Printer Manual reset

The configuration page for a bizhub 600 includes information like current network settings, printer settings, firmware version, and installed options.  (It does not include the page count -- to see the page count, follow the instructions here.)   To print the configuration page:

- Press the Utility/Counter button.
- On the touch screen, select User Setting.
- Select Printer Setting.
- Select Print Reports.
- Select Configuration Page.
- Select the paper tray to print from (if prompted).
- Press the Start button.

To print a configuration page from a LaserJet 3050:

- Press Menu
- Press the right arrow until you see "Reports"
- Press OK
- Press the right arrow until you see "Config. Report"
- Press OK

I operate a small business from my home, and managing work and a household together is pretty tough therefore I wanted all devices and machines possible that would make my life easier. The HP LaserJet P4014 has been a true companion ever since I bought it. It has totally changed my perception about printers since I have started using it. Previously I thought using a printer would be time consuming and require patience while I sat around waiting for prints to come out. However the HP LaserJet P4014 has given me a totally different experience.

Using the user’s guide and instruction manual I easily installed the drivers and configured this machine to my computer system. That was all that was needed on my part since then the rest was been handled by the printer. With a separate compartment for toners and cartridges, and an envelope feeding tray that does not affect accessibility to the normal paper tray the HP LaserJet P4014 works great without any hindrance that may be caused to the user.

I need not worry about the quality. After giving command for the document that requires printing, I go off to do my chores while this printer is at work. After about 8 to 9 seconds the prints start coming out of the output end. If the document is comparatively large, it takes out 45 pages per minute without any difference in the printing quality.

Being a monochrome printer though, the prints are black and white but the text, diagrams, graphs, anything and everything is vibrant with a sharp look and clear appearance. Even the paper stays crisp and flat as it comes out of the printer. The outcome is purely professional every time I put this machine to use.

I have been able to use the HP LaserJet P4014 as a USB and a network printer. Since I use a DHCP server, this printer configures automatically however the user’s manual shows that the front panel menu allows manual web configuration as well. The web settings allow for configuring and updating all printer settings using the internet.

The HP LaserJet P4014 has a toner with a 10,000 page capacity but you can also buy accessories and maintenance kit available by HP for enhancing the performance of this machine.

The Konica 1212 is for office use only due to its size and it is the machine that is replacing the very popular Konica 1290RE copier. I purchased this for a new business and it proved to be the best, giving me high quality results and it is very cost effective. It has the speed to copy about 12 copies per minute which gives an average of up to 7,500 copies per month. This amount is a lot as compared to other machines so this is the reason why it is perfect to use for professional and business purposes. The Konica 1212 comes in a compact desktop design which is able to fit in the most space-challenged rooms in an office. Its features include zoom reduction and enlargement from 60% to 165% in 1% increments. This copier has the ability to process original documents and copies from an invoice to a ledger size.

This copier is completely environment friendly as it also comes with energy saving features. It has a power requirement of about 230V AC, 50Hz and the main unit consumes about 1300W of maximum power. It weighs about 37.5kg which is the weight of the main unit alone. It accepts original single sheets, books and three dimensional objects for scanning and copying and the copy paper can be an offset, master, transparencies, labels etc. When turning on the copier you have to allow it to warm up for about a minute. The first copy takes about 7.5 seconds and the tray can hold up to 250 sheets at one time. It has an OPC drum, development dry dual component, a magnetic brush system and a heated roller fixing.

The Konica 1212 has very low decibel levels as well as ozone levels and is an organic photoconductor which has toner recycling capabilities. The copier machine uses one of the longest lasting organic photoreceptors available and has the ability to yield 60,000 copies. The toner has the ability to output 7,500 copies in one cartridge or five months of use at an average volume of 1,500 copies in a month. There are many toner cartridges available for this machine out there which last longer than normal ink cartridges. Toners are in the form of powder and a closed toner cartridge can be stored for about two years prior to usage. So due to its high yield or output this copier will be perfect to use in an office environment where there are so many documents to take care of with little time on everybody’s hands.

