An inexpensive inkjet replacement
Written: Nov 09 '03
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Pros: Price, text quality, nice manual.
Cons: No USB cord, starter cartridge, finnicky manual input
The Bottom Line: This printer is perfect for low-volume text-mostly printing. It is designed for consumer, student and SOHO use, and performs well in those environments.
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| jeff-o's Full Review: Samsung ML 1710 Laser Printer |
Like many reviewers who purchased this printer, I am replacing an inkjet. Specifically, an Epson Color SC 740. While it has provided over four years of reliable service, it was beginning to show its age, and was due for replacement. Enter the Samsung ML-1710, a low-cost consumer laser printer aimed squarely at students, SOHO environments and most PC owners who only need to print in black and white.
I chose this printer for four reasons. First, for price. At $230 CDN after rebates, few inkjet printers can match the long-term value of this printer. Second, the technical specifications were completely adequate for what I needed to print; mostly text and some graphics. Third, the ML-1710 came recommended by a friend who was very satisfied with its performance. Lastly, it is Mac compatible. You will find that my review will also be Mac compatible. ;-)
The Samsung ML-1710 comes packaged in a bright green, white and yellow box. Technical specifications, a large colour picture and a list of the box’s contents are all clearly visible so that you can make an informed buying decision. Aside from the printer itself, the box contains a “starter” toner cartridge, a CD containing a manual and drivers, a power cord, a setup guide and warrant cards for a dozen countries. Note that, like most every other printer on the market today, a USB cord is NOT included in the box. Be sure to pick one up if you don’t have one from a previous printer!
Setting up the printer is easy. For those who actually read the manual, you will notice that it is clearly written, with a neat little drawing for almost every step. You will also notice that the Setup guide is written in twelve different languages, in case your native language isn’t English, Spanish or French. I won’t bore you with the details of the setup, but it would suffice to say that if you can operate a toaster, you can set up this printer.
The CD included with the printer contains a full 146 page user’s guide in PDF format, as well as installers for Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98, and for Mac OS (8.6 and above) and Linux. The CD appears to be a hybrid disc, so you will only see the files that are useable on your operating system. The electronic manual is clearly written and illustrated in the same manner as the setup guide, only in 16 languages (this time including Asian languages). The installers also come in 16 different languages. A special note for OS X users: This CD only comes with drivers for OS 8.6 to 9.2, so you will have to go to Samsung’s website and get drivers for OS X 10.1 and above. With either Mac OS system, installation is as easy as any other software install on a Mac.
Design & Styling:
The Samsung ML-1710 is built of the same neutral white-gray plastic that is used in most computer products and peripherals. It is smaller than most any other laser printer out there, and is roughly box-shaped, with defined edges but no sharp corners. It has two output trays, one on the top for most types of paper, and one on the back for special papers like card stock, transparencies and envelopes. As well as the normal bottom-mounted slide-out paper tray, there is a manual feed slot on the front for specialty papers. In general, this printer is practically a chameleon when it comes to blending in with almost any environment.
Energy Use:
Pasted on the front of this printer is a big Energy Star-compliant sticker, letting the SOHO buyer know that this piece of office equipment won’t gobble up energy when not in use. After about half an hour, the printer will go into a lower-power “sleep” mode, where the drum is not being heated and the fan is switched off. In this mode, it also makes no noise at all, so if you’re a student living in a 10x8 dorm room cell (an exaggeration, I know), it won’t keep you up all night.
Paper Handling:
The Samsung ML-1710 features a 250-page paper tray, designed primarily for 8.5 x 11” paper. There is a little indicator on the front that tells you how full the tray is. Since it is a consumer model, there is no option to add an extra paper tray. This printer also features a slot on the front for manually feeding a broad range of paper stock, from 3 x 5” to 8.5 x 14”. This slot can be a little finnicky, but is still quite useable. It is able to print on laser-printer compatible cardstock, envelopes, transparencies and labels. Above I mentioned two output trays. The top output tray is suitable for almost any paper. However, for special paper that should not or cannot be bent, the rear output tray provides a straight-through feed to solve this problem. Using it is as easy as opening a single panel on the back.
Printing Options:
Since this section is highly dependent on the operating system being used, I can only report on my experience on a Mac. Specifically, on Mac OS X 10.3. The driver Samsung provides is very bare-bones, at least compared to the Windows version. I don’t know if this is a limitation Apple imposed with its OS, or if Samsung is just lazy. In either case, the driver installation was easy, and using the printer is just as simple. In the print menu, under Print Quality, you are provided with two options: 300 dpi and 600 dpi. That’s it. In the Windows driver, you have a dozen more options to choose, including print darkness, watermarks, overlays and poster options. Whether you actually need this stuff, I don’t know.
Also featured in the Windows driver, but not the Mac driver, is the ability to specifically set the printer to Manual mode. This mode allows to you manually feed one sheet at a time into the slot, each time pressing the “Cancel” button to tell the printer you’re ready. I found that (on a Mac, at least) if you feed one sheet into the manual feed, then click print, the printer will automatically take the paper from the manual slot. So Mac users, don’t despair! You can still print envelopes and transparencies. ;-)
Print Speed and Quality:
Text print quality (Using MS Word as a test program) at 600 x 600 dpi is excellent. You can also print at 300 x 300 dpi. Quality is many times better than an inkjet, using the same type of paper. Using a page from Samsung’s own PDF manual, I found that line-art is equally good. For all other graphics, especially colour (of course converted to black and white) graphics, this printer is not as strong. Still better than most any inkjet set to 600 dpi, but not as good as some higher-end HP printers, for example. For students and business people requiring a low-volume printer, the output quality could be considered ideal.
On my Mac, it seemed to take a long time to upload print data to the printer, especially graphics. Longer than my Epson, by maybe two times. However, this printer seems to live up to its rated 17 ppm, because pages just fly out once they’re uploaded. This printer features 8 MB of on-board memory, enough for large text print jobs as well as reasonably complex graphics.
The Toner Cartridge & Toner Saver:
The toner included in the box is a “starter” size, meaning it is good for up to 1000 pages (at 5% coverage). Standard cartridges are good for up to 3000 pages. For most people, 1000 pages alone is a lot, but small business owners may find they have to replace the toner more often. Fortunately, it is very easy to replace, since all you have to do is open the front and pull it out. Since the toner cartridges include part of the drum mechanism, there is not only less mess, but you also get a new roller each time. On other laser printers this drum costs $130 or more to replace on its own, but the replacement cartridges for the Samsung are under $100 each.
The ML-1710 features a toner-saver which is supposed to save up to 40% of your toner. When I turned it on, I noticed no difference in printing text, however large dark areas appeared lighter than they normally would. Certainly a worthwhile feature, especially if I can print 400 more pages on this starter cartridge!
The Samsung ML-1710 is ideal for, and most likely designed for, consumers who need a low-volume inkjet alternative. With excellent text quality and acceptable graphics, it is great for printing 50-page essays, business reports or even address labels or classroom overheads. For people who need a bit more speed or print quality, Samsung offers the ML-1750 model, with 20ppm and 1200x600 resolution, for only a bit more.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 160
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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Epinions.com ID:
jeff-o
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 3 members
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