Samsung CLP-510 Color Laser Printer Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Despite the high resolution numbers claimed this machine is a bit fuzzier for B&W printing than my 7-year-old HP laserprinter. On the plus side, the printer was easy to set up for Windows XP printing through a network-attached storage disk array. The pages are smear-proof unlike those from an inkjet printer. I don't think that there is any other printer at this price that will duplex (print on both sides).
Make sure that you have a friend named Bruno when it is time to hoist this puppy into the car or onto a desk.

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A feature-rich laser printer, the CLP-510 from Samsung is one of the most cost-efficient printers on the market, with a cost per page of as low as 1.1 cents. Built to withstand even heavy workloads, the CLP-510 has a 35,000-page monthly duty cycle and is compatible with PC, Mac, and Linux operating systems. With print resolutions up to 1200 dpi, you can create professional looking documents from your home or office. Print speeds are as fast as 25 ppm for monochrome, with a time-to-first-page of about 13 seconds.
The CLP-510 comes with a standard USB port and optionally supports Ethernet and wireless networks, providing expandability even for connected workgroups. With 64 MB of standard memory (expandable up to 194 MB) and Samsung's SPGPm processor, the CLP-510 can reliably handle large print jobs. An automatic duplexing unit lets you easily print double-sided documents. The 250-sheet standard paper tray is expandable up to 400 pages, and a second 100-sheet multi-purpose tray supports paper sizes up to 8.5 by 14 inches. The CLP-510 consumes less than 450 watts during normal printing and less than 17 watts in sleep mode. Samsung also provides a one-year limited warranty.

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Samsung CLX-3160FN Color Laser Multifunction Printer Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)THE HUNT FOR THE PERFECT ALL-IN-ONE OFFICE MACHINE!
Like one of the other reviewers here, I am in real estate and needed a multifunction machine that used color laser printing instead of inkjet.
But the major consideration for me was a Scan-to-Email (PDF) functionality. When you are working on deals in multiple cities, scanning the large documents is much easier than Fedexing paper all over the place.
I couldn't find any comprehensive reviews on this product because of how new it was. Now that I've owned it for a couple of months, I figure I better post one myself to help out those who are looking at this machine.
After running the machine for a couple of months I am quite happy with it and it is running well. Basic setup of the machine out of the box was very simple with easy visual instructions and tabs. Out of the box I could do color copies, black and white copies, and faxing. Setting up the printer driver over the network was very simple too. Setting up the network scanning and scan-to-email functions involved a bit more pain.
PERFORMANCE BY FEATURE-
COPIES - It makes great black and white copies and decent color copies. Copying is simple, Green button for a color copy, Grey button for B/W copy. You can copy multiple pages via the document feeder or lift the lid and copy something odd sized on the flatbed. My only gripe is that you have to wait for the unit to warm up before hitting the copy button. It would be great if I could just put the document in the feeder, hit the button and walk away, instead of staring at it while it warms up. But it does warm up quickly. Sleep settings for the copier are selected in the web-based control panel.
FAX- Its a fax, I don't know what else to say. It works fine for me, but I don't use the fax function that much.
PRINTER- I can print from my wireless laptop, sweet! The printer setup on the network was relatively simple. I installed the driver, the software found the printer and configured itself and I was up and running. I found that print quality was too thin on the regular setting, I changed it to BEST quality in the printer driver and it looks great now.
My only gripe with the printer function is the additional Software Samsung installs. They included this program called Dr. Printer or something like that, supposed to troubleshoot printer problems. However, it doesn't support the network printing at all. I had the network printing setup perfectly, but I was curious what the Dr. Printer software did. So I ran it, it says "I found and fixed the problem". It had totally deleted all of my network printer settings and set the printer up as local USB connected printer. So I had to reinstall the whole network printing thing again. Damn my curiousity.
SCANNING- You can scan from the flatbed or the auto feeder in either legal or letter size. You can either send the document as an e-mail directly from the machine or send it directly to your computer. Sounds great, unfortunately it won't do all of these things without being set up first.
Scanning direct to e-mail on this machine is my favorite feature, but it was also the hardest damn thing to initially set up. The network scanning feature (scan to your computer instead of e-mail direct from the machine) was much easier to setup.
SCANNING, TWO DIFFERENT WAYS--
SCANNING TO YOUR COMPUTER VIA THE NETWORK- This function requires the installation of software and it also requires your computer to be on when you are scanning. I found this feature reasonably easy to setup. You push scan, network scan, and then select a destination for the scan on your computer... such as Adobe Acrobat, or particular folders you setup. The scan then magically launches the application on your computer and the document is right in front of you ready to be e-mailed or manipulated.
BUT, each network scan destination can only handle one setup. That means the paper size, resolution and color/BW settings are written in stone for each preset. Which drove me crazy because the only application I use is Acrobat. I got around this by setting up seperate preset folders for the type of scan I was doing, like "Color Legal" "B/W Letter". The good part about doing this is that I don't have to hunt for the file regardless of what folder it goes to because Acrobat automatically launches with the scan open on the screen. From there I usually e-mail or save it where I want it to go.
SCAN DIRECTLY TO E-MAIL FROM THE MACHINE- The direct "scan to e-mail" function was the hardest thing to setup. You have to have an actual POP e-mail address for your scanner, which is how it sends PDFs or JPGs of TIF files directly from the box. Getting an e-mail account setup is simple enough, but the control panel won't recognize the servers by name, for example standard pop mail server names list POP.GMAIL.COM. Instead you have to actually convert the server names into IP addresses (I found a website somewhere that did this) and insert that IP address into the control panel.
Once setup, the scan-to-email function works just as you'd expect. But it requires way too many key strokes on the machine to actually send the document. "Are you sure, Are you really sure, Are you really really sure?" (not exact quotes, but you get the idea)
I'm in my late-twenties with a background in the tech field, yet programming this direct-to-email function had me cussing and pulling my hair out. I imagine most people will setup the network scanning application and stop there. The network scanning application is actually a lot more versitile than the direct scan-to-email, even though it requires you to have your computer turned on. But using the network scanning the document just appears, then you can forward it to whatever e-mail you want via your computer (and keep your hair).OVERALL, I'll give it 4 stars. Revolutionary product, not quite all the bugs shaken out.
PROS:
Very quiet for a Color Laser- Color Laser machines generally sounds like jets taking off, but this unit isn't so bad. Its not silent, but not bad.
Easy setup out of the box for color laser copying and faxing.
Easy setup of printer drivers for printing through the network.
Only machine I found with color laser printing, an auto-document feeder and flatbed and robust scanning features.
CONS:
Small LCD Display with no backlight- No big deal if the room is well lit, but if its dark you can't see what you are doing.
Direct-to-Email Scanning feature is not worth the trouble it takes to configure. (Use the included Network Scanning software instead, you have to have your computer turned on but it is much easier!)One good firmware or software update would solve all of my cons, except the LCD display. But, overall I'm happy with my purchase.