The config page on a Brother MFC-5890CN (called the "user settings list") contains a lot of information.  Its three pages long, and in those three pages youll find page counts, fax settings, serial number, copy settings, and network information.  To print the user settings list:

- Press the Menu button
- Press the down arrow button until "Print Reports" is highlighted as the active choice
- Press the OK button
- Press the down arrow until "User Settings" is highlighted
- Press OK
- Press either the black or color Start button

We have had the Canon imageCLASS MF8180C since it came out a while back. We have always had Canon products, they are easy to use and value for money.

The MF8180C was a cost-saving exercise that paid off quite well. Its a printer, copier, fax and scanner all in one and ideal for our little office. We dont use the scanner much, but the fax comes in handy once in a while. Its a Super G3 so whizzes through transmissions like a knife through butter. It send a whole sheet in a couple of seconds and will keep going as long as you want. It also has enough memory to hold 256 pages, but we never use that much. I think the most we have ever used is 47.

The printer is quick and can do color and black and white. The quality of the prints is really good, with the black bits being really black instead of dark gray like a lot of printers we have had. All the lines are straight, as are the corners of letters and text. Printing images and photos is something the MF8180C does well I think. They are really detailed, with good results every time. We used to have a separate Canon inkjet for printing photographs but now we just use this.

Copying is much the same as printing. Quick at 20 sheets per minute for black and white, the same as printing, and 4 pages a minute for color. The quality is the same as printing too, with clear text and photos and no ink elsewhere on the page. It makes the print stand out more, so it looks clear and crisp on the page.

It has a 250 page paper drawer, a 125 sheet multipurpose tray and a 50 page automatic document feeder. It has USB or network connections too, which makes connecting it to the network easy. There are only five of us but we all use the machine all the time. Its easier having it on the network rather than having to connect through someone elses machine.

The MF8180C is a good device that can do all the jobs of four separate ones. It is a little big, and heavy but works well and isnt too noisy. It doesnt need much looking after, it just works, and thats all we need really. The print quality is good enough for our needs and having a fax on board is really neat. For what we need it for, its ideal.

To view the total page count for a Ricoh MP 6002, 7502, or 9002:

- Press the User Tools/Counter button
- On the screen, select Counter

To print a configuration page from a LaserJet 4200, LaserJet 4250, LaserJet 4300, or LaserJet 4350 printer:

- Press the down arrow to scroll through the menu until "INFORMATION" is the active choice.
- Press the Select button (the green button with the check mark).
- Scroll down to "PRINT CONFIGURATION".
- Press Select.

To print a configuration page from a Ricoh C6501 or C7501 with printing capability:

- Press the User Tools/Counter button
- Select Printer Features on the touch screen
- Select Configuration Page

Our office has used Konica copiers for as long as I have worked here. The latest was the Konica Minolta Di3510, which we are still using now. The first thing to say about it is that is hasn’t broken down once since we got it. The contractor must be laughing as we’re paying for a maintenance contract but haven’t had to use it yet.

The black and grey coloring adds a nice accent to our office. The colors just make it look more businesslike and technical even though it isn’t. The Di3510 can do almost everything, printing, copying and scanning. The scanning is neat because we can do it really quick. Add the documents into the automatic feeder and it will scan them all at around 70 sheets a minute. The quality is good too, with none of the graininess that you get on some scanners. You can also get it to scan to email or to the hard drive, for later collection.

The printer is very good. It prints around 35 pages a minute, which is good. The prints it provides are good quality, all the black is black and all the text is clear and all the lines are straight. Even when printing tiny letters at 3pts, the ink it clear and the letter look good. Printing photos is also very good for a laser printer. We used to have to print them on an inkjet which used to be a pain, but now we can do everything from the one machine.

Obviously the copier is just as good as it uses the same bits as the printer. You can send it print or copy jobs from the PC and they will be ready for you when you get there, which is a neat feature. It certainly saves on having to wait around for everything to be finished.

