Samsung CLX-3160FN Color Laser Multifunction Printer Review

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(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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Samsung SCX-4500 Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)This printer is smaller than I thought. It is about the size of a small desktop PC. It is rather "cool" looking printer. If you are trying to make a fashion statement with your printer, then this printer does its job.
Its small size comes with one noticeable compromise: a small paper tray that can only hold 75-100 sheets. It is not built to be a large volume printer and even infrequent use may result in filling the paper tray more than one desires. It can, however, print at a fast speed and at a good quality (600 dpi) resolution. The copier function is easy to use (press the copy button) and works reasonably well, and is good for low volume copying. I had no problems copying a 20 page document and it processed each copy in less than 5 seconds. The copy quality was on par with standard office copy machines.
The refill tray is expensive (about $70) and only prints about 2000 pages. That comes to around 3.5 cents per page. That is somewhat high.
One thing of note, this printer does not have a fax capability. So it is not all-in-one laser printer.
I recommend this printer to those who need a reasonably good laser printer/copier in a small form factor. If you need a high volume printing/copying machine which prints at a low print/cent ratio, then I would look elsewhere.

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The Samsung SCX-4500 monochrome laser multifunction printer will produce fast, high-quality prints, and look good doing it. Compact, quiet, and portable, this sleek multifunction printer will print, copy, and scan, making quick work of all your office needs. With a fast performance, low noise emission, and an energy-saving design, it is the perfect solution for a home-office.
100-sheet, semi-automatic paper tray opens with the press of a button. Printing in a Flash With the push of a button, the SCX-4500 goes from Sleep Mode to printing in less than 15 seconds. With 8 MB of memory and a print speed of 16 to 17 pages per minute, you won't waste valuable time waiting for lengthy printing jobs again. At a crisp 600 X 600 dpi resolution, print outs will look good and even the smallest of text will be readable.
Copy and Scan Documents From the Same Machine The copy function works without needing the computer to be turned on and features a speed of 16 ppm in A4 (17 ppm in Letter). From a cold start, it takes 15 seconds for a first copy. The copies are at a crisp 600 x 600 dpi resolution. The SCX-4500 allows you to make from 1 to 99 copies and allows a zoom rate from 50% to 199%.
The SCX-4500 is also a TWAIN and WIA compliant flatbed scanner that features a resolution of up to 4800 x 4800 dpi (600 x 2400 optical dpi).
Conserve Valuable Desktop Space Easy on the eyes with its high-gloss black finish and cool sapphire LED lights, the SCX-4500 is a polished centerpiece for any desktop. It measures a compact 13-by-15.5-by-6.5-inches, so it frees up valuable desk space without sacrificing efficiency. A gentle touch of the printer's touch-sensitive buttons controls the power and settings and even ejects the 100-sheet paper tray.
This monochrome laser printer operates at less than 45 decibels of sound while printing. To put this in perspective, an average library operates at 40 decibels. In other words, this people-friendly printer was designed to serve you with pleasure, not annoy you with noise. With the SCX-4500, your work space just got a lot more productive and a lot quieter.
Award-Winning and Energy Star Compliant For added peace of mind this machine is Energy Star compliant, which means it helps save the environment while saving you money. (Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy promoting energy efficiency).
The Samsung SCX-4500 connects to your computer via a USB 2.0 interface and is compatible with Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista, various Linux OSes, and Mac OS 10.3-10.4.

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Microtek ScanMaker S400 Flatbed Scanner Review

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(More customer reviews)This scanner is good and bad at the same time. It is horribly slow, but I'm using the pictures I'm scanning for a slideshow of pictures throughout my life at my Bar Mitzvah party, and the quality of the pictures are very good.
Be warned, scanning negatives on this scanner requires very high resoulution (but I think that this is the way with all scanners I'm not sure), and it takes a VERY VERY long time to scan. It took ten to twenty minutes depending on the settings for ONE PICTURE. They turned out in good quality, but I was highly dissatisfied with the time it took.
Overall, this scanner is pretty good. But if you are a person that needs pics in a hurry, this is not for you. But if you are creating a slideshow (like me) and have time for it, this scanner is a very good choice.

