How to fax a photo from an iPhone

What you will need

• The Cheapfax app, free on the App Store. You can sign in with email, Apple, or Google.
• The photos, saved in the Photos app. Each photo becomes one fax page.
• The recipient's fax number. Cheapfax sends only to numbers in the United States and Canada.

Cheapfax charges 50¢ per page. There is no monthly fee. Credits already on the account are used first. The app shows the exact price before it charges anything.

How to photograph a document for faxing

A fax machine prints in black and white. Its resolution is far lower than that of the iPhone camera. Most unreadable faxes come from shadows, glare, or a page photographed at an angle.

• Place the page flat on a dark surface. The edges should be clearly visible.
• Light the page evenly from above. Turn the flash off. It leaves a bright spot on the page.
• Hold the phone directly above the page. The paper should fill most of the frame.
• Zoom in on the photo before sending. Small print that is hard to read on the screen will be harder to read on paper.

Scanning usually gives a cleaner result than a photo. The scanner finds the page edges and corrects the angle. See how to scan and fax from an iPhone.

Step 1. Choose the photos

1. Open Cheapfax. Tap New fax.
2. Tap Choose from Photos.
3. Tap each photo to include.
4. Tap the check mark in the upper-right corner.

1 2 3

1. 1
   Selected photos

   Each selected photo becomes one page. Tap a photo again to remove it.
2. 2
   Check mark

   Adds the selected photos to the fax. Compose opens next.
3. 3
   Selection count

   The number of photos selected. This is also the number of pages.

Cheapfax can read only the photos selected in this picker.

Step 2. Enter the fax number

Tap the Fax number field. Enter the recipient's number. The +1 is optional. A green check mark appears when the number is valid. To reuse a number, tap Choose from address book. To save a new number, tap Save.

Step 3. Review the pages

Compose lists the document and its page count. Tap Preview fax to see each page as it will print. Each photo is scaled to fit a US Letter page. If a page looks wrong, tap the trash icon. Then select the photos again.

A cover sheet is optional. To add one, turn on Add cover sheet. The cover sheet holds a subject and a short message. It comes in a Modern or a Traditional layout.

1 2 3 4

1. 1
   Recipient

   A green check mark means the number is valid. A saved contact shows its name.
2. 2
   Document

   Two photos make a two-page document.
3. 3
   Preview fax

   Shows each page as it will print.
4. 4
   Send

   Shows the page count and the price. Credits cover this fax. There is no charge.

Step 4. Send the fax

Tap Send. If credits cover the pages, the fax goes out at once. If not, the App Store asks you to confirm the purchase. The fax goes out after payment. The price on the button is the price charged. Leftover credits stay on the account for the next fax.

The status screen tracks the fax while it dials and transmits. After delivery, it shows a receipt. The receipt lists the delivery time, the recipient's number, and the page count. If the fax fails, the pages return to the account as credits. This happens automatically.

Related guides