You can build the Di3510 up with all sorts of options. We just added more paper capacity, which took it up to 4000 sheets, which is the maximum. We also have a document finisher which adds staples or bindings to the booklets we make. That makes all the difference to how many of them we can produce in a day. You can add memory to make it quicker, more paper like us, a hard drive, duplexer for double sided and lots of other options.

The Di3510 is a good printer and copier. We don’t need anything else right now so this should last us a few more years before needing replacement. I would definitely recommend this printer to anyone needing something reliable that doesn’t take a degree in engineering to work, and will do anything you ask of it.

The configuration page from a Xerox WorkCentre 5745 (called the system configuration report) copier is two pages long (one page double-sided) with a lot of information.  It includes network setup information (such as TCP/IP, HTTP, and SMTP settings), paper tray settings, security settings, and much more.  To print the configuration page:

- Press the Machine Status button.
- On the screen, select the Print Reports icon.
- Information about the system configuration report will be displayed; select Print Report.

The Brother DCP-1000 is another multifunction device from the technical wizards at Brother. It is a monochrome printer, copier and scanner all in one and performs all functions with ease. It’s features are designed to be attractive to the small office or workgroup and it is priced to reflect that.

Out of the box, the DCP-1000 is a breeze to install and configure. It can be attached by a USB or parallel port and includes drivers for both Windows and Mac. Toner can be added quickly with the drum and both are quite cheap considering.

The printer produces good quality, sharp prints at a rate of 10 pages per minute. While certainly not the fastest, it is perfectly adequate, and the print quality is sufficient to offset it. Text is where the DCP-1000 is at its best, being able to print at any size and produce good results each time, even at 3pt. Edges are smooth and clean, and toner is evenly spread across the larger letters. Image reproduction is okay, about as good as a laser can get.

The copier has a 30 sheet automatic document feeder which never jammed once. It can also server the scanner if you have more than the single sheet flatbed can cope with. Scanning is quick and simple. A matter of adding the original document to the flatbed or sheets to the ADF, selecting the device in your computer and selecting scan. They can be made to file, PDF or straight to email which makes sharing documents a simple and quick affair.

There is a 200 sheet paper tray and a separate tray for the toner and drum. Replacement cartridges are some of the cheapest on the market at around $20 for a 2200 page version, and drums are only $68 for 12000 sheets. This lowers running costs considerably making this a strong contender in the marketplace.

Overall the DCP-1000 is easy to use, easy to manage and easy to own. Costs are low and reliability is high. This printer should still be churning out good quality prints, copies and scans long after many, more expensive devices have been retired.

The Canon ImageClass MF5770 is a step up from the MF5750 in that it offers networking capability as well as monochrome laser multifunctionality. The MF5770 is also aimed firmly at business. This is certainly a business class workgroup machine, and would do well in a small to medium office that weren’t heavy users. It offers a lot and has enough features to keep the most demanding office satisfied.

Out of the box, the device can be configured and functioning in minutes. The configuration process is simple and straightforward, and went without a hitch in our tests. The MF5770 comes with USB, Ethernet and parallel connections built in. Ethernet and USB worked as soon as they were plugged in and the drivers installed on the client PCs. The user guide is clear and easy to follow, which would be suitable for users of all levels.

The control panel is laid out well, with enough space between buttons for even the largest fingers. The layout is logical and easy to follow, each function having its own little are broken up by a little LCD screen.

The build quality is good, with a solid construction that should make owners feel more relaxed. None of the trays feel flimsy or weak, and it looks like it could last a long time.

The standard paper tray holds 250 and the multipurpose tray a further 50. Toner is managed well, and a standard cartridge is good for 2500 sheets. The single cartridge construction means that there is no drum to consider, which reduces maintenance time and cost.

Printing and Copying produced good quality pages. Text was clean and clear, pages containing images were acceptable for a laser multifunction. The speed of operation is also acceptable with a print or copy coming out at up to 20 pages per minute.

Scanning was okay. It can handle resolutions of up to 1200 x 2400 in 48 bit color and seems to produce good clear scans. The only thing you can’t do with it is scan over a network.