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HP CM1015 Color Laserjet All in One Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this printer from Staples. Staples matches any competitor, and discounts 10% on top of the competitors price. In this case, OfficeMax had this printer for $300 (which is cheaper than anywhere else I've seen, online or otherwise). At Staples, this same printer was $499.99. So I showed them the OfficeMax price, and they gave me the printer for $270.
I have read some reviews of this printer saying that it isn't that fast. However, I have found it to be pretty quick. If you want to print 100's of pages at a time, or are spooling multiple jobs at a time in your office, this probably isn't the printer for you. But otherwise, it works really well. I have been using with a Linksys wireless print server, and it works great. Only downside is no scanner support over the print server....

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Samsung CLX-3175FN Color Laser Multi-function Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)I rarely write reviews, but I have always used Amazon's site to preview products and read others' reviews that I decided it was time I gave back.
So I purchased the Samsung Printer from another seller at $299.00, the price alone is worth 2 stars.
Just a little about my purchase decisions....I've owned 20 printers since 1994; the first Canon color inkjet, BJC-600, and then the Epson Stylus, and now 20models later, the Samsung Color Laser CLX-3175 ... I never really thought I would buy a Samsung for a printer, usually I buy Epson or HP. Epson is better with inkjet and HP I feel is the King with laser technology. So...Why a Samsung....For 2 years I've been searching for a color all in one, it had to be laser, I was sick of the drying inks, I did not print much in full color but when I did, the tanks were empty or clogged.
Until I saw the Samsung I decided on either the HP all in one, like the Color LaserJet CM1312mfp or the Color LaserJet 2820mfp. The size of those machines delayed the purchase, I didn't have the room for it so I figured I would wait until my older HP LaserJet 6p died and my Epson 980 needed a new cartridge. I was looking for a Plasma screen on Samsung's website and that's where my love affair began. Within 20 minutes I ordered it! It's probably the fastest purchase decision on an electronic device ever for me. I usually wait until I read a dozen reviews etc. . But the price had me thinking even if it's not what I expected, I would just sell it when it needs toner or, I could always give it to my mother as she needs an all in one as is not as picky as I am.
Anyway back to the review, I ordered my printer on Thursday and received it on Monday. I unboxed the printer and it was already assembled with the cartridges preinstalled. The unit was nicely taped in all the spots that would come affixed during shipping. You only must install the arm for the ADF. Earlier that day, before I received the printer I went to Samsung's website and downloaded the drivers and software. Samsung did an extraordinary job with the software and drivers. The Printing software, The Scanner software, and the Printer Console software were all separate packages. So you did not have to install all three packages on all computers. Also, you have the option of installing a Mono printing software package, this is extremely valuable! This mean if you have children or co-workers who may waste your toner printing color documents, you can restrict them by only allowing them to print in black and white, and they wouldn't even know HAHA.
The software is NOT bloated like HP software, the color drivers are less then 10mb and so are the Scanner drivers. The printer console software is about 80mb; this package is basically like a printer monitor and extended menus. Personally I did not find needing to install it since the entire Printer setup could be viewed by entering its IP number, web setup.
I have to give this printer another star just because the drivers are simple, to the point and consists of less than 100mb and 20mb if that.
System setup was simple! All I had to do was plug it in and connect the network cable as I use it over the network. I have setup my router set to use DHCP, so the TCP/IP settings are all done automatically. Assuming all your computers are configured properly. When you run the drivers the setup asks you if it's a local setup meaning USB or Networked, after that it automatically finds your printer by IP number.
I choose to print a test page and 20 seconds later... a nicely printed demo printout. I was amazed. To test the copy quality I decided to copy it and compare. WOW that's all I can say, it took me 15 seconds to figure out which was the original, I purposely mixed them up. If it passed that test, then I knew it was a keeper!
The next thing I did was setup the Scanning feature. I ran the second drivers package for the scanner and just like the print driver interface, so was the same, chose network setup etc. The next thing I did was go to the scanner's pc interface and selected where I wanted the scanned documents to be stored. I then went to the printer, placed 10 sheets in the ADF, pressed the scan button, and then selected "scan to pc," my laptop's pc name was shown, and selected it by pressing "ok" then chose the resolution etc followed lastly by file type, which I chose for my test PDF. About a minute later, in my documents folder on my wireless notebook, there was a 10 page PDF! Now that's what I love!
