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I have an all in one fax/printer/scanner and love it.  I almost always scan everything.  The only time I need a fax is to receive documents.  There are a lot of Insureds that do not have a scanner and this will require you to be able to receive a fax.

In my opinion, a scanner is a must have.  You will always have the need to scan invoices, receipts and ect.. and upload them with your reports. 

Posted By Chad on 27 May 2012 04:29 PM

I asked in another topic about buying a new laptop but in researching laptops I have noticed that most do not come with a modem built in. So in equipping a mobile office with a laptop and all in one printer how does the fax function work?

I spose you could plug in the phone line in the hotel but what about in the truck?

Do you just scan in any would be fax sheets and fax via an online service?

Is faxing even an issue? Anyone ever even use it in the field? Should I just get a all in one minus the fax feature? In this digital age, is faxing obsolete?

Doesn't look like there are really any cost benefits with eliminating the fax. There are plenty on the market that does it all for very reasonable. I am leaning towards a scanner feature being more important than fax but if it doesn't cost any more to have it, why not get it? And if you have not guessed yet, I am indeed equipping a mobile office as a newly licensed adjuster hoping to get called out one day.

I am not entirely new to a mobile office as my old company paid to have me and 2 others equip our trucks with mobile tech. As residential construction superintendents we were constantly relying more and more on technology. We started innocently enough by digitally photoing all of our structures in all stages of construction to help us locate problems behind the drywall later on but ended up providing pics for the homeowners at closing. Our people loved us for it but eventually we needed more and more devices in our trucks so we installed inverters and laptop desks and printers and all that. We were a bit early in the cause though, as none of our trades were ready for mobile solutions (this was many years ago). Wound up using the laptop for games more than anything. Now with smart phones, bluetooth connectivity, and Ipads leading the way technology has improved wonderfully since then making a mobile office even easier to set up so do I still need a fax feature?

 On a side note, thanks for the years of accumulated knowledge you guys share with anyone and everyone when needed. It is a lot of info to take in but priceless in my start up. Thank you.

 

Thanks,

Chad

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Me personally, I don't see having a All-in-one printer/scan/fax as a necessity out in the field. However, in times where the insured has some doc's of interest, it isn't bad to have the ability to scan them and hand them back.

Not that I am an old school anything but until 2009 Ca Wildfires, I left my laptop in my hotel room. Relied on good ole' tic sheets and graph paper for my roof drawings. After I burned all the day light I would then head to the hotel for my XM8 writeups

As far as faxing, from time to time but never had the need out in the field. However, My Canon MX340 All-in-one printer/scan/fax has performed admirably for the last two years and cost me a grand total of 39.95 new at....Staples. These things are so cheap (sans the ink) The printers themselves are loss leaders and the companies make their money on the ink. I just read an article where in an aggregate sense ink is one of the most expensive substances on earth at a rate of roughly 65K a gallon.

Chad, even with the capacity to utilize the fax feature with my canon, I never have as I use an email fax that works exactly the same as an email. Super cheap and most importantly super simple

Thanks Mr. Robinson. I was thinking the same thing you just told me. Prolly won't use it much if at all but they are so affordable don't go out of my way to get one without it. Working in a mobile office in the past, I have discovered a couple of online fax services I really like as well. Old school? Heck, it won't be long before no one remembers the good 'ol digital hand shake noises the fax machine used to make when dialing out or AOL signing on!

Thanks,
Chad

I agree.

The only time of late that I've used the fax function was not job related.

I remember when we often had to fax items. What a joy, Hotel phone systems often had a 9 first and this confused the machines. Sometimes the phones were hard wired and you could not attach you phone line to the fax machine.
I always have a multi use printer with me but have not used the fax function for several years. You never know when you might need to send a fax, or even mail a letter!

You can get an efax monthly subscription for between 5-12 bucks. I've had it for over seven years now and still use it.

If you have a scanner, you just use email to attach the document and submit a fax to somone's fax machine. I have the all in one machine only because the rolling scanner seems to always come with a fax. I never use the fax feature on mine; just send2fax.com. I use the rolling scanner for my huge stacks of supporting documentation that need to be scanned. For 1-5 page stuff, I use my camera to scan and may send by fax, but through email.

OK, so no one uses fax anymore.

I have not done any camera scanning, Jud G. Are you just taking photos of paperwork or does your camera actually have a scanner function?

Stormcrow, HA HA HA, mail a letter. With an actual stamp? That is funny, does anyone even still know how to do that these days!?!?!?

So what does everyone think about flatbed scanners or rolling scanners?

Personally, I HATE rolling scanners for small scans (licenses, bus. cards, ect) and flat bed almost never fails me but nothing beats dropping a stack of regular papers in a rolling scanner that auto feeds. Drop them in and walk away. Maybe I can find a printer that has both. My home one does both but it is huge and aint gonna fit in the back of my little old Nissan Frontier. Space penalty is the price I pay for decent gas mileage I suppose.

Chad

I carry a Canon MX860 All-In-One in the truck. I've never used the fax feature. I have a MyFax account for that.

The scanner with the document feeder is a must-have IMHO. Doesn't get used very often, but when you need it you need it.

David