Information About Multiple Document Formats used to Send a Fax Online

Individuals and businesses can now send faxes online without having to invest in any special equipment. Senders can compile documents on their computers and easily send the document through the Internet. These faxes may come through in a variety of formats, so the recipient may have to download special software to view the fax.

FO1
An FO1 file is a text file that is commonly used to send faxes online. Although many fax-reading software programs can open this file extension, many times you can use a simple text editing program to read an FO1 file. Notepad or Wordpad are options for opening these types of files, depending on your operating system. Click on the FO1 file to determine the default program. If no default is set, select a text reader as the default.

PDF
Many online faxing services send fax scans through PDF files. PDFs are image files that require special software to open. Most computers have Adobe Reader installed, but there are many other program options for opening PDF files.

Other Image Files
By default, most operating systems open image files with a pre-installed image-reading program. If you receive a fax that is a .GIF, .JPEG or .PNG file, you can easily double-click the file name to view the fax image.

Program-Specific Files
Some online faxing companies have special file extensions that require you to download branded software. To find out which programs will open a file extension you don't recognize, use a search engine for research. A quick query will usually help you figure out what program you need.