For around $300.00 this was an excellent purchase. I can now digitize all my documents in PDF, organize them so with a search and a few seconds, any document could be found. Printing is excellent too, I will not complain if this printer shoots out a color page in 20 seconds, because it really doesn't bother me, because inkjet takes longer. The print quality from 1-10 I would have to say about 8.5. After all the resolution is 600 x 600 and that's a given. I printed a picture and it looked amazing, why not a ten then? Well only because some color laser jets have 1200 dpi, and that means double the dots and precision so my rating is ONLY an 8.5 because higher resolution printers exist. If they didn't exist I would rate the quality a 10.
I haven't faxed yet, I usually receive faxes via email through a subscription based service. I mainly need to print and scan.
This printer is feature packed! Another two features I will write about are the Scan and Print via USB and the web based console. If you do not have your home or office networked it's easy for others to print or scan, honestly all you do is plug in your USB flash drive and select the file, that's it! Or choose Save to USB for scanned documents. Great for when you want to shut down your pc and others have to print and are not networked.
The web based console is awesome; you can setup the time, fax stamp, and ringer setup all over HTML vs. pressing the printer's menu button a dozen times and key all the factors one by one. Also if there is a problem, tech support can look at the printer the same way you do.
The reason I am not giving this printer 5 stars is sadly because it does not have a manual feed slot and I really used it on other printers as I hate writing addresses on envelopes. The solution I have is to use labels. The added plus by not feeding envelopes is no jams or wear and tear on the rollers. I guess that helps with the disappointment. If you print Letterhead then either use the watermark and or Letterhead feature or you will have to slide the trey out when needed.
I hope this review helps!
ONE LAST TIP!!! USE COLOR LASER PAPER, SERIOUSLY YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPOINTED YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY A TON FOR COLOR LASER PAPER EITHER, I PURCHASED A 500 PAGE REAM FOR $7.99 113 BRIGHTNESS!!!! 24LB. OFFICEDEPOT BRAND
UPC/BAR CODE 032476549257 I TRIED 3 PREMIUM TYPES AND THIS WAS THE BEST! FEELS EXPENSIVE!!! NICE AND SMOOTH AND OFCOURSE BRILLIANT!!

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Canon imageCLASS MF8450c Color Laser Multifunction Printer (White) (2233B001AA) Review

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(More customer reviews)I do NOT recommend this machine for a network of any kind. I owned an 8170c which I believe was the first multi-function laser in this Canon league and although it had problems, it allowed me to do many tasks that the MF8450c can't do. This machine was provided to me by my insurance company after my 8170c was damaged in a fire. I can't get the MF8450c by-pass tray to work to save my life. I've called Canon tech support -- they blame it on software but it's NOT a software issue, that's just Canon's favorite excuse. My computer is new and all of my software is brand new and fully updated. The problem is the quirks of this machine. The scanner works nice but you actually have to go to the machine and change settings in order to get it to scan...every time you want to fax or print or scan, you have to change settings at the machine. The machine does not come with the software necessary to scan as did the 8170c. Fortunately, I had some great scanning software. I honestly thought that Canon would build a better product but I think this machine is downgrade from what I owned previously.

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ColorVision Spyder2PRO Win/Mac Review

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(More customer reviews)It does the basic job well. The calibration runs smoothly and accurately. Hardware looks and feels solid. My two completely different brand, size and age CRT monitors ended up with exactly the same colors sitting side by side.

User interface is merely adequate. Pop up help instructions are better than many I have seen. You will need to know already how the calibration buttons on your monitors work (the hardwired buttons on the monitor, not software). In order to make any edits you must run the entire time consuming calibration over. Sometimes you can use "back" within the calibration, sometimes you must start over. Also the separate "profile chooser" utility software, has not add or delete profile feature - even if it is a profile created and saved by the calibration software earlier. You can see it with windows display properties, but it may not appear in the profile chooser list.
Dual monitors is the one obvious reason to choose pro over plus version. Yes, it does dual monitors, but with an asterisk. It will create separate profiles, but will only apply the correct profiles automatically at startup to both monitors if you have two separate video cards. If you have a single video card with dual outputs, it will load the same profile (the last one you created) to both monitors at startup. This quirk is documented in a readme file on the installation disk (and blames windows for the problem), but this limitation appears nowhere in advertising material, catalogs, or on the box. Fortunately there is a work around (not documented) at least with my particular video card and running XP. After windows opens, you can run profile chooser then choose the correct profile for each monitor. You may have to use windows display properties settings to specify default profile and rerun the calibration to get the profiles you want to appear in profile chooser and to select the correct profile as default.
Once it's all set up, running profile chooser is a four of five click procedure, but you must rememeber to check it before using any application that uses color profiles. And check it after you open the application. I've had them change after opening photoshop - though not every time.


