Frequently Asked Question

E-Fax Instructions

The college utilizes unified messaging, which means all voicemail, email and faxes go into an email inbox. To access this email account, go to https://outlook.office.com
(or use your Outlook on your computer) and type in your username: xxxxx@solano.edu and your password

What is efax? In its most basic sense, it is simply a new way of faxing a document electronically. A fax (short for facsimile) is a process by which fixed graphic material including pictures, text, or images is scanned and the information converted into electrical signals which are transmitted via telephone lines to produce a paper copy of the graphics on the receiving fax machine.



An e-fax does the same thing but from our e-mail system instead of a physical fax machine. Basically, when e-faxing a document, it will be sent to a server and the server will convert the documents into a format that can be transmitted over the phone lines. The phone lines are still used just like in a stand-alone fax machine. Since e-fax still uses the phone lines to send the document, it will be transparent to the recipient and they will be none the wiser, because it will simply be received on their fax machine. When receiving an incoming fax, it will come directly to your e-mail inbox, a designated recipient, or a public folder with access granted only to the department for which it was created.



E-fax is a way for the District to save money through lower maintenance costs (machines, paper, and phone lines); and time by immediately having access to faxing capabilities right from your desk (if the document is already in the computer); and productivity by not having to wait by the fax machine and retrieving the documents and a paper confirmation. A confirmation will be sent directly to your e-mail inbox when the fax has been sent. An added advantage to e-fax is that once a document is scanned it is in electronic form, and, if needed, can be readily resent if the receiving end had any problems or archived for future reference.



In order to e-fax a document, it must be scanned to e-mail or already reside on the computer from which you are e-faxing. If you already have the document in the computer, then you can simply attach it as you would any document when sending e-mail. If the document is not in your computer, then you must scan the document to e-mail. When you have received the document in your inbox, you can simply forward this e-mail to the fax number because it will already have the document attached. It really is that easy!

How do I use efax? To fax a document, open Outlook and start a new e-mail. In the "To" field, type the phone number, with area code, of the fax machine you want to send to, followed by @e-fax.solano.edu.



For example: 7078645814@e-fax.solano.edu



You do not need to prefix the fax number with a 9 for an outside line or a 1 before the area code; however, you must always include area code, even if it is a local number. The number will always be exactly 10 digits.



If you wish to send a document in your fax, such as a Word document or PDF document, it is as easy as attaching the document as you would in sending a regular e-mail. The system will automatically generate a cover sheet with your information gathered from your e-mail account. Anything you type in the body of the message (such as "Attn to…") will be added to the notes section of the fax cover sheet as well.



You will receive a fax confirmation through your e-mail account which will show up in your Outlook inbox with the date and time it was sent. If delivery for some reason fails, you will receive a failure notice. Please forward to the helpdesk for further assistance. Please note, faxes do take a little longer to send because they still use the phone lines, so be patient. As a test, try sending a fax to yourself and then check the inbox to see if it came through.