Endearing multifunction laser printer
Written: Mar 10 '04 (Updated Dec 14 '04)
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Pros: print quality, ease of use, print path and output, price
Cons: no document feeder, height
The Bottom Line: Great printer/copier/scanner printer for home office use. Cheaper per-page use than an inkjet.
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| snyderj's Full Review: Samsung SCX-4016 Laser Printer |
This printer is highly rated by c|net and I found it to be a great printer too. You can view their review by searching for SCX-4016 at http://reviews.cnet.com/
The printer is boxy, but has generally good lines. It is a bit taller than many other multifunction printer, partially due to the paper output being in the center of the device. The toner/drum cost is typical, about $80, and is supposed to yield about 3,000 copies. The cartridge sold with the printer likely yields much less.
[Update (~May 2004): my experience with the demo cartridge showed fading at 300 pages and needed replacement at 500 pages.]
[Update (Dec 14, 2004): My standard OEM Samsung toner replacement (SCX-4216D3) indicated "toner low" after 1700 pages, and "toner empty" at 2000 pages, which is less than expected for the "normal" text printing that I do, particularly since I used the Toner Save mode a lot. It was still printing fairly well at 2000 pages but I have been told that running toner until nearly empty causes damage to the drum (I don't know this as a fact) so I changed it. Also, it is interesting to note that the printer recognizes the Samsung OEM cartridge serial number change and increments the cartridge count when it is changed (not simply removed and reinserted). This data shows up in the system data output (which, by the way, prints when "toner empty" but not when "toner low".) I had to take the printer to the shop when had a jam (which is very rare) and proceeded to pull the paper out against the feed direction (a no-no) and wigged out the paper sensor switch. My bad. Overall I enjoy the printer, though the scanning capability is not as nice as I would like it to be.]
One of the first things I notice about the printer is its noise. It's a bit louder than expected, but for some reason it's almost entertaining. My kids like the funny little noises. A soft whirring fan sound continues while in warmed up up state. Some might find it pleasing; some might find it annoying.
There is no automatic document feeder on this unit, though the SCX-4116 does include it for more money. It copies well even when lid is up, which is a tremendous bonus when having to make many copies.
The printer menu is simple and easy, and there is a "toner save" button right on the printer, which is a great feature. The paper tray has an indicator to show how much paper is left in the tray, though it is quite rudimentary.
Printing is clean and crisp. The software for print driver, fax and scanner are easy to install. Print drivers are simple but have many features (such as being able to shrink multiple pages to print on one sheet of paper). The fax and scan controls are software based, not on the printer.
The printer has a button to select copy mode: text, image, mixed. The text mode makes things strictly black/white and doesn't work for photos. Image mode works fairly well for photos but there are some light streaks--good enough for most cases. As a copier, it can be used with the PC off.
The standard paper path is highly curved but doesn't seem to cause paper curling or wrinkling. There is the ability to open a back door to print cardstock in a pass-thru flat mode.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
snyderj
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Location: Seattle, WA USA
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Married with kids; computing professional.
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