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The Professionals Choice:Includes Spyder2 calibration, software based print profiling, new PreciseLight ambient light sensor, and calibration for projectors.

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X-Rite Color Checker Exposure Aid, 8-1/2" x 11" Review

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(More customer reviews)What to say about Gretag Macbeth? They rock the photography world, and color management.
Good quality, it comes with good packaging so that you can travel with the device without messing up the color panels. The reflective quality is excellent. The various levels of grey make it really easy to use with C1Pro, and Photoshop. If you're a pro photographer you need this. It also comes with some really cool tips and tricks, and has great info printed on the card back.


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Dell V305 All-in-One Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)Always having to troubleshoot through problems...a 2 minute print job turns into an hour. Ink cartridges do not last long at all. After the color ink that came with the printer ran out, I have never been able to get another color cartridge to work. Do not buy this printer!

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Samsung CLP-315W Color Laser Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)Purchasing supplies for my inkjet printer was running up the $$$. Remembering the old days when we had the office Laserwriter, reminded me how many prints you could get on one cartridge.
We stopped by the local Office Max to see what was available. I thought I was in the market for a mono laser printer. The knowledgeable sales person showed us the 315. I asked him to print a couple of pages and was satisfied with the output. I would have purchased it on the spot, however they didn't carry the 315W... and I wanted a wireless printer.
This gave me time to come home and check it out on the net. The reviews ran the gamete from "Great" to "Don't buy". After consuming reviews till I was dizzy, I decided to place my order on Amazon. I had the printer in 3 days...all in good order.
After trying it out for a few days here is what i Have found out.
Negative reviews. I really don't get this... Anyone who has been around laser printers knows that inkjet photos are far superior. I didn't purchase this with great color printing in mind. I'll use my Canon inkjet for that.
Set up for WiFi is very difficult. This I completely agree with. I have a Mac (long time user) and I finally had to give up and call Samsung.
Samsung tech support is worthless. I think they finally got tired of hearing this. I talked with a bright young fellow who nursed me thru the WiFi maze. Come to find out my cable has a dynamic IP and is always changing. He helped me switch it to a static IP. After that it worked perfect. Yes, he even knew all about the Apple Airport router. I would give wireless setup a try, then call before you blood pressure gets too high. It was a good experience.
After I got the printer going, I was able to connect my MacBook immediately.
Smell on start up... Yes it does, but by the next day it was gone.
Print quality poor. I don't get this one. If you are printing monochrome, It's as good as most laser printers. If you are printing a jpeg image that has black type in it... the image is seen as color and you get some haloing around the letters. Some documents are fine some are poor. I lay out my printed matter with this in mind and get great looking prints.
Toner... You can find pretty fair prices on the web. I've decided to give refilling a try. It doesn't look to difficult. It sure beats the cost of replacing the cartridges. We'll see what happens.
Instructions. Print out the PDF manual. Pretty good info there. The printed matter that comes in the box is next to useless.
There is plenty to be said on the plus side. How can you beat a color laser printer for $200?
I'm very satisfied with the quality of the printer and the looks of the printed page. Now let's see how much the cost per page drops.

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Vibrant, professional color is now within your reach with the compact, wireless Samsung CLP-315W color laser printer. This easy-to-use workgroup printer fits easily into an office network and look good while working quickly and quietly. This stylish printer also features a black control panel and delivers full-color printing at 4 pages per minute (ppm) and sharp monochrome laser text at 17 ppm. Along with its great design and compact size (just a 15.3 x 12.3-inch footprint), it's network-ready via both Ethernet and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) as well as able to connect to a PC using USB.
Samsung's exclusive NO NOIS print engine is the same print engine found in its bestselling color printers, providing you quiet operation and simple-to-replace toner cartridges. It will load up to 150 pages at a time, and pumps out 17 pages per minute on monochrome print jobs, and 4 per minute at full color. There's also a document auto-loader that can feed a stack of 15 pages through the scanner portion of the machine automatically. It offers a maximum resolution of 2400 x 600 dpi and delivers the first (monochrome) print out in 19 seconds.
Specifications
Print speed - black: Up to 17ppm with first page out in less than 19 seconds (from Ready)
Print speed - full color: Up to 4ppm, with first page out in less than 26 seconds
Memory: 64 MB
Duty cycle: Up to 20,000 pages per month
Print language: SPL-C
Networking: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) and 10/100 Ethernet
PC connectivity: USB 2.0
Input capacity: 150-sheet semi-cassette tray
Two-sided printing: manual
Media sizes: 3 x 6.3 inches to 8.5 x 14 inches
Media types: Plain paper, envelopes, transparencies, labels, card stock
Operating system compatibility: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X, Linux
Power consumption: less than 350 watts printing, less than 10 watts on PowerSave
Dimensions: 15.3 x 12.3 x 9.6 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 24.3 pounds

