eFax How-Tos

How to Fax With a Brother Printer

Whether you’re faxing from your PC or your fax machine, this guide will give you the simple steps you can follow to fax documents from a Brother printer.

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Not long ago, companies and individuals needed separate machines to fax, print and scan. And while those machines, such as Brother fax machines, still exist, many manufacturers have created all-in-one options that let you send and receive faxes on the same device you use for printing. So if you have a Brother printer or want one, this guide is for you. We’ll cover how to fax on a Brother printer and look at a few alternative faxing options.

Why Use a Brother Printer

One of the main reasons people choose Brother printers is the brand’s longstanding reputation as an excellent manufacturer. The company began repairing sewing machines in 1908 in Japan, then expanded into global markets by the 1960s. It has a long lineup of quality printers, including a mobile printer. With such a wide variety of products, Brother also manufactures fax machines. However, since many individuals and companies no longer want separate machines for printing, faxing and scanning, the Brother all-in-one printers have become much more popular. Depending on the model, you can get a compact all-in-one printer that prints, scans, copies and faxes.

How To Set up a Brother Printer

First, ensure you have a Brother printer capable of sending faxes since not every machine has the same capabilities. Some multifunction printers are 3-in-1 (print, scan and copy), while others are 4-in-1 (print, scan, copy and fax).
The next step is connecting the printer to a working telephone line. Since fax machines send document data via a digital signal over a phone line, this step is essential for sending and receiving faxes with a Brother printer. So make sure you plug the cord into the printer’s jack labeled “line” and the telephone wall jack.
You can check the connection works by following these steps:

How To Send a Fax With a Brother Printer

There are a few different ways to send a fax using a brother printer. Each one gives you slightly different faxing capabilities, but remember that you still need a telephone line connection for these to work.

With the Scanner Glass

If you’ve copied documents before, this process will look quite similar. This difference is that instead of printing out the copies on your device, you’re sending the document to someone else.

Keep in mind that you can only prepare one side of a paper at a time using the scanner glass. This is fine if you need to fax something short, but faxing several pages can become tedious. If you need to fax multiple pages quickly, consider jumping down to the automatic document feeder process.

Here’s how to fax using the scanner glass:

Raise the scanner glass cover and put the document face down on the glass
Align the paper with the guidelines on the left side of the glass
Once you’ve ensured the document is straight and properly aligned, close the cover
Select Fax on the touchscreen
Dial the fax number on the dial pad — if you have the fax number saved, you can select it from your address book
Choose Fax Start to scan the page
The printer will then ask if you have more pages to fax. If you don’t, press No, then Fax Start. If you have more pages, press Yes, then repeat steps 1-4
Press Fax Start to send the document(s)

With the Automatic Document Feeder

The automatic document feeder (ADF) lets you fax multiple pages simultaneously. You can place your stack of papers into the tray and fax them, and the machine automatically scans each one. This way, you don’t have to input each page manually.

Here’s how to fax with an ADF:

Unfold both the ADF cover and the support flap on top of the machine
Make sure none of the pages are sticking to each other
Put the papers face up into the ADF
The top of the page goes first, so push it in until it touches the roller (you’ll know it touches the roller when the touch screen says ADF Ready)
If needed, adjust the tabs on either side of the documents to match the width of your papers
Select Fax on the touchscreen
Dial the fax number on the dial pad. If you have the fax number saved, you can select it from your address book
Choose Fax Start to scan and fax the pages

With the PC-FAX

If you would like to fax a document you have on your computer, you don’t have to print it out and then feed it into the machine. With the PC-FAX option, you can send any file straight from your PC to someone’s fax machine.

Remember, you still need to have your Brother printer connected to a telephone line for this method to work. You are still sending a traditional fax — just without having to print out the document.

Here’s how to send a PC-FAX:

Open the file you want to fax
Click on the Print option in the application you’re using
Instead of choosing your Brother printer, select Brother PC-FAX and print
A dialog box will appear to prepare the fax
Dial the fax number by clicking on the numbers in the dialog box, typing out the numbers or selecting the number for your address book
With the PC-FAX method, you can include a cover letter. Click on Add Cover Page to create one
Press Start to fax the document

How To Receive a Fax With a Brother Printer

You can set up your Brother printer to automatically receive faxes or wait until you can manually answer the incoming fax. Either way, you need to adjust the Receive Mode.