This is a versatile machine that has enough features to serve any office well. Good print quality makes this a contender for those who don’t need to print or copy in color. Reasonable toner costs, with no extra expense for drums makes good economical sense. The MF5770 is a good purchase for almost any small office.

The configuration page for an SP C420DN printer gives you a lot of information about the printer, including total page count, network settings, and paper tray settings.  To print the config page:

- Press the Menu button
- Scroll down to "List/Test Print"
- Press the OK button
- Scroll down to "Config. Page"
- Press the OK button

The Xerox WorkCentre XD-125F is a fabulous printer and copier machine. It offers great quality of work with tremendous speed to cut down costs and save time. It offers 8 pages per minute to print black and white pages as well as color prints. The black horizontal resolution is high with 600 dpi while the black vertical resolution is also the same. It has a laser printer technology and the printer type is multifunctional. It offers great paper handling with maximum sheet capacity of 250 sheets and maximum media size of 8.5in x 14in and 8.25in x 11.7in.

Its copier is digital and shows great results. The copy speed for black and white is 12 pages per minute while for color it is 10 pages per minute. Its maximum enlargement extends to 200% and its maximum reduction to 50%. The media type it supports to copy includes envelopes, labels, plain paper and transparencies. This printer includes software and utilities in its package while it operates with systems such as Microsoft Windows 95/98, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and the later versions as well.

It is small and therefore can easily fit anywhere in a small office or even a home office environment. This machine is highly suitable for home uses, not only because it is very affordable but also because it is easy to use and does not need a degree in engineering to set up. This machine is easy to use because it offers clear buttons for its main functions. It’s also easy to set up and has an installation process which can be completed in a few simple steps in a takes a matter of minutes.

The cartridges are already installed so there’s no messing around with cartridges. Just connect, install and go. This hassle free and trouble free machine is ideal for home use as it does not even violate the silence of the home. It is not at all noisy which makes it stand aloof from the other machines of similar type which almost all make a racket when doing a print job. It hardly has any sound in standby or even in operation mode. Great for a small business or home office setup, this all-round printer is economical, reliable and durable.

The Konica Minolta DiALTA CF2002 is ideal for business environments and office use. It is the ultimate solution to receive high speed color communications and has all-in-one features such as copying, printing and scanning capabilities. This is the reason why it would be perfect to use for business purposes. Today more and more, businesses add color to their business documents in order to show professionalism and creativity at the same time. Customers will have the ability to create business documents in various colors or in black and white when using the Konica Minolta DiALTA CF2002. It will produce high quality photos, charts, text and personalized booklets in color or black and white.

It has the speed to copy 20 pages per minute in color and 31 pages per minute in black and white. The first copy takes about 14.1 seconds or less. It has networking capabilities in order to allow smooth communication. Users are able to scan and email scan to FTP and to HDD. The network scanning functions support a business’s information sharing, management and storage. It has zooming abilities of about 50% to 400% and has many wide ranging imaging solutions.

The machine also has optional front loading paper drawers and various configurations options. It has the ability to carry out fast scanning and has high speed duplexing abilities. Like all the other Minolta image information products the Konica Minolta DiALTA CF2002 pays attention to minute details of image quality. While taking advantage of 600dpi, 1800dpi equivalent resolution the Konica Minolta DiALTA CF2002 makes use of the new polymerized toner which does not require any oiling for fusing. It helps in the delivery of natural looking, low gloss images of color documents eminently suitable for business use. The cartridge-type toner in this machine makes replacement simple, clean and less time consuming.

It also has the up-to-date and modern Color Conversion System (MACCS) which helps the machine to output high quality and precise color tones. It has a standard memory of about 256MB and uses a tandem type indirect electro-photographic system to deliver high quality results. The scanner alone weighs 19.5kg while the main unit weighs about 85kg. The machine has the ability to hold as standard 751 sheets and a maximum of 3251 sheets.

OVERVIEW:  While many offices have laser printers that tend to double as copiers, their smaller toners causes an increase in replacing consumables and may exceed the recommended duty cycle. Yet many forgo buying a copier because they think only the large floor models are available. The Sharp AL-1631 is a desktop copier able to handle copy jobs at a lower cost and taking up less space.

