).
- Brother machines: Press Start or select Fax from the menu, then Start.
- Standalone fax machines (Panasonic, Sharp): Press Start directly.
Once you press Send:
- The machine dials the number — you'll hear a dial tone through the speaker.
- It connects — you'll hear the signature high-pitched fax handshake tone.
- It scans and transmits your pages one by one.
- Don't walk away yet.
Collect the Confirmation Page
After transmission, the machine automatically prints a confirmation page (also called a transmission report or activity report). This is your proof of delivery.
Read the result field:
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OK | Fax sent successfully |
| Sent | Fax sent successfully |
| Busy | Recipient line was busy — try again in a few minutes |
| No Answer | The receiving machine didn't pick up — verify the number |
| Error / Comm Error | Transmission error — usually a line quality issue |
| NG (No Good) | Failed — check the number and try again |
Staple the confirmation page to your original document. You now have a paper trail.
Pro tip: send a test fax first
If it's your first time using a machine, send a test fax to a free fax number before sending anything important. You'll confirm the machine works and see exactly what the confirmation page looks like.
How to Receive a Fax
Receiving is mostly automatic — the machine does the work. But here's what to know:
Auto-receive mode is the standard setting for office machines. The machine answers after 2–4 rings and prints the incoming fax automatically. Make sure:
- The machine is powered on and connected to the phone line
- Paper is loaded in the output tray
- The ink or toner cartridge isn't empty
Manual receive is used when the machine shares a line with a regular phone. You answer the call, hear the fax tone (that screeching sound), then press Start or Receive on the machine to accept the fax.
Low toner = faded faxes
If received faxes print faded or striped, the toner or ink is running low. Replace it before sending or receiving important documents — a faded confirmation page may not be accepted as proof of delivery.
Common Fax Machine Problems (And How to Fix Them)
Paper jam
Don't yank. Open the feeder latch, gently remove the crinkled page, and close. Check for torn scraps still inside. Usually caused by staples, sticky notes, or paper that's too thin.
Busy signal
The receiving machine is in use. Wait 5–10 minutes and try again. If it's consistently busy, call the recipient to confirm the fax number and ask them to clear the line.
No dial tone
Unplug the phone cable and plug a regular phone into the same wall jack. If you hear silence, the line is dead — contact your phone provider. Also confirm the cable goes to the "LINE" port (not "EXT").
Communication error (Comm Error)
Usually a VoIP line compatibility issue — digital phone systems can corrupt fax signals. Switch to a dedicated analog line, or use an online fax service that handles this automatically.
Fax prints blank
You loaded the paper face down when it should be face up (or vice versa). The machine scanned the blank back side. Re-load and resend.
Received fax is cut off
The sender's paper size doesn't match your machine's output settings. Ask the sender to reduce their page margins or to use standard Letter (8.5" × 11") size.
Fax Machine Types: Which One Do You Have?
Not all fax machines work exactly the same way. The most common types:
| Type | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone fax machine | Single-function device, dedicated fax line | Most common in older offices |
| All-in-one printer (HP, Canon, Brother, Epson) | Printer + scanner + copier + fax | Most common today — has separate fax menu |
| Thermal fax machine | Uses heat-sensitive paper rolls (not regular paper) | Paper curls and fades over time; becoming rare |
| Multi-function office system (Xerox, Ricoh, Konica Minolta) | Large office copier with built-in fax | Usually requires PIN or department code |
For all-in-one printers, fax is usually accessed through a touchscreen menu: press Fax, enter the number, and press Start. The process mirrors a standalone machine.
How does a fax machine actually work?
The machine scans your document page-by-page and converts it to audio tones. Those tones travel over the phone line to the recipient's machine, which decodes them back into a printed image. For the full technical explanation, see our article on how fax machines work.
Fax Machine vs. Online Fax: A Quick Comparison
If you only fax occasionally — or you're dealing with a document on your phone — a physical fax machine may be the slowest option in the room.
| Fax Machine | Online Fax (mFax) | |
|---|---|---|
| Requires | Phone line + machine + paper | Phone or computer + internet |
| Sending time | 1–5 min + setup | Under 2 minutes from anywhere |
| Confirmation | Paper printout | Email receipt |
| Cost | Line rental + consumables | Pay-per-fax or subscription |
| Paper jams | Possible | Never |
| Works from phone | No | Yes |
| Formats accepted | Paper only | PDF, Word, photos, and more |
For a PDF document or anything you already have digitally, online fax is faster and cheaper than printing it out to feed into a machine.
Skip the Machine Entirely
If you don't have regular access to a fax machine — or if you're tired of jams, busy signals, and per-page phone line charges — mFax.to is the straightforward alternative.
Here's how it works:
- Open mFax.to on your phone or browser
- Upload your document (PDF, photo, Word file — anything works)
- Enter the recipient's fax number
- Tap Send — done in under 2 minutes
You get an email confirmation the moment your fax is delivered. No paper trail to lose, no machine to maintain, and no hunting for the staple remover. Over 5 million people use mFax to send faxes from their phones — and it costs less than one page at a store fax service.
Try mFax.to → — your first fax takes about 90 seconds.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of faxing from your iPhone, see How to Fax from iPhone.