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Brother MFC-9010CN High Quality Digital Color All-in-One Printer with Networking Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this printer based on the review of a fellow Amazon user, who mentioned its great compatibility with Snow Leopard, as well as its very affordable price for everything it offers.
A loyal HP printer user for many years, I decided to save a couple hundred bucks and try my luck with this machine. I was sold on its many features and low price.
I was so pleased with how simple this printer was to set up. From box to print was about 8 minutes, most of that time spent removing tape from the unit and loading the toner cartridges. Network setup was instant: I connected an ethernet cable to my router (which is connected to my cable modem) and POOF -- just by printing something from Word, my Snow Leopard downloaded and installed the appropriate software, and it printed a gorgeous document. I never even needed to insert the CD (but I think I will when I try to use the PC to print to it via the network).
I wanted just one printer that all of the family members' computers could print to; this printer has successfully replaced both our black-and-white laser and our inkjet printers.
Pros:
wireless network printing
full color laser printing
600 x 2400 DPI (others have higher but I don't need higher resolution; in fact my eye can't tell the difference!)
flatbed scanning
flatbed copying
compatibility with both Macs and PCs
easy setup (at least on a Mac)
fast printing (17 pages/minute)
Cons:
no fax capabilities
no duplex printing
relatively small flatbed
maximum width for paper feed 8.5"
doesn't come with cables (make sure you have an extra USB and/or ethernet cable)
comes with "starter" toner, and replacements are about $70/each (and there are four)
If you're looking for a do-it-all, good-quality full color printer, don't need a fax, don't print large documents, and don't need to do much double-sided printing, you can't go wrong with this printer!

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Brother MFC-420CN Color Inkjet Network Multifunction Review

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(More customer reviews)Update: Now I've had the Brother for over a year and a half, and I see that others have had bad luck with theirs. I will temper my original joy with the comment that my first unit did go bad (just wouldn't print), but Brother replaced it with a new one during the warranty period. They are so inexpensive that I bought another one to see me through the two weeks of repair/replacement time. That was less than great, but now I have a backup, for still less than $300.
I've never experienced much in the way of paper jams, so I would guess that at this price point, Brother just isn't providing consistent build quality. That's too bad, because the prospect of a bad unit is a real disincentive. I'm still satisfied overall, but recognize that not everyone is having the same experience. And of course the downtime resulting in purchase of a second unit was a drag. I would consider a different printer, but Epson and HP have both been such poor experiences for me (with far inferior support), that I will still probably prioritize a new Brother model when I need to upgrade. No sign of that happening any time soon though.
August 30, 2006
---------------
Ok, I have only had this all-in-one for a little over a week. But after years of being a slave to the HP ink needle, I am so happy with it I want to dance.
I have never really seriously considered Brother in the past, and now I feel like I have been living in the wrong world. Like if someone told you "My new car does 0-60 in 5 seconds, gets 70 mpg, and cost $1500. What, you didn't know about those?"
For less than $150, I now have a very compact printer with 10baseT ethernet (goodbye nightmarishly technical HP JetDirect 300x external network box), separate ink tanks for all colors, more advanced features than my 3 year old HP that cost around $1000 with the JetDirect, sharper printing, and best of all, real, honest-to-goodness Mac OS X support. Their software and documentation shows an absolute commitment to doing Mac right. (It took a year and a half for HP to get the Mac drivers for my OfficeJet to be minimally functional, and never did manage to handle things like scanning from the unit to a computer on the network.) Brother has earned a long-term customer here, and I am telling everyone I know.
Like any AIO, the quality of printing and scanning is probably not up to what you can get in stand alone units. But for general small office/home office use, it is more than fine. If you want the highest photo quality, get a specialized photo printer with a 6-color head. But actually, the photo quality on this unit is still far better than you could get at any price only a few short years ago. It's just that we have gotten spoiled at the truly amazing quality of photo inkjets in the last couple of years.
I will probably get one of the Olympus dye-subs for photos eventually, but in the meanwhile, prints from this on photo paper are plenty good enough for posting on my refrigerator door. And the resolution and appearance of business graphics, while again possibly not up to what current stand-alones will do, are the best of any printer I have ever owned, and leagues ahead of the older HP OfficeJet I just gave away.
And the best part is, it could fall apart in 6 months, and still not cost much more to replace than I have been spending on HP ink cartridges. My OfficeJet sucked down ink like a storm drain, and the cartridges were EXPENSIVE. It became clear in short order that their business model was built around bleeding you dry on consumable costs. Those guys have quite a racket, but I'm happy to say I am out from under it.
Thanks Brother, I will sing your praises to the skies.

