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Home > Guides > Fax machine as a phone
Yes, if the machine has a handset or speakerphone. A fax machine is still a telephone underneath: it plugs into the same phone line, dials the same numbers, and handset-equipped models make and receive voice calls like any phone. Machines without a handset can usually still dial out and let you talk through a telephone plugged into the machine's extension jack.
| Machine type | Voice calling | How |
|---|---|---|
| Fax machine with handset | Full phone | Lift the handset and dial, exactly like a landline |
| All-in-one without handset | Limited | Press Hook or Tel to get dial tone through the speaker, then dial; plug a phone into the EXT jack to talk |
| USB fax modem | No | It has no audio path for voice; it only sends data |
| Online fax service | No | No phone line involved at all; sending only |
The machine and your voice calls share the line, so they cannot both use it at once. An incoming fax that the machine auto-answers will seize the line even if you were mid-conversation on the extension phone. Going the other way, if someone picks up the extension phone while a fax is transmitting, the fax usually fails with a line error. This is why offices that take many calls either give the fax its own line or set the machine to manual answer and let a person decide which calls are faxes.
Yes, and it is a classic office maneuver. You call the recipient, confirm they are ready, and ask them to press Start on their fax machine. You then press Start on yours and hang up the handset; the machines take over the line and run the fax handshake. This "call first, fax second" routine is also the fix when an automated fax keeps failing: a human on each end makes sure the machines are actually ready before the data starts flowing.
Only if you receive faxes regularly or someone you deal with insists on faxing to a real machine. For sending, the phone-line chores (a working analog line, a handset, distinctive-ring setup) disappear entirely with an online route. LetterAgent sends faxes for you: describe the fax to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is sent to US and Canadian fax numbers. Fax is currently available in testing, so send times are not guaranteed, and there is no inbound fax.
Ready to fax it? Fax with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is sent.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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