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
Junk fax Junk fax Junk faxes are a form of telemarketing where unsolicited advertisements are sent via fax transmission. Junk faxes are the faxed equivalent of spam or junk mail. Proponents of this advertising medium often use the terms "broadcast fax" or "fax advertising" to avoid the negative connotation of the term "junk fax". Junk faxes are generally considered to be a nuisance since they waste toner, ink and paper in fax machines. Junk faxing came into widespread use in the late 1980s as a result of the development and proliferation of relatively inexpensive desktop fax machines which resulted in rapid growth