Telegram vs. Fax — What's the Difference?

Encoded text into electrical signals.

Transmits scans of documents over phone lines.

Now a novelty or for historical interest.

Remains relevant for specific applications.

Emphasized brevity due to cost.

Can include both text and images.

A method of sending messages via telegraph.

Used for legal documents requiring signatures.

Historically significant for international communication.

Operational through a fax machine or service.

A message transmitted by telegraph.

Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax (the latter short for telefacsimile), is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device. The original document is scanned with a fax machine (or a telecopier), which processes the contents (text or images) as a single fixed graphic image, converting it into a bitmap, and then transmitting it through the telephone system in the form of audio-frequency tones.

To telegraph (something) or be telegraphed.

A fax machine.

A message transmitted by telegraph.

A document transmitted or received by a fax machine. In both senses also called facsimile.

(intransitive) To send a telegram.

To transmit (a document) by a fax machine.

(transitive) To send a telegram to (a person).

The hair of the head.

(transitive) To send (a message) in a telegram.

Senseid|en|machine}} {{ellipsis of fax machine

A message sent by telegraph; a telegraphic dispatch.

A document sent, or received and printed by a fax machine

A message transmitted by telegraph

To send a document via a fax machine.

Alt form of facts.

Duplicator that transmits the copy by wire or radio

Send something via a facsimile machine;

Emails, instant messaging, and other forms of digital communication have largely replaced telegrams, offering faster and more versatile communication options.

Yes, you can send a fax without a physical fax machine using online fax services that allow you to send and receive faxes via email or a web application.

Some businesses still use fax machines for their ability to send documents that require signatures or for compliance with regulations that mandate the use of fax for certain communications.

Telegrams were considered urgent because they were the fastest way to send concise messages over long distances before the advent of faster digital communication.

While there was no strict limit, telegrams were usually brief due to cost; charges were based on the number of words or characters.

Historically, telegrams could be intercepted and decoded by unauthorized parties, which was a concern during times of war or in diplomatic communications.

Digital signatures are becoming widely accepted and have legal standing similar to faxed signatures, offering a secure and verifiable way to sign documents electronically.

Faxes can be considered secure for transmitting sensitive documents, as they're less susceptible to hacking compared to email, making them preferred in legal and medical fields.

The cost of sending a fax generally depends on phone line charges and is usually less than the historical cost of sending a telegram, which was based on word count.

Modern uses for telegram services are mostly ceremonial or nostalgic, such as sending a telegram for a special occasion or as a unique gift.

The advent of the internet, email, mobile phones, and instant messaging contributed significantly to the decline of telegrams by offering more efficient and versatile forms of communication.

The environmental impacts include paper usage and energy consumption of fax machines, though these are mitigated by digital or paperless fax solutions.

Telegrams and faxes revolutionized business communication by significantly reducing the time it took to send and receive important information and documents across distances.

Yes, faxed copies can suffer from quality degradation, especially if the original document is of poor quality or the fax machine's resolution is low.

Faxed documents are legally binding in many jurisdictions, especially when both parties recognize the fax as a valid method of communication and document exchange.