Definition
An electronic device that scans, encodes, and transmits images of documents over telephone lines to another fax machine, which then prints a physical copy at the receiving end. It was essential for document transfer before email became ubiquitous.
Example Usage
Before email, our office would fax contracts back and forth between branches multiple times a day.
Origin
The concept dates to the 1840s, but modern fax machines became commercially viable in the 1960s and dominated offices through the 1990s and early 2000s.
Fun Fact
Some industries, like law and finance, still rely on fax machines for legal compliance and record-keeping, even though it seems antiquated.
Source: Definition backfill (hailey)
Related Terms
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