Why do fax machines continue to be used today? Mytour takes a deep dive into this enduring relic of the past.

In 1878, Alexander Graham Bell filed a patent for the groundbreaking electronic telephone. But what many may not know is that the patent for another revolutionary communication tool – the fax machine – was actually filed by Scottish clockmaker Alexander Bain three decades earlier.

That's right, fax machines existed before even the most basic telephones. With a surprising resilience that seems almost inexplicable from an evolutionary perspective, fax machines continue to survive, spitting out paper all over the world. The real question is... why does it still persist?

To truly understand, it's important to know the role the fax machine played in history. While the technology existed for decades, it wasn't until the 1939 New York World's Fair that fax machines gained widespread attention in the United States. At the event, attendees watched in awe as images and text streamed in from across the globe at a rate of 18 sheets per minute.

Despite the excitement, the machines were prohibitively expensive for regular use. In 1982, a single fax machine could cost as much as $20,000, an amount far beyond the budget of most businesses or individual consumers. It wasn't until the late 1980s that prices dropped enough for both businesses and home offices to make use of them, especially for documents requiring legal signatures.

Naturally, the validity of copied signatures became a point of controversy. Legal experts debated the legitimacy of documents sent over phone lines. However, as multiple courts upheld the authenticity of faxed signatures, professionals in fields like law, medicine, and finance began to embrace the fax machine for sending important paperwork.

By the late '80s, fax machines had become a core part of many people's daily routines. In the mid-'80s, the U.S. had only around 300,000 fax machines, but by 1989, that number skyrocketed to over 4 million. The fax machine had reached its peak.

The process of faxing became second nature for billions. Simply place a signed document on the machine, dial the destination number, press the green button, and within minutes, your document is in the hands of a colleague across the city or even continents. As long as there’s paper, ink in the cartridge, and no glitches in the transmission, the fax machine works its magic.

In the mid-1990s, the internet emerged as a revolutionary technology, offering people ways to send text, images, and documents instantly, all without the need for paper. With the rise of email, it appeared that fax machines were on their way out.

But, as it turns out, they weren’t.

Why Fax Machines Endure

A 2017 report from IDC revealed that four key industries (manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and government) all predicted an increase in fax usage over the next two years, with an average rise of 25 percent. So, what’s behind this continued reliance on faxing?

Faxing remains a familiar and trusted technology. While the internet and its myriad associated technologies can seem complicated and fraught with concerns (especially with ongoing stories of hackers, spyware, viruses, and data breaches), many people still view the web as a less secure option.

Additionally, government policies continue to support the use of fax machines. Legal processes, like discovery, are still heavily reliant on paper documents. Doctors fax prescriptions, privacy forms, and patient records.

Fax machines have become a deeply ingrained habit. This is one habit that proves tough to break, mainly because they are a straightforward, low-tech, and universally compatible system that almost anyone can learn to use with just a little bit of training.

Fax machines, much like resilient, pesticide-resistant cockroaches, are adapting to modern times. According to the IDC survey, the primary reason for the increase in faxing is the integration of faxing with email (as digital faxing), making it more convenient and easier to use.

"I send office notes, prescriptions, lab results, orders, and consultation requests via fax. I’ll fax anything that’s asked of me," says Todd Johnson, a doctor at Access Family Medicine in Lincoln, Nebraska. "I could email it just as easily, but I don’t typically have a general email account to send the requested information. I’m usually only given a fax number to send the requested documents."

Johnson notes that the latest digital faxing technology has streamlined his workflow significantly.

"All of my faxing is digital. I don’t use a traditional fax machine with paper and a feed," he explains in an email. "I can fax from any of my computers, tablet, or smartphone. I rely on faxing because it’s requested by other facilities, it’s easy to use, integrated into my EHR software, and now it’s even built into my phone system (I simply drag and drop a PDF into the fax portal and it sends it right away)."

If that sounds too perfect, don't worry, there's still an old-fashioned faxing issue to deal with: busy signals.

"Occasionally, though rarely, I do get a busy signal. But my system will automatically retry the fax or resend if it encounters a busy signal."

Despite these occasional setbacks, fax machines are likely to stick around for many more years. They’re affordable, easy, convenient, and generally dependable. Plus, they have global acceptance in ways that digital signatures have yet to achieve.

So, until digital alternatives gain the same widespread trust and recognition, fax machines will likely remain, humming and beeping, even in a post-apocalyptic world.