If you still have any question that the Internet can save you time and money in office machinery, look to these new free or lowcost services designed to help clear your desk of hardware expense and clutter.

Email attachments are one of the most important business software inventions of the new century, yet due to language protocols and formatting differences, many email documents can not be received in their original form. Because some symbols can't be interpreted correctly by the receiving host software, email documents are sometimes open to interpretation - a variable you don't want in any transaction.

eFAX, is the developer of two software solutions for FAXes and email attachments.

eFAX.com: (http://www.efax.com)

Electronic FAXes are a great convenience because they can be delivered right to your email address as an attachment. You don't have to be tied down waiting for a FAX to come over a fax machine that is somewhere other than where you are. But, eFAXs have a downside. The number is free for you to receive faxes, but long distance phone charges may apply when your client or associate chooses to send you a FAX.

You don't want to appear cheap, so take advantage of the new local eFAX numbers which are now available in major metropolitan areas. Although free FAX numbers are still available, the local numbers are offered as an upgrade. You can check for the availability of local eFax numbers in your area and select one. Also included is easy FAX sending, Web storage of your FAXES (up to 250 FAX pages) and a preview feature so you can quickly scan the first few pages of long faxes. The cost for this service is a low $2.95 per month, and the service can be bundled for even more savings with the toll-free FAX number service.

Hotsend.com

Hotsend.com offers a free downloadable program that allows you to email any document, graphic image or Web page to anyone. You'll have complete confidence that it will appear like the original when your recipient views it. Viewing is assured by a small file viewer download which automatically accompanies each file that you send.

Directions are simple. Download the correct version of Hotsend to your hard drive. Select "Save to Disk" and click "Ok." Select the destination location and begin the download. When the download is complete, locate hotsend.exe and double-click on it to begin the installation process. Afterward, visit the Help section at the Web site for additional information.

"Mr. Internet" Michael Russer recommends Hotsend as a way to quickly and easily send virtual flyers to clients and prospects. Russer says, "Hotsend can effectively replace Adobe Acrobat for most uses. The print quality met or exceeded that of Acrobat set on screen resolution, and the file sizes are comparable or less.

"Hotsend is one of those "breakthrough" solutions that promises to transform the way documents are transferred online and is a good contender to replace the FAX."

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Published: September 15, 1999

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