Fax July 1996. A major breakthrough in the development of the modern facsimile system was the result of digital technology, where the analog signal from scanners was digitized and then compressed, resulting in the ability to transmit high rates of data across standard phone lines. The first digital fax machine was the Dacom Rapidfax first sold in late 1960s, which incorporated digital data compression technology developed by Lockheed for transmission of images from satellites. Group 3 and 4 faxes are digital formats, and take advantage of digital compression methods to greatly reduce transmission times. Fax Over IP (FoIP) can transmit and
Internet fax a phone number, and press a button. Fax continues to be used over the telephone network at locations without computer and Internet facilities; and sometimes a fax of a document with a person's handwritten signature is a requirement for legal reasons. Computer fax over the Internet allows fax communication without an actual fax machine at either or both ends. The traditional method for sending faxes over phone lines (PSTN) A fax machine is an electronic instrument composed of a scanner, a modem, and a printer. It transmits data in the form of pulses via a telephone line to a recipient,