The short answer
You don’t have to include a cover sheet, but it helps: it states who sent the fax, who it’s for and how many pages to expect. Our free generator makes a PDF one in about a minute.
Remember that it counts as a page. Open the cover sheet generator, download the PDF and merge it in front of your document before uploading.
When it helps
A fax machine in a shared office prints into a tray that anyone can walk up to. A cover sheet tells whoever picks up the pages who should get them. Without it, a one-page fax can easily end up in the wrong stack.
For a personal note to a single recipient, or when you already know that they collect their own faxes, you can safely skip it.
What to put on it
The essentials are the recipient's name and organization, your name and a way of reaching you, the date, the number of pages that follow, and a line saying what it is about. If the content is sensitive, add a short note asking anyone who is not the addressee to report the error.
Keep it plain: fax machines render small type poorly.
Making and attaching it
The generator takes those details and gives you a PDF. Because only one file can be sent, merge it with your document, cover sheet first, then upload the combined PDF.
The cover sheet is a page like any other. A one-page document plus a cover sheet makes two pages and so costs €3.99 rather than nothing. If staying free matters, leave the cover sheet out and put the key details in the document itself.
Worth remembering
- A cover sheet is optional and improves delivery inside shared offices.
- Make one with the free generator and merge it into your PDF.
- It counts as a page when the price is calculated.