Scan a document without saving

Question

On Windows 7, Windows Fax and Scan wizard makes it possible for the person to scan a document and send it as a fax directly without saving it. On Windows XP it is a must to save the scanned document first then print it to fax. I want some way to scan and send the documents on the fly, without the extra steps of saving and printing. How is that possible in Windows XP? And if not, is there any third party applications to do that?

EDIT: I use hp scanjet 5590...

EDIT: Good answers. Actually that was easy enough after installing HP Solution Center and HP Photosmart Essentials. HP Solution Center has a direct option to scan to fax after installing the fax modem driver. @harrymc put good effort in his answer and referred to the obvious solution of installing the software that came along with the scanner. I'm actually done with the driver out of the CD and never installed a scanner or printer software before.

Answer 1

Most printers/scanners come bundled with print-software that has a "Scan to E-mail" function.

I don't know your printer's model, so I cannot tell if such a function is available.

[EDIT]

The manual of the HP Scanjet 5590 describes the Email button :

e-mail a scanned document or picture

Use the E-MAIL button to scan documents or pictures and insert them in an e-mail message as an attachment. You must have an Internet connection and a supported e-mail software program.

1. Place the original face-down on the scanner glass, as indicated by the reference marks, or face-up in the ADF.
2. Press the E-MAIL button ( ). The What are you scanning? dialog box appears.
3. Choose the appropriate settings, and then click Scan.
4. When you are finished scanning, click Done. Your e-mail program opens and the scanned file is attached to an e-mail message.
5. The E-mail attachment dialog box appears. Type a file name, and then select a file type. Click Continue. Follow the on-screen instructions.
6. Use your e-mail program to complete and send the e-mail.
   Note: To view the scanned image before you e-mail it, double-click the attachment in your e-mail software.

To change the e-mail program, open the HP Director, and then select E-mail Settings in the Settings drop-down list. The Email Settings dialog box appears. Select the e-mail program that you want to use, and then click OK.

The HP Director was supposedly bundled with the driver software that you may have installed. If for some reason you do not have this software, you may find it in HP Support.

[EDIT2]

Sending a fax is also possible with HP Director : see Sending a Fax from an HP Scanjet Scanner.

Answer 2

It really depends on the devices and the application. Most manufacturers support "Send to..." functionality straight on the Scanning/All-in-One devices themselves, or at least with bundled/downloadable software. HP provides "HP Image Zone" which should provide the functionality you need.

Nevertheless, what you need should be possible with a TWAIN-compatible application, which your scanner and Windows XP's "Scan and Fax" support.

Answer 3

Another option would be to use some 3rd party faxing software (like Winfax) which usually works as a standalone, yet many others (ie Winfax) will install a 'virtual' printer you can 'print' a document to - it will then display the associated program enabling you to send the fax without saving the document...