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The ScanMaker s400 brings high-resolution scanning, with its 9600 x 4800-dpi resolution letting you create poster-sized files of your film or photo with remarkable sharpness and detail previously only available in much higher-priced scanners. And with Microtek's exclusive ColoRescue, color restoration is as easy as a click of a button. The ScanMaker s400 also comes with the new LightLid 35 Plus accessory for scanning 35mm slides and filmstrips. Rounding out the scanner is a Hi-Speed USB interface, eight easy-to-use buttons, as well as imaging and document-scanning options.

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Eikon Digital Privacy Manager - USB fingerprint reader Review

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(More customer reviews)I have tried the Microsoft, APC, Dell, and Omnipass fingerprint readers.
While the hardware is mediocre, the software is garbage.
Vista support is rare, Vista x64 support is ubelievably rare, and Windows 2008 support is non-existant.
Microsoft's own fingerprint reader wont properly support Windows Server 2008 or 64 bit.
On the other handm the Eikon /Upek solution is fantastic.
The hardware is made from aluminum instead of plastic and has a nice sturdy feel. However its the software that makes this solution stand out as "best of breed"
Not only does it support 64 bit and Vista and Windows 2008 Server, but it supports 2 factor and 3 factor authentication as well.
When you run the software, your first impression is WOW. The user experience is fantastic. It installs perfectly, its very intuitive and is very visually appealing.
It looks and feels like they really spent a lot of time on polishing the sofware.
If you are looking for a fingerprint solution, this is it.
Im so happy with my purchase that I just threw out my Microsoft and APC readers and I deleted my Omnipass software(that I had to pay extra for)
My new christmas wish is to get this reader built-in to a keyboard for my office PC.
Bottom line: I give it 12 out of 10. I bonus point for broad OS support and 1 bonus point for "exceeding expectations"

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CardScan Executive Card Scanner (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fortunately, I was eligible for a $179 competitive upgrade direct from the manufacturer for an old CardScan Windows brick I found down in my basement in the box of orphaned peripherals. I had loved CardScan back in my Windows days, but had lost hope that they would come out with a Mac version. In the meantime, I had struggled with the kludgey I.R.I.S. business card scanner for mac and its flakey crapware that really didn't integrate with Mac Address Book all that well and had a horrible OCR recognition error rate and field parsing engine and seemed to run like it was written in Javascript.
Well, I'm happy that the Mac version of CardScan works flawlessly for me with a typical Mac setup (an Intel Mac Book Pro running 10.5.5.) and that setup was a snap. With some trepidation, I synched with my Address Book and no precious contact data was lost or damaged. I then scanned some business cards and it parsed the various fields with almost 100% accuracy, including some tricky company names in graphic logos, and put the data in a suggested "inspector" window. One click to verify (or change any fields with a linked zoom to the card pane view) and the new card data is in the CardScan database and then synched with your mac Address Book.
Couldn't be easier! Very satisfied user! While I'm not a frequent Amazon reviewer or any kind of computer expert, I wanted to post a counter review to the two negative reviews recently posted. While individual products and installations can sometimes be flaky and your mileage may vary, I found this CardScan product to be as good as I remember the Windows version being and better, because everything's better on a Mac (including Address Book being better than the fugly Outlook ecosystem).