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MFC-420cn Inkjet Flatbed Color Fax Printer/Copier/Scanner/PC Fax (BRTMFC420CN)

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Brother HL-5370DWT Laser Printer with Wireless Networking, Duplex and Dual Paper Trays Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've been using HP stuff since the first scientific calculator, the HP-32, that came out in 1973. It used to be rock solid, designed by engineers to be used by engineers. Sadly, it's now cheap junk. The scanners in HP's all-in-one's seemed designed to fail in the thirteenth month after purchase.
Some of HP's recent printers do not even implement their own Printer Control Language properly (HP PCL).
This Brother printer works. It implements PCL5 correctly, as well as its emulation of PostScript. I've networked computers for fifteen years, so setup went very easily. The hardest part was hauling the CD-ROM to the various computers on the network, since Windows did not have the driver built in. A no-brainer.
The supplies work out to 1.4 cents a page (toner and drum). Hard to beat that.

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Samsung Color Multifunction Laser Printer (CLX-3175FW) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a nice guy. I have patience. Customer service is inherently frustrating, I'm okay with that. Things take time. Things break. I'm okay with that too. But this is OFF THE !@#$% SCALES OF BEING OKAY.
1. My printer broke. Wouldn't scan or copy, just print.
2. I call customer service. I describe the problem. They said they'd send a replacement part and a guy would come fix it. Weird, for a $300 printer, but whatever.
3. The printer guy comes. Says they sent the wrong part. Reorders the part.
4. Two weeks go by. I call Samsung. The part is on INDEFINITE BACKORDER. I was not told. I talk to "Executive Customer Service", they say that they can just send another part that works just as well. WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST SEND THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?
5. The printer guy comes back. Installs the part, it doesn't work. He says that he charges $400/hour. That means Samsung has already paid for two replacement parts + shipping and about $1200 in repairs to NOT fix my broken $300 printer. Genius. He marks it "unrepairable". I call Samsung, they say they're going to call me when his report goes through their system.
6. A week later. They never called me, so I call Samsung. They say they'll finally send me a new printer. GREAT!! FINALLY!!!
7. ...wait. They're not sending me a new printer. They're sending me a new unit, but I have to keep the toner, the accessories, and I have to pull out the "imaging unit" and put it in a box because if I expose it to light, the whole thing is destroyed and my printer is worthless. No matter that I don't know what the part looks like, I should be able to pull it out in the dark and put it in the conveniently sized light-proof box I don't have. Great. I ask for an email instruction or checklist so I can make sure to take out all the right parts. The Samsung tech support guy says "we don't have email." Really? Great move. A tech support department without email. Perfect.
8. Nope...not over yet. They aren't sending ME the printer. It's getting sent to my local UPS store. I now have to hope I pull out all the right parts to my broken printer in the dark, put them in a box so the "imaging unit" doesn't break, go to the UPS store, pick up the new one, and hope that I can put it all back together at my house and that I haven't left a part in the old printer because I'm supposed to take out the parts that were on a list that they wouldn't give me.
9. I call the UPS store that Samsung tells me about. They have no idea what I'm talking about and have never had a Samsung printer sent to them, ever.
[...] YOU SAMSUNG!!!!
Your crappy Epson printer breaks, they send you a new one for free, you don't even have to send the old one back. THAT'S customer service. I will never buy another Samsung product, just to not have to deal with this moronic process again.

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HP Deskjet F4180 All-in-One Printer/Scanner/Copier (CB584A#A2L) Review

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(More customer reviews)This machine is an ink guzzler. I can't print out my term papers without having to go through at least two cartridges. Unless you only expect to use it for very light use (print out the occasional e-mail, directions), I'd say look for something else, unless you want to keep a ton of cartridges in stock all the time.

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The HP Deskjet F4180 is an all-in-one, full-color printer that will print, copy, and scan with speed and ease. This award-winning printer will print and copy at speeds reaching as high as 20 ppm, and it has the ability to preserve and restore photos with its high-resolution scanner at crystal clear 1200 x 2400 dpi resolution.
Fast and Reliable All-In-One Performance With lighting-fast startup times and print speeds of up to 20 ppm in black & white and 14 ppm in color, the Deskjet F4180 is a quick and efficient choice for any home or office. It's a reliable choice too--PC Magazine has named HP as a Reader's Choice Award Winner for 15 years straight.
The F4180's scanning feature offers you the ability to use HP's exclusive Photosmart Essential Software to enhance scans up to a staggering 19,200 dpi for exceptionally clear imagery. The high performance scanner also utilizes 48-bit color which allows for a greater range of colors and shades of gray in each and every pixel.
The F4180's built-in copier provides for easy copying in both black & white and color at speeds of up to 20 cpm and 14 cpm respectively. The integrated memory allows for up to nine copies to be made at any one time. The copying feature also offers a convenient scaling feature that allows the user to shrink or enlarge documents between 25% and 200%.
Simple, Easy To Use Interface The Deskjet F4180 offers a powerful interface that is extremely simple to operate. Whether you want to print, scan, or copy, the F4180 has got you covered with its simple button configuration and easy-to-use HP Photosmart Essential Software. This software makes it easy to edit, print, and share photos with its simple one-button operation.
Ever have a problem with cut-off edges when printing web pages? The F4180 addresses this problem with its exclusive HP Smart Web Printing functionality that ensures you get usable web pages without the cut-off edges.
Compatible with both Windows (including Vista) and Macintosh operating systems, the Deskjet F4180 measures 16.76 x 14.5 x 7.11 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 9.5 pounds. It's backed by a 1-year limited warranty which includes free phone support during that period.
What's in the Box HP Deskjet F4180 All-in-One, HP 21 black inkjet print cartridge (5ml), HP 22 tri-color inkjet print cartridge (5ml), HP Photosmart Essential Software, setup guide, basics guide, power supply, and power cord.

