Last Update: March 31st, 2022
Where can you send a fax in 2022?
Here is our list of the best places where you can send a fax:
- Online Fax.
- A fax service (copy/print store or business center).
- A public fax machine (found at a library, hotel, or local business).
- A local business that lets you use their fax machine.
- Fax software on your computer.
- Your smartphone.
- A office printer with a fax board.
- Friends and Family.
Our top pick – Online Fax
An online fax service can send and receive faxes from your email, computer, or phone.
Things to know:
- Digital documents only. You can scan hardcopy documents.
- Cost: Free first month for services on our online fax services page then $8-15 / month (includes 200-500 pages per month).
- Availability: 24 / 7.
- Cover pages are automatic.
Fax services near you
A fax service is a business that offers to fax as a line of business. The store will have a public fax machine and a way of charging for a fax. Sometimes they will receive a fax for you.
Fax service #1 – Copy/Print/Fax, Mailbox, and Office Supply stores
Copy/Print, Mailbox, and Office Supply stores are local business hubs. They provide services that small businesses do not have in their offices.
The larger brands are:
- U.S.: UPS Stores, FedEx/Kinkos, Staples, & OfficeDepot/OfficeMax.
- Canada: UPS Stores & Staples.
- U.K.: Ryman & MailBoxes Etc.
- Australia: OfficeWorks & MailBoxes Etc.
Tips:
- Chance they’ll fax service: 100%.
- Cost: US$2-4 for the first page and $1-2 for every extra page.
- Availability: Business hours. Rarely 24/7.
- Will receive faxes on your behalf.
- Hardcopy or digital (PDF) documents.
- They will have blank cover sheets.
Fax Service #2 – Business Centers, CoWorking Spaces, Internet Cafes, and Convention Centers
Anywhere styled as a “business center” will have a fax service. Faxing (like printing and scanning) is a regular source of revenue for these companies.
How to find a fax service near you:
- CoWorking Spaces: CoWorker.com and FindWorkspaces.com both have maps of coworking spaces across the world. Coworking Resources and OfficeRnD have curated lists of lists of coworking spaces.
- Internet Cafes: Cybercafes.com lists internet cafes around the world. We found a lot of outadted information in our local listings.
- Convention Centers: CVent has a list of convention center locations for the U.S.A. and worldwide. These may be open to participants only, and closed if there is no event.
Tips:
- Chance they’ll have a fax service: 75%
- Cost: $2-4 for the first page and $1-2 for every extra page.
- Hardcopy or digital (PDF) documents.
- They will have blank cover sheets.
Fax service #3 – Truck Stops, Marinas, and Regional Airports
Every truck stop will have a fax machine. They’re cheaper than a print/copy shop, open 24/7, and have a restaurant where you can wait for someone to fax you a reply.
Expect a truck stop to only accept hardcopy documents. Some have a public computer where you can print a digital document into hardcopy.
Marinas and regional airports are also areas where people frequently come and go. With a marina, look for one where there is regular places to stay. With a regional airport, there may be a small public flight office or ask flight schools and charter operators if they can assist you.
How to find a truck stop, marina, or airport with a fax service near you:
- Use TruckStopGuide.com (lists the truck stop’s fax number) to find a nearby truck stop.
- Marinas.com keeps a list of marinas around the world, Discover Boating as a pair of lists for the United States and Canada.
- Wikipedia keeps a list of airports worldwide, as does Airports-List.com.
- Call any listings before going to the location. There are results for truck repair centers and local gas stations mixed into search results.
- Ignore ratings for the location (other than reviews about personal safety). The ratings have nothing to do with the fax service available.
Tips:
- Chance they’ll have a fax machine for public use: 100%
- Cost: US$1-2 for the first page and $1 for every extra page.
- Look for a publicly listed fax number on their webpage.
- Willing to receive a fax on your behalf.
- Hardcopy documents only.
- They will have blank cover sheets (typically branded with the truck stop logo).
Public Fax Machines – How to Find Them
A public fax machine is offered as a service. It is not a line of business like a fax service. There will be a charge to help offset the cost.
Public fax machine #1 – Libraries
A public fax machine at a library is there as a service to members of the community.
If you don’t have a library, as the local town hall. They may have a public resource area that replicates a library’s functions.
How to find a library with a public fax machine:
- Lib-Web has a directory of libraries worldwide. Wikipedia keeps a list of state library systems and public libraries by country.
- University and College libraries and municipal libraries are run separately from the regional library system.
What you should know:
- Chance they’ll have a public fax machine: 75%.
- Cost: US$2-4 for the first page, $1-2 for every extra page.
- Won’t have a publicly listed fax number.
- Maybe able to receive a fax on your behalf.
- Hardcopy fax only. If your document is digital (PDF), there will be a place for you to print it.
- They will have blank cover sheets.
Public fax machine #2 – Hotels, Hostels, RV Parks, and Travel Bureaus
Any travel-related business will have a fax machine. Faxing may be reserved for guests only.
The fax machine will be located in a “business center” or as a service from the front desk.
How to find a hotel, hostel, RV park, or travel bureau with a fax machine:
- Search for hotels near you. Hotels.com has a “business facilities” filter (under amenities). Expedia has an option for a “business-friendly trip type”.
- Hosteling International, Hostels.com, and Hostelzhave worldwide listings for hostels and backpacker hotels.
- Hotels in the business/industrial and airport districts of your city will be more likely to have business facilities.
- A travel RV park (as opposed to a residential RV park) is more likely to have a fax machine open to the public.
- Call ahead. Every location will have a fax machine. Not every location will let you use theirs.
What you should know:
- Chances they’ll have a fax machine for public use: 75%.
- Cost: Expect to pay US$4-6 for the first page and $2-5 for every extra page. Some travel bureaus may send a fax for free.
