With so many of us choosing to telecommute or work at home, having a properly outfitted home office has become a necessity. The Panasonic KX-FPC141 plain-paper fax with cordless 900 MHz phone and telephone answering device perfectly augments any basic office setup. This basic black, plain-paper fax machine is just over 10 inches long and will easily fit into your work space. Not only a copier, the KX-PFC141 also includes a digital answering machine, a copier, a cordless phone, and a speakerphone. It can also perform Internet faxing, but you will need to register with FaxSav to use this feature.

Very little assembly is required before you can start using your machine, but the phone does need to be charged for four hours before initial use. On the handset are the controls for the answering machine, plus a programming button for storing up to 10 numbers.

For devotees of Caller ID, this fax will display the caller's name across the digital screen (you must subscribe to Caller ID through your local phone company to use this feature). Also, after 35 calls, the machine automatically prints out a list of calls received. If you are using this unit both as your main phone and fax, you can set the answering mode so the machine can tell the difference between a phone call and a fax call, and route it to the right place. You can send 15 pages at a time through the fax. If the number is busy it will redial up to two times. For your most frequently faxed numbers, you can program up to six into the machine and use the unique "jog dial" directory to rotate to the desired name.

This machine is the perfect solution if you need to make fewer than 99 copies. It can collate and reduce or enlarge as needed. There are also four resolution choices: standard, fine, super-fine, and halftone. Included with the unit is a very clear and thorough instruction guide. If you need help with your fax, the customer assistance number is printed right on the machine.--Dana Van Nest