Before you buy a fax machine, it makes sense to read reviews of the various models you're considering. Fax machine reviews can give you more detailed information than you'd find out doing your own research or talking with vendors. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of a fax machine review.

• What was the usage like? The right fax machine for a business that sends and receives 10 pages per day is very different than the right one for handling 100 pages per day. Make sure the review describes the usage in detail.
• Know the type of machine. Look for reviews that touch on the weak points of a particular type of fax machine. Reviews of inkjet fax machines should address speed concerns and reliability. Laser fax machine reviews should cover value for the money. And thermal transfer fax machine reviews should touch on noise and print quality.
• Memory isn't priceless. Fax machine memory lets you receive faxes while the machine is out of paper, among other things. Most fax machines' standard memory can be upgraded relatively inexpensively, so don't worry too much about reviews that take issue with low amounts of memory.
• Decide what your priorities are. The three main tradeoffs you'll be dealing with in fax machines are price, speed, and quality. Price and quality are fairly easy to evaluate in fax machine reviews. Since the transmission speed of facsimile technology is capped, speed is boosted by features like "quick scan" which lets the machine quickly read all your pages into memory and send them on its own.