If you have a dedicated fax line (which you aren’t sharing with another telephone answering device), you can select the Fax Only Mode for the machine to automatically receive any fax. If you are sharing the telephone line, you can select Ring Delay Mode.

You can also receive faxes on your PC with Brother PC-FAX receiving. Here’s how to do that:

Turn on PC-FAX receiving within the software on your computer (the exact steps vary based on which version of Windows you have)
Make sure the PC-FAX receiving is also enabled on your Brother printer
- Select the Menu
- Scroll through the options until you get to Fax
- Choose Remote Fax Opt, then Fwd/Page/Store
- Press PC Fax Receive, which will prompt a message to run PC-FAX on your computer
- Select OK
- Choose whether you want a Backup Print option, which will send the fax to your computer and print out another physical copy
- Select Exit
Go to your computer and configure the PC-FAX Receiving settings to determine how you want to receive the fax
The PC-FAX icon will change once you receive a fax
Click on the icon to view the faxes

Alternatives to a Brother Printer

While Brother printers are nice, not everyone has a printer — let alone a Brother printer with faxing capabilities. And even if you do have a printer with faxing abilities, you might not have the telephone line cord to connect it and enable faxes. Luckily, there are faxing alternatives that don’t require a fax machine, printer or telephone lines. For example, eFax lets you send and receive faxes on any mobile device, no matter where you are. Here are three ways to share documents with eFax.

Online Faxing With eFax

Online faxing is quick and straightforward if you’re working on your desktop at home or the office.

Log in to your eFax account and choose Send Faxes
Select a pre-saved contact or type in the recipient’s name and company
Choose the recipient’s country and enter their fax number
If you want to send a cover page, select Include Cover Page and edit the message
Click on Browse to choose a document to upload
Click OK, then Send Faxes

eFax Messenger

You can also send faxes with the eFax Messenger tool.

Download the eFax Messenger tool
Open the document you want to fax, then select Print
Pick the eFax Messager as your printer, then click Print to send the document to your eFax Messenger
In eFax Messenger, choose New Fax
Select a pre-saved contact or type in the recipient’s information
Choose Send Copy to Me if you would also like a copy of the fax
Fill in the Subject of the fax and input an Attention name
You can include a cover page, another file or a blank page with the Add New Page (+) option
Select Attach File, then Send Fax

How To Fax by Email

eFax also lets you send and receive faxes via email, whether you have Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo.

Log in to your email account
Draft a new email
The recipient’s email address will be their fax number @efaxsend.com
Add a maximum of 10 files to fax
Write the body of the email, then click Send

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Get Faxing Today

Ready to send some faxes? If you have a Brother printer, you can start using its faxing capabilities. But if you don’t have a physical faxing machine, there are still ways to keep your workflows streamlined.

Related FAQs

Where can I find out how to fax from brother printers?

To understand how to use your Brother printer for faxing, check the user manual or visit the Brother website for detailed instructions. Alternatively, the guide provided earlier, along with other online resources, can offer helpful advice and troubleshooting assistance.

Why is my Brother fax machine not sending faxes?

There could be a variety of reasons why your Brother fax machine is not sending faxes. Some common troubleshooting steps include checking for proper phone line connections, ensuring there is no paper jam, and verifying the recipient’s fax number. If these do not resolve the issue, refer to the user manual or contact Brother customer support for further assistance.

How can I scan a document from my Brother printer to a computer?

To scan documents to your computer using a Brother printer, you can use applications like iPrint&Scan or Windows Fax and Scan. First, ensure that the necessary software is installed on your computer. Then, simply follow the instructions provided by the software to efficiently scan and save your document.

What are the advantages of using online faxing services over traditional fax machines?

Online faxing services offer several advantages over conventional fax machines, including cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and greater accessibility. By eliminating the need for a physical fax machine and phone line, you save on equipment and upkeep expenses. Online faxing also enables you to fax from anywhere with an internet connection, offering a more flexible solution, especially for those working remotely.

How do I manage my faxes and documents with eFax?

To manage your faxes and documents with eFax, you can access the eFax portal or mobile app. From there, you can view and organize your sent and received faxes, add notes or signatures to documents, and forward or save important faxes for future use.