PROS:
The 53 pound copier has a footprint 20.4” x 19.4”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-1631 uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder allows for up to 30 single-sided legal-size originals: more originals can be fed in as the level drops. By scanning the original one time and storing the image into its 8MB memory allows the AL-1631 to produce copies at the rate of 16 pages per minute, up to 99 copies.

The AL-1631 has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 6 jumps.

The control panel for the AL-1600 series is pretty straightforward, so you don’t need to go to the manual to figure things out. In addition to magnification, quantity, and exposure, you can control which paper tray to use and to switch to “toner save” mode. Indicators blink for toner and drum replacement, and paper jams. Unfortunately, the paper jam indicator does not show where inside the copier the misfeed is, so you’ll have to do a little sleuthing to find it.

The sliding paper tray can hold up to 250 sheets of either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

This Sharp model was made for compactness, not expandability. There are no options available to increase its paper or memory capacities, nor to add printer network capability.

CONS:
During its prime, the 16 ppm copy speed was impressive for a small copier. So don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm that’s typical of newer copiers.

The 250-sheet paper tray is woefully undersized for office copy use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day. And it’s also common for offices buy paper in 500-sheet reams, if not a 10-ream case. For personal and home use, a 250-sheet tray is sufficient, so long as you’re not someone whose home is their office. Having a tray that you can dump an entire ream of paper into would be something any office would invest a few extra dollars for.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The AL-1631 only comes with a 50-percent full toner cartridge, which will need replacing after 4 reams of paper.  The standard-yield toner can hold 4,000 pages at 5% coverage, the high-yield producing 6,000 pages.

The AL-1631 has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. The front plate flips open, allowing for the toner, then the drum units to be accessed. Since the cartridges have to be slid out sideways, it will take a little bit of practice to get the hang of replacement.

The drum unit will need to be replaced every 18,000 pages, or on the 3rd toner change. During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall machine longevity and print quality.

OVERVIEW: For light office or personal use, the Toshiba e-Studio 162 is a compact desktop 3-in-1 that can provide monochrome printing, copying, and color scanning right out the box. Options like a 30-page automatic document feeder, Ethernet card and facsimile functions allows the e-Studio 162 to grow into a full-function network all-in-1.

PROS:
The e-Studio 162 uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size. The 37-pound e-Studio’s recessed output tray reduces the overall footprint of the multi-function down to only 20½” x 20”.

The control panel on the e-Studio 162 is straightforward, with indicators and keys for intuitive control and conditions of the copier. To isolate an error, locate an empty tray, or paper jam, the panel includes a diagram of the copier with LED indicators to indicate the area that requires attention. The Mode Select toggle allows for the e-Studio to be just as functional as a walk-up standalone machine, with copy, print, scan, and fax capability right on the control panel.

Copying is as easy as placing the original in the feeder and pressing the “Copy” button. Resolutions of 600 x 600 dpi with settings to adjust exposure and contrast will print up to 99 monochrome copies at 16 pages per minute. Copies can be adjusted from 25% to 400% of the original in 1% increments or in 8 jumps. Copy quality can be set either manually, automatic adjustment of contrast, text or photo priority. The Toner Save feature is best used for draft copies and not for anything you want to distribute.

The scanning feature has support for TWAIN, STI, and Microsoft’s WIA protocols. While printing and copying is in monochrome, the e-Studio can scan in straight black-and-white, 128 grayscale or in color. With the optional automatic document feeder, the e-Studio 162 can scan multiple single-sides pages automatically.

The e-Studio 162 can hold up to 250 sheets of letter-sized or legal-size paper. For even more printing/copying capacity, a second 250-sheet tray can be attached for supporting a ream of paper. The 50-sheet multi-purpose bypass tray on the side allows for of transparencies, envelopes, and labels.

