EggXpert

I've not been able to get the info I need.   I have an old Canon MFC 755 that's dying and need a new machine.   I need one that comes with software where it sends all my faxes to my PC (nice software).   I don't want to subscribe to an electronic fax service as that's just and added expense over having to replace the machine...   Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Can you just put a fax'/modem on your PC and have that receive them?

This morning I had a Canon MP600, and as of this afternoon I have an MP830 as well.

For everything BUT fax, the MP830 is very easy to recommend. The MP600 is a great printer, but it has a few shortcomings, virtually all of which are addressed in the MP830.

Unfortunately though, it will not support saving faxes to your computer, and if you have an answering machine, you must plug it in directly to the printer if you want to have both an answering machine and the ability to receive faxes.

That's the best Canon has to offer, but it might not fit the bill  

On the other hand, printing with bulk ink is practically free, and it does have an auto-document feeder for scanning, so you could do the man-in-the-middle approach. Let us know if you find something more elegant! 

I looked around briefly on Xerox's website and couldn't find any printer that supports receiving faxes and sending them electronically to a PC.  I did find plenty of printers which support faxing from your PC over the LAN.  Kind of surprised about this though as I do own a Xerox Phase 8560MFP/D which is pretty stupid expensive for a home office.

As far as what MrHelperGuy brought up about having to plug your answering machine up to your printer, you don't necessarily have to do this.  It all depends on how your home is wired up.  I'm able to use a line sharing switch which listens for a fax tone and then diverts the call to the dedicated fax port.  It'll also divert calls to a specific data port via a programmable PIN code.  I haven't configured this feature yet but I plan on using this port with my remote power manager to be able to power cycle my edge router in the event it gets hung when I'm away trying to get in to my network.

Not to nit-pick, but what I said was intended in the absence of additional telephony equipment

It's news to me that such switches exist; thanks for sharing! I'd hazard to guess that the printer has something along the same lines built in?

You could always just use your all-in-one for everything else, and a modem to receive the faxes. You could still send faxes via the all-in-one.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/crawford_02october21.mspx 

MrHelperGuy:

Not to nit-pick, but what I said was intended in the absence of additional telephony equipment

It's news to me that such switches exist; thanks for sharing! I'd hazard to guess that the printer has something along the same lines built in?

You could always just use your all-in-one for everything else, and a modem to receive the faxes. You could still send faxes via the all-in-one.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/crawford_02october21.mspx 

Yep, I understand your intent.  I was just adding another angle which many people may not be aware of.  It's not trivial to put in a line sharing switch if you don't have the proper wiring.  You might end up having exposed runs to accomplish this task.  For me I was fortunate I planned ahead in running the proper cables and conduits where I do have a centralized point where I can connect up my devices without having loose exposed wires.

The way multifunction printers work with regards to incoming fax signals and downstream devices is that it intercepts the incoming call first and listens for a fax tone.  If none is present it will pass it along to the attached down stream phone device.  Much the same way a line sharing switch works.  The difference is my line sharing switch allows me to add a data port connection for things like a backup dial in modem or what I'll be using it for which is a remote power manager.  It also has two standard line ports for attachment of various PSTN devices.  The one thing you need to be careful of if you do go this route to use a line sharing switch is that you need it ahead of any other lines with attached phone devices, BUT after any wiring for a home security system where the wiring is set up to interrupt any calls made so it has priority to contact the central monitoring office.  I had to do some wiring to accommodate my home security system and a second internal line feeding the first and second floor phone jacks to merge it with my basement phone lines....plus merge all this wiring with the PSTN surge suppressor I have protecting my phone lines.

My suggestion is CANON MP470, it has high resolution cause the precision ink nozzles create high resolution photos. and in just 46 seconds, u can produce a photo lab, so fast photos. Besides, it produces beautiful scans with resolution of up to 2400x4000 color dpi.

 

Rather than having to dedicate a phone line and fax machine (whether or not as part of a multifunction device) you might consider an Internet based fax service.  With such a service your faxes arrive as email and you send faxes via a web page or email.  Thus you can still send and receive faxes while away from home.  They generally give you a 1-800 number as part of the service.  Typically you can either pay a monthly fee (that provides for a certain volume of faxing) or you can pay a yearly fee + a charge per page sent/received. 

I use such a service from my small business.  I forget exactly what I pay but I believe it is about $20 per year and then ten cents per page.  I sometimes go for months without the need to send/receive a fax so the a la carte plan is best for me.  I think it is WAY more cost effective than having a dedicated line plus it is more flexible than a traditinoal fax system. 

As for a printers I am a big Canon fan.  I currently have a MP600 multifunction (it is a scanner/copier but not a fax machine).