Faxing saves time and energy, and is indispensable when you need to get a contract in on a deadline. Great for both home and office, this inkjet plain-paper fax machine from Hewlett-Packard will satisfy most of your communication needs. It can send up to 20 pages at a time, at a rate of 6 pages per second. Weighing 15 pounds and measuring 17 inches across, it's a little larger than most machines, so you may want to place it on another surface near your desktop.Setting up the machine is quick and simple. You just need to attach the paper extension tray, insert the ink cartridge, and plug it in. (Programming it to suit your needs may take a bit of time, though.) If the fax will have a dedicated line, great--just plug it into the jack and you're ready to run. If you have an answering machine, plug it into the fax so it can receive properly. The fax "listens" to incoming calls and determines whether they are phone or fax calls, and then automatically routes them to the right place. Voicemail users will need to use the manual answer mode unless you subscribe to the "distinctive ring" feature available from some phone companies. When manual users answer the phone and hear the incoming fax beep, press "start."
For your most frequently faxed numbers, you can set up speed dial codes. And, if you often send to a specific distribution list, you can also create a group speed dial. The machine will redial at intervals if the number is busy. The digital screen displays the name of the person being sent to, error messages, and menu choices.
Other options include the fax header, which prints your name across the top of every faxed document (date and time appear automatically), and six reporting options, including keeping track of each fax sent or received, each error, and more.
We also loved this money-saving option: you can program the fax to send after the rates go down. For larger jobs, you can also scan the documents into the machine so you don't have to wait while the fax transmits. The machine's copy function has settings for both text and photos, and six size settings--it can reduce in increments down to 50 percent.
As a nice bonus for this handy machine, HP has included a CD with fax cover templates that you can edit to your own specifications. --Dana Van Nest