As a printer, the e-Studio 162 connects to your Wintel machine through either parallel or USB cable. Having a maximum resolution of 600 x 600 dpi, the e-Studio prints decent monochrome text and graphics. The resolution isn’t the best for printing from detailed color originals. 10MB of memory enables the multifunction to handle all but the largest PDF text files and graphics and is more than sufficient for personal use. If you want to use the e-Studio162 as a networked multifunction, it has to be shared via somebody’s computer or by buying the optional network card which comes with 64MB of additional memory.

CONS:
Compared to today’s copiers and printers, the 2002 e-Studio 162 shows its age with a 16 ppm copy and print speed, and a maximum resolution of only 600 x 600 dpi. As a printer, its monochrome print speed is slower than some of today’s single-pass color lasers, which offer faster speeds and higher resolutions.

The 250-sheet paper tray while fine for personal use is woefully undersized for business use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day in copying, faxing, and printing. The second 250-sheet add-on tray would be a good investment for offices that go through a lot of paper in a typical day and are looking to buy this Toshiba

Toshiba uses for its printing emulator the Samsung SPLC for the e-Studio 162. There are no HP PCL or Adobe PostScript emulators available for this model unless you buy the network option and the PS3 kits.

Software, printing, and computer scanning support are for Windows operating systems only. Basic printing functions are possible for Apple and Linux by using their own printing services and built-in printer drivers.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
Having the drum as a separate component reduces the overall consumables costs. The Toshiba toner cartridge will last for about 6,500 B&W pages (less if printing or copying graphics), and can be easily accessed by opening the front panel of the e-Studio. The side panel provides access to the fuser, corona, and the drum. The drum has a life of 18,000 pages, or after every 3rd toner change. The Toshiba e-Studio 162 replacement drum is the same type used for the Xerox’s WorkCentre XD 130 and Sharp’s AR 150.

OVERVIEW: The Sharp AR-M207 offers the copying, scanning, and printing features of up to tabloid-size. With the choice of options available, this Sharp can become a heavy-duty 4-in-1 copier.

PROS:
The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza, and the second paper tray brings it at a height comfortable for someone standing next to it to manually make copies or scans. With the addition of the optional dual-cassette tray and cabinet, the AR-M207 can become a floor-model.

Using either Parallel, the low-speed or high-speed USB connections, the AR-M207 can be set up to be a shared printer--provided the computer it’s connected to remains on during the hours the printer would get used. The expandable 16MB of memory allows the all-in-one to easily handle print jobs from many computers, and a network card is an option.

The AR-M207 uses an oversized 11”x17” platen to support scanning ledger or tabloid-sized originals. The automatic document feeder allows for 40 double-sided copies to be made up to legal-size: more originals can be fed in as the level lowers. By scanning the original once and storing the image into its 16MB memory allows the AR-M207 to produce copies at the rate of 20 pages per minute, up to 999 copies.

The auto-doc feeder of the AR-M207 can automatically scan 2-sided originals and create 2-sided copies. When you think of all the times you had 20 pages of 2-sided originals and the hoops you had to jump when a copier could only read one side, this feature alone makes this worth buying.

Another nice feature the AR-M207 has (if you use the automatic document feeder) is the ability to physically shift the position of each set of copies in the output tray for easy collating and stapling. This is achieved by pressing the Electronic Sort (or E-Sort) button on the control panel. The multi-page original is scanned first into memory, then copied out in order. This offset sorting feature was rarely found on other desktop copiers or all-in-ones.

The AR-M207 has three different copy exposure modes & resolutions up to 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be automatically or manually changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 10 preset ratios.

This Sharp has two sliding paper trays, each holding up to 250 sheets up to 11 x 17” paper. The two-tray feature is especially nice in an office where legal and standard size papers are often used. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 11” x 17” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 100 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier. Adding the optional paper trays can expand the AR-M207 to supporting up to 1,100 sheets.

Remember I mentioned options? In addition to additional paper capacity, the AR-M207 has options to add a facsimile machine, LDAP e-mail scanning and printing, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, and an additional 256MB of DIMM memory.

