Why some offices still want a fax instead of email

Every so often a confident article declares the fax dead. Meanwhile, a pharmacy wants a prescription copy by fax, a title company lists a fax line in its signature, and a small supplier says its order desk "doesn't handle attachments." If you have lost a morning trying to talk one of them into switching, this is for you. The short version: understand why the fax hangs on, then send one and get on with your day.

A note on scope, as you are likely reading from the US: CaptainFax faxes landlines in Canada, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France, and does not reach US numbers. The situations below are therefore the ones Americans meet when dealing with offices overseas, such as a clinic in Quebec, a notary in Italy or a landlord in Spain.

Who still asks for a fax

• Medical practices, clinics and labs. Referral letters, consent forms and test results move between small offices that run unrelated software. A fax does not require the two sides to agree on a platform.
• Pharmacies. Prescription copies and supplier orders often run through a line that has been there for years.
• Notaries and law offices. Signed pages, powers of attorney and ID copies are commonly exchanged before the originals go out by mail. Anyone settling an estate or buying a home overseas meets this quickly.
• Registries, city halls and utilities. Some counters accept a fax as a first filing, with the paper original to follow.
• Small suppliers, workshops and freight firms. A purchase order arrives on a machine next to the counter, where somebody sees it right away.
• Landlords and property managers. Especially in Southern Europe, a signed lease page or a bank letter is still often requested this way.

Not every organization in these fields does this. Plenty have moved on. But you will meet one that has not, usually right before a deadline.

Why they hold on

"They're behind the times" misses the real reasons, which make sense from the recipient's side of the desk.

No shared system required. E-mail needs the right address, attachment rules and a spam filter that doesn't eat your message. Fax needs a number.

The page prints itself. In a busy back office, a sheet in the tray is a task nobody can quietly forget in an inbox.

A familiar routine. Staff know where the fax lands, who stamps it and which folder it goes into. Replacing that takes training and budget that small organizations rarely have.

A sense of control. An attachment can carry malware. A fax is an image and cannot execute anything. Whether you agree with that view or not, it drives policy.

Rules written years ago. Internal procedures sometimes name fax explicitly, and changing a procedure takes a committee, not a good argument from a customer.

What to do instead of arguing

1. Ask once whether another channel is accepted. If yes, great. If they say fax only, stop there.
2. Frame it as logistics, not a favor. "I'll fax it this afternoon. Can you confirm the number and who to address it to?"
3. Prepare the file well. Dark text, one file, pages in order, and a margin of at least half an inch since you are likely exporting Letter pages that will print on A4 abroad. See our walkthrough for sending from a laptop.
4. Add a cover sheet. On a shared machine it decides whether your pages reach the right desk. The cover sheet tool takes a minute.
5. Keep proof. If the document matters, order the optional receipts and file them with your copy. See proof that your fax arrived.
6. Follow up with one line by e-mail or phone: "Fax sent at 2:20 p.m. Paris time, four pages. Let me know if anything is unclear."

Time zones matter here more than anywhere: an office in Lisbon is five hours ahead of New York, and it will be closed by the time you get home from work. Check the world clock on the site before sending.

The cost argument is gone too. One page is free, and two or more pages are a flat €3.99 per send. Details are on the rates page.

What a fax does not fix

• Cell phones cannot receive faxes. If the number you were given is a mobile, ask again.
• Privacy still matters. A fax can sit on an open tray. Use a cover sheet with a discreet confidentiality line, and for sensitive material call ahead so someone is standing at the machine. Our trust page explains how files are handled.
• A fax doesn't prove anyone read it. It shows the other machine received the pages.
• The original may still be needed. In some procedures the faxed copy opens the file and the signed paper must follow. Ask, don't assume.

A more useful way to look at it

Treat fax as another delivery route, like certified mail or a courier. You are not endorsing a technology; you are choosing the path with the least friction. Note that CaptainFax does not provide a fax number and cannot receive faxes, so inbound traffic needs a different setup. The inbound page explains.

FAQ

Is fax really still used in healthcare and legal work?

In many small offices, yes. It is not universal, but common enough that being ready saves you real time.

Should I ask the other party to switch to e-mail?

Ask once. If they say fax only, sending the fax is nearly always faster than debating.

What does it cost?

One page costs nothing. Two pages or more are €3.99 per send, regardless of length. Optional PDF receipts add €2.99 and are billed only when the fax is delivered.