Some people think of fax machines the same way they think about Keith Richards — they’re in awe of the longevity against all odds. The truth is, sending faxes is still a core part of life for many businesses, and while the technology has evolved, the humble fax still remains a ripe target for office-based humor.
Let’s face it: the fax machine is meme-friendly. It straddles the generation gap, it confuses most people and it even sounds funny. There’s no shortage of funny jokes and memes about fax machines. Even as we move toward electronic faxes and away from the retro facsimile, you can rest assured that Twitter, and the internet in general, will keep us laughing about this common and perplexing device.
Here are the 20 best fax memes and funny fax jokes about offices we’ve seen lately.
Retro office equipment sure poses questions for the youth of today.
Is this a fax? No, it’s an electronic typewriter.
Just as fax machines are giving way to eFax, the electronic typewriter has been replaced by modern computers.
- https://twitter.com/elizabethalbell/status/1636714615311564800
- Beth Bell
- @elizabethalbell
Sweet young employee just asked me if this is a fax machine.
What better way to troll your kids than ask for their help with old-school tech? First, we asked our kids to help us program the VCR, then they helped us get online. Now we get to stump them with the age-old question: Do you need a landline to operate a fax? (Spoiler alert: you don’t anymore thanks to eFax).
- https://twitter.com/chronically1999/status/1637164407288393729
- @chronically1999
Mom: if I get a fax machine can I use our landlines number?
Me: idk mom that’s a little before my time.
Who says fax machine memes can’t reference modern pop culture? This creative renaming has some serious Office Space vibes.
- https://twitter.com/einfreakinstein/status/1637471987369930755
- 🤬~Einfreakinstein™️~🇺🇸
- @einfreakinstein
Rage Against The Fax Machine.
#CommunicativeBandsOrCelebs
This is not a tweet, it’s a meme, and it’s a darn good one at that. After all, who doesn’t love kittens and office technology? It’s a match made in heaven.
You’re Doing it Wrong.
No matter how hard you try, it is impossible to fax a cat.
That’s not a FAX. It’s a Cat Scan!
Ooph. LinkedIn got burned here. Luckily, it’s easy to use eFax, which puts it one step above LinkedIn according to this tweet.
- https://twitter.com/_daveharrison/status/1637281165949251584
- daveharrison
- @_daveharrison
Replying to @DerekHoiem @LanceUlanoff and @elonmusk
LinkedIn is the FAX machine of social media. Everyone knows it’s there, but no one knows how to use it.
What better way to highlight a generation gap than by referencing fax machines as you demonstrate a lack of understanding of modern music? In fairness, he’s kinda right.
- https://twitter.com/deadpoolhead/status/1636813896815190017
- Deadpoolhead888
- @deadpoolhead
“That’s it. I’m complaining about the kids now and the new generation. And I don’t understand all this dubstep music either. It sounds like a broken fax machine. I am OFFICIALLY an OLD MAN”
The medical profession is still one place where faxes reign supreme. Is this funny, or sad? We’ll go with funny.
- https://twitter.com/DavidJuurlink/status/1616080391583981568
- @DavidJuurlink
“We can split the atom and send robots to Mars but in 2023 your MRI appointment hinges on two fax machines being in working order.”
Yes, we’re serious, fax machines and samurai co-existed alongside Abraham Lincoln. Rumor has it that the top hat actually hid a tiny fax machine.
The samurai were officially abolished in Japanese society in 1867. The first ever fax machine was invented in 1843. Lincoln was famously assassinated at Ford’s Theater in 1865. So there was a 22 year window in which a samurai could have sent a fax to Lincoln. #themoreyouknow
Twitter user @GhostieVT answered the question “What noise do you absolutely hate?” with this scarily accurate description of a fax noise. Modern eFax is much less terrifying though! 
- https://twitter.com/GhostieVT/status/1635064944915021824
- Dead Moth VTuber
- @GhostieVT
Replying to @WhatGiraffeYT When you dial a phone number and it’s a fax machine and it lets out its archaic demon song in your ear.