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The CardScan Executive for Mac User Interface and Business Card Scanner make it easy to capture and manage your valuable contact information. Featuring software designed from the ground up to work with features of the Mac Leopard OS, this system lets you consolidate contact information from business cards and electronic documents, including email signatures and web sites. In addition, this scanner makes it easy to sync contacts in your Address book, iPod, and iPhone to meet your on-the-go needs.
The easy-to-navigate UI was designed to maximize existing features of your Mac. View larger. Capture Contact Information The CardScan Executive scanner can scan up to 20 business cards a minute in color. Known for fast, accurate performance, the scanner works with native Mac software to help you convert the data on business cards into a digital form that's easy to use.
You can also use the CardScan software to consolidate contact information from electronic sources, including web sites and email signatures. With drag-and-drop performance, the CardScan makes creating a complete contact record as easy as highlighting the contact data you want, dragging it over the list area of the CardScan window, and releasing.
Designed to work with Mac OS 10.5.3+ (Leopard), the new easy-to-use CardScan interface combines Mac-specific design with many of the functions that have made CardScan for Windows an award-winning choice for business professionals. Updated CardScan sofware for Windows is also included in the Executive package, so you can be sure you'll have access to the version that meets your needs.
Manage Contacts With Ease Once your contacts are entered in the CardScan software, you can assign single or multiple customizable categories to each one. This makes it easy to sort contacts, view them in groups, and prepare lists of contacts for email or direct mail. Plus with the easy-to-use Print Wizard, creating custom envelopes, labels, and more is hassle-free. All this means that outreach projects get done faster and are easier to keep track of.
Using the "Batch Scan" feature to scan a whole stack of business cards at once lets you quickly assign several cards the same category or notes, saving you time. And when you can't remember someone's name, but you know what their business card looks like, the image view feature lets you fan through color images of all your scanned business cards.
Stay in Sync on the Move Keep your contact list up-to-date across the applications and mobile devices that you use on a daily basis. Since CardScan can be set up to sync automatically with Mac's Address Book, it's easy to keep the contact lists in your iPhone, iPod, and MobileMe network in synch, too. It's equally easy to export information as vCards (electronic business cards) to other software, including Microsoft Entourage.
All CardScan products offer a risk-free 30-day trial. And all new CardScan Executive systems include software for both Windows and Mac OS.
What's in the Box Color business card scanner, software for Mac OS and Windows.

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ScanSnap S510M Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received this scanner. I've been collecting a stack of documents to scan and finally ran out of excuses with its arrival. I settled in for a long evening of unpleasantness. I put the first batch of 6 pages into the hopper, pressed the Scan button expecting a sloooowww, painful grind. But....? Each sheet whipped through effortlessly! Both sides of the double sided sheets scanned on a single pass! Everything was oriented correctly and automatically and the legibility was excellent. How did they DO this? I'm used to scanning taking so long I continually forget what I'm doing before I'm done. This is a whole new experience. Suddenly, I'm seeing the real possiblity of reducing all my file cabinets to a few CDs in my lifetime. Wow.
This is about my 5th scanner (HP, Epson previously) but the very first one to take the agony out of scanning. And it's such a cute little machine. I never would have believed it could accomplish such a masterful job. It also handles legal sized documents - you fold the document in half, it scans both sides at once and marries them back together!
Thank heavens they brought this out for the Mac.

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The Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner for Macs lets you easily convert your paper archives into a searchable digital library of PDFs. With an easy one-touch PDF creation process, nothing could be simpler: The scanner will automatically distinguish between color documents and black and white ones, automatically recognize the size of each page, automatically straighten images, and automatically delete blank pages. Included are an automatic document feeder and the ability to scan in duplex mode, enabling the ScanSnap to scan at up to 18 pages per minute. The ScanShop uses a USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 compatible) interface for wide compatibility and fast data connection. The ScanSnap supports Mac OS X 10.2.8, 10.3, and 10.4 and includes a copy of Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional and a copy of ABBYY FineReader.
The scanner uses two color CCDs for scanning at an optical resolution of up to 600 dpi. The scanner-supported size range includes A4, A5, A6, B5, B6, business cards, letter, legal, and custom sizes from a minimum of 2 by 2 inches to a maximum of 8.5 by 14.17 inches. Even though it scans paper of all sizes, the scanner itself has a compact angular design that takes less space on your desktop than a letter-size piece of paper. The Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M is backed by a 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box ScanSnap S510M scanner, AC adapter, AC cable, USB cable, getting started, ScanSnap setup CD-ROM, software CD-ROM, carrier sheet, warranty registration card, and warranty summary card.

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FI-6230 Clr Duplex 40PPM/30PPM USB 2.0 300DPI 50PG Adf Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this scanner after recommendation from my historical data rescue contractors, which uses them daily and highly recommends them.
Out of the box, without even reading the manual(s), the included software works well and the scanner chewed through large stacks of paper with no problems.
My contractors noted that (under very heavy use) the feeding wheels can be / should be replaced every three years. [Symptoms are sheet mis-feeding.] These parts can be ordered from the company and replaced with no major hassles.

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