CONS:
Sharp’s does not offer PCL or PostScript print emulation. Instead, Sharp provides their proprietary GDI and SPLC print emulators. For most printing, users won’t notice any difference in performance. However, with the great memory expandability that available, it would have been nice to have a PostScript option.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The AR-M207 has separated the high-volume toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. The toner cartridge yields up to 15,000 pages. The drum unit is good for 50,000 pages and will need to be replaced after every 3rd toner replacement.

OVERVIEW:  Now days, most of the “all-in-one” printers in stores today don’t have “all” the features of the older generation ones. As printers have gotten smaller and sending scanned documents via e-mail has become acceptable for many businesses, the fax feature has been eliminated.  However, there are still times when you run across a client or a business that will only accept faxed documents. The Samsung SCX-4725FN is a 4-in-1 printer that offers network printing, scanning, copying, and faxing.

PROS:
After a 30 second warm-up, the SCX-4725FN prints and copies at 24 pages per minute, with 10-second delays between print jobs. In operation, the 4-in-1 produces 53dB of sound and 35dB when idle. Think of 53dB as the sound of low conversations and 30 decibels as a quiet office.

The control panel on the SCX-4725FN provides functions for the copier and fax including a programmable phone book list. A pass-through external phone jack on the back of the printer allows for plugging a telephone or an answering machine. If a fax comes in while the copier or printer is in use, 4MB of memory is reserved to store incoming faxes until the copying or printing is complete. For security, incoming faxes can be stored in memory, requiring a 4-digit PIN to print out.

The SCX-4725FN comes standard with a 250-sheet tray, capable of handling up to legal-size paper. The single-sheet multi-purpose tray can handle transparencies, labels, post cards, envelopes, 3” x 5” postcards up to 8½” x 14” legal paper of various bond weights.

At 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution in print mode, the SCX-4725FN keeps text sharp--even at 6-point font sizes--and does a decent job with graphics. To keep from consuming too much toner, the printer has a 600 dpi resolution with a text-enhance or image-enhance switch.  The Toner Save feature allows for a 40% toner life increase while keeping images clear and readable.

The “N” in SCX-4725FN is for “networking”.  Having built-in Ethernet network support and a hi-speed USB, this multifunction is right at home either in the middle of an office floor or connected to a secretary’s computer. The built-in 32MB of printer memory enables the SCX-4725FN to handle printing workloads from multiple computers.

Understanding the printing needs of today’s businesses in providing support for the major software applications, Samsung has installed print emulators that should satisfy the most diverse office. Emulators include PostScript3, HP PCL6 and Samsungs own proprietary print language, SPL.

CONS:
The only downside is the software package seems to skimp on features, especially for Mac OS users. It would be nice if Samsung’s SmartThru4 software expanded its Windows features to Linux and Mac OS systems.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The monochrome toner that is included is only 50% full, which is something to remember before you decide on copying several hundred pages a shot. Samsung’s so-called “high yield” cartridge has an average yield of 3,000 pages. (No standard-yield cartridge is offered.)

SOFTWARE:
Being a multi-purpose printer, one would expect the software to provide full functions for all the computer platforms Samsung claims it supports.  The software in the CD-ROM is primarily for Windows compatible machines. For Windows users, the SmartThru4 software provides the most features, supporting not only scanning and printing, but offering an advanced printing section that allows for booklet printing, creating a large poster mosaics, and watermarks.

The Linux software package is not included with the CD and has to be downloaded from Samsung’s website to support printer and scanning functions. The Linux Unified Driver Configurator software allows for scanned images to manipulated and edited.  For Macintosh users, the CD-ROM has a couple of basic drivers for printing and a TWAIN driver for scanning. There is no additional software support: you either must have a 3rd party application that manages scanners or use the Mac’s own Image Capture (only available on Mac OS 10.4.7 and higher).

Printer HP LASERJET 1200 basics : Quick access to more information, Printer configuration, Walkaround, Printer control panel, Media paths, Printer connections, Printer software, Printer information page, Printer media considerations...

