Networked Printers ...
I have resisted getting a fax machine for a long time now, despite having a home office.
Today I caved in and got an efax number which lets me view incoming faxes electronically.
And I also thought of an idea that could eliminate the need for fax machines.
Almost everybody has an printer on their desk. And everybody has an internet connection. Lets assume that everyone's printer could be given an unique identifying code (like an email address). Would'nt it be cool, if when I want to fax something to my father, I could just have the document print on his printer, by using the Print Command on my computer and specifying his Printer Code as the chosen printer.
Pros
Eliminate the need for a fax machine
Avoid the need to print a document before faxing
Better Quality
Cons
If somebody gets hold of you printer code, you could be "Printer Spammed" !
Today I caved in and got an efax number which lets me view incoming faxes electronically.
And I also thought of an idea that could eliminate the need for fax machines.
Almost everybody has an printer on their desk. And everybody has an internet connection. Lets assume that everyone's printer could be given an unique identifying code (like an email address). Would'nt it be cool, if when I want to fax something to my father, I could just have the document print on his printer, by using the Print Command on my computer and specifying his Printer Code as the chosen printer.
Pros
Eliminate the need for a fax machine
Avoid the need to print a document before faxing
Better Quality
Cons
If somebody gets hold of you printer code, you could be "Printer Spammed" !
Comments
In fact, Microsoft IIS includes support for such a service, and you can even set it up crudely on a Windows machine by enabling print sharing. The main issues are of course security, authentication, and job scheduling.