- Send a fax: Yes.
- Receive a fax: Yes.
Public fax machine #3 – Embassies
Embassies and consulates will sometimes fax a document on behalf of their citizens as a consular service. Please be aware that special circ*mstances (such as being in a personal emergency or having lost your passport) may be required to let you use an embassy’s fax machine.
How to find an embassy:
- Each country will have a list of its embassies abroad. Here are links to embassies of the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
- Don’t expect to use a foreign embassy’s fax machine in your local city.
- Be courteous when asking to use a fax machine. Sending and receiving faxes on your behalf is not the primary function of an embassy.
- The embassy may have a policy of referring you to a local business instead of handling the messages themselves.
- If your home country does not have an embassy in a country they may have a partnership with another country’s embassy to provide consular services.
What you should know:
- Chance they’ll have a fax machine for public use: 50%.
- Bring both hardcopy and digital versions of your document.
- Send a fax: Yes
- Receive a fax: Probably not (unless you have a good reason for it).
- Cost: Unknown.
More Places to Fax
There is a chance that a local business with a fax machine will let you use theirs.
These places won’t have a public policy about faxing, but they might sympathize with your need to fax a document. As faxing isn’t a revenue-generating service, don’t expect to pay, but do try to make it as simple for the business as possible.
It helps if you’re already doing business with the organization.
Here is our list of places that have a fax they might let you use:
- Banks
- Schools
- Pharmacies
- Legal Offices
- Medical Offices
- Restaurants (including fast food) that cater
- Bars & Pubs that host events
- Rural Gas Stations, General Stores, and Pharmacies
How to ask a business if you can use their fax machine:
- The direct method: “Hi, can I use your fax machine because I need to fax some documents? I’ve been looking for a public fax machine everywhere but can’t seem to find one.” Asking directly gets the awkwardness out of the way and gets to the point.
- The indirect method: “Hi, I need to fax some documents and I can’t find a public fax machine anywhere. Any chance you would know where I can send a fax nearby?” Some people may know a local company or store that lets the public send a fax.
- Be ready to hear “no” to your question. Many companies have a policy of keeping their fax machine private.
What you should know:
- There is no way of knowing if a business will let you use their fax machine.
- It helps to have an established relationship with the business (as an employee or customer).
- Cost: $0.
- Send a fax: Maybe.
- Receive a fax: No unless you work there.
- Be ready with hardcopy documents and the exact dialing sequence for your fax.
- On the cover page mark “Please do not fax a reply to this number. Contact me via phone to follow up” because you don’t want the business to receive a reply fax.
Computer, Smartphone, and Photocopier faxing
Many of our latest technological tools have incorporated fax.
Send a fax from your Computer (that already has fax software)
- Windows computers come installed with free fax software.
- Linux computers have a variety of free software including Hylafax, Hylafax+. There is also iFax’s enterprise version of Hylafax.
- Macs do not have fax software as they no longer have a compatible fax modem.
- Windows, Mac, and Linux can all use an online fax service instead of fax software.
What you should know:
- Requires a landline phone line (a VoIP phone line or internet phone won’t work).
- Digital documents only. You will need to scan hardcopy documents.
- Cost: Free.
- Availability: Any time.
Send a Fax from your Smartphone using an App
Both iPhone and Android smartphones can send a fax using an online fax service.
A phone-based fax system will let you send or receive a fax via the app or email.
What you should know:
- You’ll need to subscribe to an online fax service.
- Cost: First month free. $8-15 200-300 pages per month.
Send a Fax from a Printer / Photocopier (that may already have a fax board)
Many multifunction printers and photocopiers have optional fax. Yours may have one already attached, or you may be able to add the capability via a fax kit or fax board.
What you should know:
- You’ll need a landline phone line (VoIP and internet phone lines won’t work).
- Cost: Once set up, free. A home office multifunction printer with fax is marginally more expensive than one without it. A fax kit to enable faxing on a corporate-level photocopier should cost $4-600.
- Availability: 24 / 7.
- Documents can be hardcopy or digital.
Last resort: Friends and Family
Someone you know has to have a fax machine, online fax service, access to a local office with a fax machine, or at least a landline phone line that can run a computer with fax software.
Any of the above methods will work with the help of a friend or family member.
If your friends and family help you send a fax, they’re doing you a favor. Try to help them help you.
Conclusion
- An online fax service will fax from your computer, smartphone, or the web
- Your computer or photocopier may already have a way of sending a fax.
- The most common fax services are found in:
- Copy/print shop
- Office supply stores
- Business centers
- Internet cafes
- Coworking spaces
- Conference centers
- Truck stops
- Marinas
- Regional airports
- The most common public fax machines are found in:
- Libraries
- University/colleges
- Town halls
- Hotels
- Hostels
- RV parks
- Travel bureaus
- General businesses
More How To Fax Resources:
- UPS Stores, FedEx/Kinkos, Staples, & OfficeDepot/OfficeMax are all popular brands that will have a public fax service.
- To dial a fax, see our pages on “How to Send a Fax,” “How to Fax Internationally” and “Do you dial ‘1’ when sending a fax?“
- For instructions on fax machines, see our pages on “How to Use a Fax Machine,” “Fax face up or fax face down?“
- For instruction on computer faxing see our pages on “How to Fax From a Computer” and pages for sending a fax from Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Mac, and Linux.
- First Quarter Finance – Fax Services Near Me? 10+ Places That Let You Fax for Free or Cheap – some more ideas on places that fax.
- Technology Safety – Best Practices on Faxes – A summary of some security tips on fax and terminology used with faxing.
- Well Kept Wallet – 13 Best Fax Services Near Me to Fax For Less – Another list of places that may have a fax machine.
