“FAX” is short for the English word “facsimile,” but I found myself wondering where the X came from.
It’s a culture of simplification.
In this industry—the motorcycle industry—FAX use has finally started to decline, but we still have this workflow where orders and returns require a FAX with an official company stamp.
It’s time we got rid of it. Starting with our generation (*´▽｀*)
The inconveniences of FAX.
◎Ours requires an ink ribbon, which gets consumed gradually.
Since the data is stored on an SD card, you can print from a printer once you remove it.
*Modern machines may have improved this.
◎When printed, the resolution is poor and hard to read.
You end up wondering what it says, and text often gets cut off—there are plenty of problems.
◎The extra work of printing from a printer before sending via FAX.
*Apparently PC-FAX exists now, but what’s the point of FAX in the first place?
◎The need to manage recipient numbers.
For frequently used destinations, I store the number in the phone’s memory, but for places I use once or twice a year, I have to look up the FAX number online and punch it in.
◎Sometimes you can’t send depending on the other party’s line.
I really want to know what benefits modern FAX actually has.
I suppose old-fashioned methods have simply survived as part of our business culture.
What I hate most is having to create an order form in Word, print it, then step away while the FAX is sending—and then the phone line cuts out and the order doesn’t go through. That’s the worst.
I’ve had cases where I wondered why the goods never arrived, only to find out via phone that the FAX never came through. If only I could stay by the machine while it sends…