Some days the world just wants to beat you down. When Hanan tried to learn a new skill it backfired. (At least with eFax she’d have known who was faxing her right away.)
I just sent my first fax. And I ended up sending it to myself idk how.
@Hananbanann3
The funniest thing is I’m looking around like who is faxing me?
No greater critique of the modern office is as good as the television show. Sure, the show is decades old now, but the sentiment remains.
Michael Scott:
“When someone asks if they can fax me something.
FAX?
Why don’t you just send it over on a Dinosaur?”
Not all jokes land the same in 2023 as they did in the past.
Luckily, Martin had the perfect way to tell someone their joke was outdated.
Replying to @mikamclaren
1995 just sent a fax: they want their joke back.
Twitter user Kim Castell posted this fun retro take on the drinking game “Never Have I Ever.” How many points would you get? And do eFaxes count?
- https://twitter.com/CastellKim/status/1636322702477672449
- Kim
- @CastellKim
Ok 1 point for anything you have NEVER done.
[Sent or Received a Fax]
Are fax machines the universe’s way of keeping us humble? Rebecca understands her grandpa better after trying to use one. We bet both of them would find eFax easier.
- https://twitter.com/thebkoof/status/1223295096197545985
- Rebecca Kufrin
- @thebkoof
I just tried to use a fax machine, and I think this feeling of confusion is comparable to how my grandpa feels when using an iPhone.
This unaccredited meme didn’t come from Twitter, but how can you not enjoy this pun on “fax” and “facts.” A whole generation of youth now knows what a fax machine is through this one meme. And that’s #fax.
Love me or hate me
I am spitting straight fax!
The piles of paper that streamed out of fax machines when they were in full song never made anyone happy. This user found a clever way to store his faxes efficiently. If only they knew that eFax lets you store faxed documents without paper!
- https://twitter.com/cbetta/status/1218559743792439296
- Cristiano Betta
- @cbetta
I never joke about faxing.
This joke makes us sad for all the cool old stuff that no longer exists, even though fax machines still do. RIP Blockbuster, Tamagotchi and Hammer pants.
- https://twitter.com/b_langdale/status/1219818565303521280
- Brad Langdale
- @b_langdale
I just had to send a fax to the CRA. Now I’m going to stop off at Blockbuster on my way home before feeding my Tamagotchi.
We’ve come so far as a society. We know who’s calling us, and we know how to communicate without having to pick up the phone. Introverts get to avoid awkward phone calls to their heart’s content, but there’s a solution for those of us who slip on on occasion.
- https://twitter.com/WayHinthesky/status/975910116670271488
- MorganFreakman
- @WayHinthesky
“accidentally answered my phone & panicked when I heard someone say ‘hello,’ so I just did the best I could & made the fax machine noise”
It’s always slightly embarrassing to dial the wrong number. It’s downright horrible when a fax machine picks up!
- https://twitter.com/melissaroyle/status/756491686394552320
- Melissa Royle Critch
- @melissaroyle
“The punishment of the fax machine noise far outweighs the crime of dialing the wrong number”
Let’s round out our list with one of the most well-known, repeated and iconic fax machine jokes there is. You could say this one has been copied and sent more than any other meme. Do you know what else copies and sends things? eFax!
- https://twitter.com/gumnos/status/862448224879222784
- Tim Chase
- @gumnos
‘Could you fax over a copy?’
‘No, I can’t fax because of where I live’
“Where do you live?’
‘The 21st Century’
eFax is No Joke
As we have proven here, the humble fax machine is an easy target for office jokes, but your fax service doesn’t need to be a laughing stock. eFax makes it easy to send and receive faxes without the cost of operating a fax machine or landline. All you need is a computer, an eFax account and a few minutes of setup to convert your office to a more modern and convenient way of faxing.
Sign up for eFax and start your modern fax journey today.
History & Miscellaneous