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HP Officejet Pro 8500A Wireless e-All-in-One (CM755A#B1H) Review

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(More customer reviews)Received as part of the Amazon Vine reviewer program, the HP Officejet Pro 8500A is a wireless, all-in-one (printer, fax, scanner, copier, web) office tool. It uses the current touchscreen technology to offer the user a way to fax, scan, copy and print without the use of a computer directly attached to it.
SET-UP:
Once I unboxed this beast (it's quite a bit heavier and larger than my previous printer: HP Officejet 6310 All-in-One Printer), it took a few minutes to check the box contents and untape parts that were immobilized as part of packaging.
A very basic (10) step sheet with pictures and minimal directions directs you how to install the two print heads, four ink cartridges, the HP automatic two-sided printing accessory (duplexer) and load the paper. It also shows you for PC or Mac computers how to hook up the printer via a usb cord, ethernet (internet cord) or via a wireless home network (found in the Getting Started Guide).
Once you power up the printer it takes approximately 20 minutes to go through a series of checks prior to asking you if you want to 'update'. As I'd already established a wireless connection with the printer by following the prompts on the touchscreen and entering my home network's security code, I had it do an update which took about 5 minutes. All in all, the 25-30 minutes the all-in-one spent getting ready for use was no big deal. It took me about 45 minutes to get it set-up prior to that time, and I'm fairly savy about such things. The directions that come with it rely heavily on drawings and had to be referred to frequently - at least for me.
So a little over an hour into set-up I installed the software on my primary computer. This took about 10 minutes. Later I also went to the HP site and got the very basic drivers (a 64MB download) for the printer to install on 2 laptops (Vista 64-bit and Windows 7), 1 netbook (Windows XP) and 2 desktops (Vista 64-bit and Windows XP). All the computers installed the drivers quickly and easily, and once installed printed wirelessly off the 8500A. I was amazed with that one... no hic-ups with drivers?!
I also went to iTunes and got a free app: HP iPrint Photo. Once loaded on your iTouch or iPhone you can use it to send photos or documents to print to this printer, or any HP printer (I'm assuming other non-HP printers won't work with this app) connected to your network. It worked with both the 8500A and the 6300 (hardwired to my router).
Between the unboxing, untaping, installing of ink and printer heads, the all-in-one's auto set-up and software installation, getting this one up and running took about 1.5 hours. That's much longer than most printers I've wrestled with in the past, but I did take my time and gently worked each step.
The only device I did not get linked to the 8500A was my phone: Nokia E71 Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, 3G, Media Player, GPS with Free Voice Navigation, Wi-Fi, and MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (White). I tried multiple times to get it to recognize the printer, but thus far, nothing. I'll continue to work on it.
FEATURES per the box:
+Printing speeds equivalent to laser printers (35ppm black and 34ppm color - max).
+Water resistant-inks.
+Wireless networking.
+35 page automatic document feeder (ADF)
+Automatic two-sided printing; saving time and paper
+4800 x 4800 dpi, 48-bit color scanning
+App printing via touchscreen - print directly from the web without a computer
+Printing from anywhere via mobile devices using HP ePrint (the printer has its own email addresss)
+Front panel usb port and memory card slots for digital cameras
+Fax to network folder, to PC and PC Fax Send.
++ Eco-friendly solution, offering 50% lower cost per page than other similar all-in-one printers.
"What does all this mean?" Ideally, if you buy this one you'll get a wireless printer, scanner, copier, fax machine, that may cost you a bit less to print the same number of pages with another printer and gives you laser printer quality and speed. At least in theory, but time will tell if that pans out.
What I liked about it...
+The machine is good-looking. Sleek, glossy black with a color touch screen.
+The touch screen itself is small, but responsive and quick.
+It can be placed anywhere in your home or office as long as your wireless network connection is adequate.
+The flatbed scanner allows for legal sized documents.
+You can scan your ID - getting both sides at the same time on one page - very cool!
+The print quality is excellent.
+The print speed is fast.
+Connectivity with my iTouch via HP's app.
+Scanning is very quick and the quality is excellent.
+Printer drivers installed quickly and easily via HP.com download on all my computers running Vista 64-bit, XP Home and Windows 7 - without a hitch!
+You can copy or print without a PC attached and 'on', via the touch screen.
+Touchscreen animation will show you how to clear a paper jam, step-by-step. Had one...watched the little show and fixed it.
What I disliked about it...
- The machine took a long time to set-up for initial use, and it goes through a lot of checks (for about 30-60 seconds) before it can be used if powered off and turned back on.
- Makes a lot of noise while it's printing! Thankfully...it prints quickly, and it isn't as noisy while scanning, copying or faxing.
-The size is a bit bigger than I'd hoped for and it weighs about 25 pounds, but it does a lot and 'compact' was not one of its selling points.
- The printing of photos is nice, but leaves regular paper soggy. You need to use HP Premium Presentation Paper or HP Premium Photo Paper, glossy (100 sheets, 4 x 6-inch borderless) to get the right look and feel.
- Time will tell if ink costs are less or not, but to replace all the cartridges at one time will be a bit expensive. HP 940xl Black, Regular Capacity Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Not overly expensive when compared with other HP ink cartridges, so I wonder where the claim '50% lower cost per page' comes from?
-HP included software has some unnecessary stuff on it that loads on your computer if you're not aware enough of what to 'uncheck' to stop it before you install the software. HP is notorious for this type of thing and can be very irksome.
-The HP Apps installed on the machine are minimal at this time. You can print off daily news stories from Yahoo, weather reports, puzzles, recipes, etc..., but for me, at least right now, the apps are more fluff than substance. You have to go online to do your settings and establish an 'email address' for your printer, instead of using the touchscreen to do all of it. Sort of defeating the purpose of the screen and wireless capabilities - at least for setup.
-HP Apps failed to work every time. When I tried to get a daily summary for Yahoo, it couldn't retrieve the info. I went to the HP ePrintCenter online, and it said my printer was offline. I refreshed it and it still didn't work. I then turned off my printer and turned it back on. It was then recognized online and printed via the app within 5 seconds. This was after I had setup my account and HP said all was well. **A few bugs need to be worked out, but this is probably a network/software glitch and may be just with the Yahoo app.
My CONCLUSION:
It's a good e-All-in-One with cool web and file transfer possibilities, but a noisy printer. The cost is a bit high for a wireless all-in-one, but the web features and eco-friendly printing may be worth the price boost.
I'm excited to have a wireless printer that installed so easily on my home network and can be placed anywhere in my home. I love the scanner, and look forward to scanning old photos more quickly than my old scanner.
I also like the ability to send photos from my iTouch or iPhone to the printer wirelessly. The touchscreen was a great addition and it works well. It's a stand-alone device in many ways, and doesn't need to be tethered to a computer to copy or fax, which I like too.
Overall, the Officejet Pro 8500A Wireless e-All-in-One seems to be a solidly built office tool that will appeal to home office users and families who want its many functions and a lower cost per page.
NOTE RE: Nokia E71 phones, printing wirelessly...

