Can someone here recommend a good home fax machine for under $100?

[CTyankee]

I just got through paying $13 to send some faxes to my daughter in CA. Time for the home fax machine!

Hubby and I are retired and need a fax that doesn't require a degree in office technology to get it up and working...and I mean that. I'm better than hubby but that's not saying much.

Thanks, ya'll...

[flvegan]

1. Canon PIXMA MX330

I bought one of these around 3 months ago as my home/work scanner crapped out. It's an all in one printer/scanner/copier/fax, and all of them work pretty well. The nice thing is the multi-page feed (both for the scanner and the fax) hasn't jammed once for me, and I scan quite a few 20 page docs every day. I think I spent $60 or $75 on it. Doesn't have a huge footprint either, fits on a shelf below my desk out of the way.

Here's CNET's review of it (w/pic):

http://reviews.cnet.com/inkjet-printers/canon-pixma-mx330/4505-3156_7-33529115.html

[CTyankee]

3. Looks good! Is it for non-technies?

Cuz we're old...

[flvegan]

6. Plug 'n play, basically.

There is software, but it runs and installs itself. Or, if you JUST want to use the fax part of it, you just plug it in and it's ready to go.

[yawnmaster]

2. you can also look at sending faxes online... if you have the document scanned of course. eom

[gmoney]

4. I'd keep it simple

Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-FAX-575-Personal-Phone-Copier/dp/B0007KI6PE/

It's a basic fax machine that isn't overloaded with other features, so it should be as easy as plugging it into a power outlet and a phone line, and putting in the ink cartridge and paper.

It's only $58, plus you can probably get free shipping on it.

It will also make copies for you, just put the pages in and hit the copy button. Easy.

You can also use it as a regular phone if you like.

I don't have this item, but have other Brother printers that have been quite reliable.

You could get one that also scans and can be a printer for your computer, and answering machine, but if you're a non-tech person, I think it's simpler to have separate tools to do separate jobs.

And at $58 you can't go too far wrong. Also, since it's only a fax machine (and not a full-color printer), you only need to buy black ink for it.

ON EDIT: this one does use the older "roller" method for printing pages, and only comes with a 15-page starter roll. A 150-page refill costs about $20. But if you're mainly sending pages, or only printing a few pages a month, it should still be affordable.

ON EDIT AGAIN: There are 3rd party sellers offering this unit for under $25 shipped, that claim to be in NEW factory sealed cartons. Could be a real steal!

[CTyankee]

5. Does that mean that it can't go into the same outlet as our computer?

We don't have a phone line in the room where we keep the computer, altho when we had dial up I guess it must have had that connection. My phone account is with AT&T so I guess I could call them...

[gmoney]

7. It wouldn't need to be in the same room as the computer

It doesn't connect to the computer at all. You put the pages in the top, dial the person's fax number, it feeds them through and then transmits them. No computer involved. :)

It could be used in any room where you have a phone jack, like a bedroom or the kitchen. It can share a jack with a telephone if you need to. Or you could even put it away and just plug it in when you need to send a fax (or know you're going to receive one).

A business will keep theirs plugged in and ready to receive at all times, but unless you're planning on receiving faxes at random times during the day, or need to send them frequently, you wouldn't have to have a dedicated phone jack installed or anything.

ON EDIT: If you had dial-up in the computer room, chances are there's a phone jack there already. Did you have a separate phone line for your dial-up, or did it just share your main line? If it shared, then you should be able to plug a fax into that jack. You could easily plug a regular telephone into that jack and test to make sure you have a dial tone before you call the phone company.

[CTyankee]

9. Yep, I know the fax and the computer are not related, I was just observing that since we

had dial up when we got our computer (long ago) and we have AT&T as our internet provider service, we could hook a fax up in the vicinity of the computer, which is our "office" and plug it in to the same outlet.

Thanks for the hint about the phone "test."

[HopeHoops]

8. You can get an HP all in one for about that (or less, actually). They're reliable.

The very FIRST HP all in one was called the Office Jet, but the Office Jet LX was the one with the FAX. I bought one for $600 and it was on sale! That was, shit who knows how long ago - 15+ years. The thing still works. It has a little trouble with grabbing more than one sheet of paper now so it isn't in daily service and there aren't any drivers for anything past Win 98, but the FAX part has served me VERY well. I've got a newer HP all-in-one (with both flatbed and sheet feed) so I haven't used it in a while, but I know it is there.

They've changed the model numbers again and switched from white to black plastic, but the 4x80 printers are excellent. We've got a 4280 and three 4480's. I've seen the new ones for as little as $50, but I don't know if that one includes a FAX. Either way, I've said for several years that all ink jet printers are essentially free. You pay through the ASS for the ink regardless of the brand. Over time, the cost of the printer fades into the noise.

[JCMach1]

10. Why not use your computer or an online service??