How to Fax a PDF

Why is PDF the right format to fax?

A PDF has a fixed page layout. What you see is exactly what comes out on the other end. Word files, spreadsheets and web pages re-flow depending on fonts, margins and printer settings, which is how a signature block ends up alone on page four.

A fax is fundamentally an image of a page sent down a phone line. Whatever you send has to become a set of black-and-white page images at 204 × 196 dots per inch (standard "fine" fax resolution). PDF is already a page-accurate description of a document, so that conversion is predictable. Anything else has to be laid out first, and layout is where surprises come from.

If your document is not a PDF, convert it before you fax it. On Windows, use Print → Microsoft Print to PDF. On a Mac, File → Print → PDF → Save as PDF. In Google Docs, File → Download → PDF. In almost every app there is a print-to-PDF path, and it takes about five seconds.

What are the ways to fax a PDF?

There are three realistic options: an online fax service, a print-and-ship store counter, or a multifunction printer connected to an analogue phone line. Which one is right depends on how often you fax and whether you also need to receive.

1. An online fax service (no hardware)

You upload the PDF through a website or app, type the destination fax number, and the provider handles the conversion and the call. This is the only method that works from anywhere, keeps a searchable history, and gives you a delivery confirmation you can point at later.

Costs vary widely. As of July 2026, published prices include Fax.Plus at $6.99/month for 200 pages and one member, iFax at $12.49/month for 200 pages (send only) and Documo at $25/month for 300 pages and one user. Some vendors, including eFax and RingCentral, do not show a price on their pricing page at all. Verified July 2026.

For a genuinely one-off fax of three pages or fewer, FaxZero sends free to US and Canadian numbers, with a limit of 5 free faxes a day, a CAPTCHA, and FaxZero branding printed on the cover page. Their paid send is $3.29 per fax up to 25 pages, without the branding. Verified July 2026. It has no account and no history, so it is a poor fit for anything you may need to prove later.

2. A print and ship store

Staples, a UPS Store, an office-supply counter or a public library will usually fax for you. You bring the PDF on a USB stick or email it to yourself, they print it, and they send it from a machine behind the counter. Expect per-page pricing, and expect it to be the most expensive per page of any option — often a few dollars for the first page. It is fine once. It is painful monthly, and you cannot receive a reply this way.

3. A multifunction printer on a phone line

If you already own an all-in-one printer with a fax section and you still have a copper analogue phone line, you can print the PDF and feed it through the document feeder. The catch is the line. Fax is an analogue protocol; it does not travel reliably over most VoIP phone service, which is what the majority of small offices now have. If your phone service arrives over the internet, expect failed and garbled transmissions even when the hardware is fine.

What happens to a PDF when you fax it?

It is flattened to black and white, one image per page, at fax resolution. Colour is lost. Fine grey text, light-grey form shading and small photographs may become unreadable. The recipient gets an image, not a searchable document.

• Use black text on white. Grey-on-grey form fields are the single most common cause of an illegible received fax.
• Set at least 10 pt type. Anything smaller can fill in at fax resolution.
• Avoid photographs and screenshots where you can. If you must send one, increase the contrast first.
• Check the page count. Almost all fax pricing is per page, and a PDF with a hidden trailing blank page costs you a page.
• Flatten filled forms. A PDF with live form fields sometimes prints empty. Save a flattened copy first, then check it by opening it.

Doing it with Me Fax Too Free beta

How do you fax a PDF with Me Fax Too?

Me Fax Too sends PDFs and only PDFs — that is deliberate, because PDF is the format that survives the trip. Sign up, activate the free beta, choose your fax number, attach the PDF, send, and watch the status.

1. Sign up
   Create your company account at /signup. It covers your whole team, not just you.
2. Activate the free beta
   Three months free, no credit card required. Available in the United States and Canada.
3. Choose your own fax number
   Numbers are not auto-assigned. You pick yours after activating — that number is what appears as the sender and what people can fax back to.
4. Start a new fax and attach your PDF
   Enter the destination fax number, attach the PDF, and confirm the page count.
5. Send
   Pages are drawn from your company's shared page pool, which covers both the faxes you send and the ones you receive.
6. Watch the delivery status
   Every fax moves through queued → sending → delivered or failed, in real time, in your history.

Two things worth knowing before you sign up. Company admins can see all faxes on the company account, including yours — we would rather say that plainly than let you discover it. And Me Fax Too is not HIPAA compliant and we do not sign BAAs; if you handle protected health information, use a vendor that does. Final pricing after the beta has not been set; it will be announced before your three months end. The planned model is 10 users included with additional users at $2.79 per user per month.

Frequently asked questions about faxing a PDF

Can you fax a PDF?

Yes. PDF is the most reliable format to fax. Any online fax service accepts one, and a fax machine can send one once it is printed.

Do I need to print the PDF first?

Only if you are using a physical fax machine. With an online fax service you upload the file as-is.

Does the recipient get a PDF?

No. They get a fax — a page image. If they are on an online service it will arrive as a PDF of that image, but the text will not be selectable unless their provider runs OCR.

Can I fax a password-protected PDF?

Not usefully. Remove the password and save an unprotected copy first, or the service cannot open it to render the pages.

How many pages can I fax at once?

That depends on the provider and the plan. Free tiers are the tightest — FaxZero caps a free fax at 3 pages plus a cover page. Paid plans are usually limited by a monthly page allowance rather than a per-fax cap.

Can I fax a Word document with Me Fax Too?

No. Me Fax Too is PDF-only. Export the document to PDF first, which takes a few seconds in any word processor.

How do I know it arrived?

An online service gives you a delivery status per fax. A store counter gives you a printed confirmation page if you ask for one. A fax machine prints a confirmation report.

Related guides

• How to fax from a computer — the Windows, Mac and email routes, compared honestly.
• How to fax without a fax machine — what to do when you have no machine and no phone line.
• How to send a fax with Me Fax Too — the short product walkthrough.