After much research and little assistance I lucked out and figured out the right configuration for printing from the Nokia phone. In your 'printers' on your phone, set up a new printer using these settings.

Printer: any name...
Driver: HP Mobile Printing
Bearer: LPR
Access point: make sure this is whatever network name your wireless printer is currently using.
Host: this is to be set to your printer's IP address.
User: also known as 'hostname'.
Queue: I put in the name of my network (SSID).
Printer model: 'officejet' printers

I can't print using the Ovi store's HP iPrint Photo app, but the above stated worked for me on about a 3 second delay to the printer. This fix may also work for other Nokia smartphones and HP printers.



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HP Officejet Pro 8500A A910A Inkjet Multifunction Printer - Color - Photo Print - Desktop CM755A#B1H 74

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Brother MFC-8890DW High-Performance All-in-One Laser Printer With Wireless Networking and Duplex Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the newer version of the MFC-8860 from Brother, and is a step up from the MFC-8480 as the 8890 provides full duplexing on scanning, copying, and faxing. The MFC-8480 only provides duplex on printing.
I have Macs--several of them--so I've been looking around for a while for a multi-function laser machine I could use for printing, scanning, copying, and the occasional fax. I'm thoroughly impressed with this machine so far, and following the install from CD, everything just plain worked. The printer driver was installed, it included a fax option right in the driver itself (on one of the print option tabs), and so was the TWAIN driver for scanning, and so was their ControlCenter software, which provides access to all the settings for the printer, documentation, and a bunch of customizable presets for the different functions of the printer (most useful for scanning different kinds of documents to different apps on the Mac, including an OCR capability).
The duplex is great--the auto-document feeder reads both sides of documents for copying, scanning, and even faxing. Most less expensive models (like the 8480 and a Canon MF4370 I recently tested) will only duplex on printing, but the 8890 will both read and produce 2-sided docs for any function.
Network capabilities for Macs is also top-notch, with both wired and wireless network capabilities, you can use every function of the machine over the network, with seemingly quick transfer rates, even high-res color scanning. By the way, my previous favorite printer vendor, Canon, does not support network scanning to Macs on ANY of their multi-function printers, but this is not apparent until you buy one and try to do it--their support has since told me this is true. I think the only thing the Brother 8890 doesn't do via network to a Mac is faxing--it supports some kind of Windows fax server that Apple has no equivalent of. But since you can simply scan a document and have it sent to your Mac over the network instead, I hardly care.
So, if you want a fully network-capable machine that works with Macs, this is your machine. The 8480 is a bit less expensive, but does not fully support duplexing, for those with simpler office needs.

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Canon CLI-8M Magenta Ink Tank Review

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(More customer reviews)The product is an ink tank (not much to say). It arrived quickly, well-packaged, and all for a great price exactly as described!

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