Samsung SCX-4200 All-In-One Laser Printer

Pros: fast, quiet, great copying
Cons: slow scanner, copier display isn't backlit, manual legal size printing

I was planning to open a business and I had on my list of "things to buy," a printer/copier/fax. My very first printer was a laser, when I lived with my mom still! That was a while ago! Anyway, after I moved out, I only bought inkjets. For one, they ...

Pros: Inexpensive; Great Prints, Scans, and Copies; Fast Printing Speeds; Relatively Compact
Cons: No Auto-Duplex (double sided printing); no fax functionality

The Samsung SCX-4200 delivers great prints at a surprising price. Compared to other higher-priced brands, such as Dell, Canon or Lexmark, it produces equal print quality and speed. The design of the printer is great for dorms, as it is compact, yet ...

Pros: Small size for a multi-function; fast laser quality.
Cons: Like most laser printers, comes with a "starter" cartridge.

Are you tired of constantly buying ink jet cartridges that cost almost as much as a bare bones printer? Then you're looking for a laser printer. The 4200 all in one is an upgrade from its predecessor, the 4100. Most of the bugs from the 4100 are gone. This one is smaller, faster, has a larger paper tray, etc.

Don't waste your money on the "loss leader" ink-jets unless you absolutely need color, and you can't afford a color laser. After about two or three purchases of replacement ink, you will regret not getting a laser. For the price, you can't beat the Samsung SCX-4200 B/W laser.

Pros: Prints beautifully, and cheaply
Cons: No scanner support for Mac without additional software. Poor quality copies.

The printer works very well, but be wary if you are a Mac user: to be able to scan you need TWAIN software (e.g. Photoshop). Samsung make no mention of this on the box. I spoke to the hotline and they told me it was either a) my fault for believing the "Mac Compatible" sticker on the box or b) the shop's fault for not telling me I would need additional software which, in the case of Photoshop, is a lot more expensive than the printer.

The Samsung hotline representative told me with great satisfaction that this is stated clearly on page xxx of the manual. Who reads the manual before they buy the product?

So - buyer beware

Also the "photocopy" feature produces copies that look like bad faxes

Pros: fast. good quality printing, scanning, and copying
Cons: nothing major: display has no backlight, the manual feeder doesn't take in paper straight

I needed a laser printer because inkjet is too slow and ink is expensive. I got this used for cheap and I'm very happy. This printer basically works as expected with good quality output.

The only bad thing about it is the manual feeder, it almost never takes the paper in straight, the prints always come out slanted (slanted either one way or the other). So if you use a manual feeder a lot, I would recommend looking at another printer. The tray feeder works fine though.

Also, there is no backlight on the display so it will be difficult to set options if the lighting isn't good. Not a big deal though.