What was before fax

In the early s, he built an experimental fax machine and used a clock to synchronize the movements of two pendulums that scan an image line by line. The image was initially placed on a cylinder, scanned by the sending machine and reproduced by the receiving machine using a chemical solution. Developed in the s by Italian physicist Giovanni Caselli, the pantelegraph was one of the earliest precursors to the modern fax machine.

It was used throughout the s to send handwriting and images over telegraph lines, and was most commonly used to verify signatures during banking transactions. Documents sent using the device could measure up to 15 cm by 10 cm.

The pantelegraph worked over long distances, but was slow. A single sheet of paper measuring mm by 27 mm 4 inches by 1 inch that contained about 25 words would take almost two full minutes to transmit. Two pendulums, weighing 18 lbs each and mounted on 6. The messages were written using insulating ink on fixed metal plates. They were then scanned and the message transmitted via telegraph lines to the receiving apparatus, which would reproduce the images using paper containing potassium ferricyanide, a substance that darkens when electric current from the writing stylus passes through it.

There are few pantelegraphs left today, and two were demonstrated in They were left to run for six hours a day for several months. You can send, read, edit, and manage all your faxes from one administrator-controlled account. With the eFax Mobile App—one of the best fax apps —you can send multiple faxes to multiple people in seconds. Your faxed documents print out like real faxes, and you can track every stage of the transmission process—including the time and date of completion.

Putting a fax machine into the pockets of busy people and business owners revolutionized the way people send and read fax information. Once we were beholden to old-fashioned fax machines, fax servers, phone lines, printer paper, ink, and IT experts.

Today, we can send a fax as easily as we can send email thanks to online faxing—the best fax machine alternative there is. Faxing has transformed significantly since its initial entry into our business and personal lives. We can use online fax to stay connected, increase responsiveness, save time, safeguard private data, and more. Bain and Bakewell may not have received the credit they deserved in their lifetime, along with the countless other inventors who followed in their footsteps.

Start Faxing Now. Millions of customers use eFax every day to send and receive faxes from their computer, smartphone and email. See how we've made faxing simple for over 20 years. Sign up now. All rights reserved. Flower St. Start Faxing Now ». Toggle navigation Menu. Sign Up. Sales: Small Business How it Works Solutions We have solutions for every type of business, no matter the size. See what makes us stand out compared to other online fax services. Read about eFax vs. Send and receive faxes in minutes.

Back to Blog. Search When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The word fax is short for facsimile. While the first commercial use of the fax machine occurred in , the inception of a fax service took place almost 20 years earlier. In , Scottish inventor Alexander Bain worked on chemical mechanical fax type devices that were able to reproduce graphic signs in lab experiments. From there, Italian physicist Giovanni Caselli invented the Pantelegraph a hybrid of pantograph and telegraph where its first commercial use happened in For over years, the use of the fax machine has been cumbersome, costly, and difficult to operate.

By the late s, both national and international companies had entered the fax market, especially Japan. The technological advances of the fax system led to faxes becoming a staple in United States business offices in the s. This Golden Age lasted in America until the early s. The fax machine advanced from a document transmitter to a copier and scanner as well.