What to Do with Your Old Fax Machine?

By: Chris Haycox Click author's name for more of his/her articles

So you've joined the 21st century and started doing everything over the Internet. You do business on the Internet. You buy things on the Internet. You're most likely even reading this on the Internet and you do all your faxing over the Internet as well. That's all well and good for saving paper and saving money, but what are you going to do with that old fax machine now that you no longer need it?

It's not as if you're going to use it to send faxes. That would take more paper, tie you to a specific location when faxing, and possibly require another phone line. Online faxing is here to stay, and the convenience of e-faxes means that obviously those outdated fax machines are going to have to go somewhere else. If you're looking for ideas of what to do with these machines of yesteryear, here are some suggestions.

Big Telephone

Some old fax machines have handsets and keypads, which makes them sufficient to serve the most basic functions of a telephone. This likely won't work if you need a phone hooked in to all the lines in your office network, but if you just want a phone to make simple outgoing calls, an old fax machine may save you from having to shell out for another phone. Best of all, unlike a portable phone, nobody is going to walk away with an old fax machine and forget to put it back. And not just because of its size, but its social stigma. Who’d want to be seen with one?

Out of Order Sign

Sometimes if you leave a little paper ‘out of order’ sign on something, people don't pay attention. Or sometimes it just falls off. If you're trying to keep someone from using the copier when the toner cartridge has exploded, or from using a toilet that doesn't flush, a little paper sign may fall off, be trampled, and get lost on the floor. Placing an old fax machine atop the offending object, however, will let your office know that you mean business. Imagine walking into the bathroom and seeing an old fax machine that says "OUT OF ORDER" atop the toilet. Unlike a piece of paper that can fall on the floor and get ignored, nobody can ignore a fax machine on the toilet. Nobody.

Donate

Just because your office has switched over to e-faxing doesn't mean that everyone else has. Whether the cause is a lack of knowledge about Internet faxing, a slow acting management that takes years to adopt new technologies, or just a heavy-handed budget bureaucracy, many offices will continue to have a use for old fax machines for a few years yet. If you live near a non-profit organization that you would like to support, offer them your old fax machines. From community service outfits, to schools, to campaign offices, many people out there won't catch on to e-faxing for another few years. You obviously won't be using your old fax machine any time soon, so why not give it to someone who might get some use out of it for a few years? Put it out there it’s good karma.

Executive Paperweight and Organizer

Most paperweights in the office have green felt on the bottom and can themselves end up buried beneath a mound of papers on your desk. An old Fax Machine is large enough not to get buried. Likewise, trying to find un-filed papers on your desk can be difficult, but some papers are relevant to current projects and don't want to be filed away yet. An old fax machine often offers a few slots to hold papers, so it can serve as a paperweight while providing both an inbox and an outbox.

Children's Toy

Occasionally, your office may have visitors that bring a child. Office environments, in general, are not a great place for children. A child in an office tends to be bored, creating situation that can quickly turn loud and unpleasant. And unfortunately, keeping children's toys around your office can make your workplace look unprofessional and sloppy. Have the best of both worlds by keeping an old unplugged fax machine available for children to play with. Children prefer toys that simulate adult objects, and an old fax machine has lots of buttons to press to keep children entertained without cluttering your office with dolls. Naturally, any young children should not be left unsupervised with the old fax machine.

Catharsis

Almost everyone has seen someone getting frustrated with malfunctioning technology at the office, and then smashing the offending piece of equipment. Whether it's an online video of a man smashing his computer off his desk, a clip from a movie where people despise the "PC LOAD LETTER" message, or just someone at your office banging their fist on the copy machine, you’ve seen it somewhere. Technology can be frustrating, and sometimes you just want to smash it. However, most of your technology is valuable, and it would be a mistake to let temporary anger lead to damaging your equipment.

Here is where your old fax machines can give you one last gift. If you find yourself burning with anger, don't take it out on your computer, or keyboard and especially don't take it out on other people in your office. Vent your rage on an otherwise useless fax machine, letting it serve as a catharsis for you without causing any real damage. In fact, put it in a vacant office or back parking lot and let anyone that wants have a crack at it. Be sure to have protective eye-wear on hand. If you find yourself returning for multiple sessions, at bat, in the long term you may want to consider therapy.

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