OVERVIEW: Like its brother the 6125, the Xerox Phaser 6130 comes with everything for right-out-of-the-box color printing, plus expandable memory and PostScript3.

PROS:
Weighing in at 46 pounds and a height of 15”, the boxlike Phaser 6130’s has a true 15.5” x 17.5” footprint. Sitting on a normal office table, the 6130 sits at about elbow height.

In less than 14 seconds, the Phaser 6130 will start printing up to 16 black-and-white pages per minute. The selling point of this color laser comes with its speed. Using a single-pass print design, color prints can be as fast as 12ppm.

The 6130 comes with a 250-sheet cassette tray that supports up to legal-size (8½” x 14”) paper without expanding the printer’s footprint. A multi-purpose feed slot is built into the paper tray for manual feeding transparencies, labels, post cards, envelopes, 3” x 5” postcards, and paper of various bond weights up to 90 lb.

Having built-in Ethernet network support and hi-speed USB, this printer is right at home either in the middle of an office floor or directly connected to a secretary’s computer. The built-in 128MB of printer memory can be expanded up to over 1GB for handling larger and more print jobs.

Understanding the printing needs of today’s businesses in providing support for the major software applications, Xerox has included the popular HP PCL6 and Adobe PostScript3 print emulators to satisfy the most diverse office.

The intuitive control panel on the Phaser 6130 has a multi-line LCD Display, plus buttons that make manual control of the printer relatively painless. By default, it immediately shows you the toner levels for each color. The control panel, toner levels, printer information, configuration, emulation, and network settings can be performed.

The printer produces up to 52dB of sound printing, while idling at 26dB. To give you an idea of what that means: 60 decibels is the level of typical conversations and 30 decibels is the level of a quiet room. You don’t want to have this printer stationed in a conference room chugging away when a meeting is in progress. But, when placed in the copy room or in the middle of a busy office floor, any printing noises will blend in with the background.

CONS:
One of the sacrifices of a color printer is print speeds. However the Phaser 6130 has unusually slow print speeds even in B&W mode at a 600 x 600 dpi resolution. While the color print speed is impressive, a business or office that prints mostly in monochrome should invest in a separate monochrome laser printer instead of relying on the 6130 for both jobs.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The toner cartridges that come with the Phaser 6130 are only good for about 500 pages (or a lot fewer pages if you plan on doing a lot of printing photographic images). The black toner has double the print capacity of the 1,000-page color toners. To save on costs toner combo-packages are available

A side panel on the side of the 6130 provides access to the four toner cartridges. Something to consider when finding a parking space in the office for this printer.

OVERVIEW: The Sharp AL-2030 comes with a new design, a new look, and faster copying.

PROS:
At 45 pounds, the 2-in-1 (can’t really call it an “all-in-one” since it does not also have a scanner) has a footprint 25.4” x 17.5”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-2030 uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder (ADF) allows for 50 single-sided originals up to legal-size: more originals can be fed in as the level lowers. By scanning the original once and storing the image into its 8MB memory allows the AL-2030 to produce copies at the rate of 20 pages per minute and up to 99 copies. By using the high-speed USB connection to make it a shared printer, the AL-2030 can handle multiple print jobs at a speed of up to 16 pages per minute.

The AL-2030 has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 6 jumps.

One of the “gotchas” for 2-sided copying is the originals in the ADF must be single-sided. One option rather than burning through paper making the originals 1-sided is if the originals are in an electronic form to use the printer capabilities of the AL-2030 to print them from a computer as 2-sided duplicates.

The control panel for the AL-20x0 series is pretty straightforward, so you don’t need to go to the manual to figure things out. In addition to magnification, quantity, and exposure, you can control which paper tray to use and to switch to the toner save mode. Indicators blink for toner and drum replacement, and paper jams. Unfortunately, the jam indicator does not show where inside the copier the misfeed is, so you’ll have to do the sleuthing yourself.

This Sharp has a  250-sheet sliding paper trays, capable of holding either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

CONS:
The design of the AL series is primarily based to focus on copier features, not so much on the printer side. During its prime, having a 16 ppm speed was impressive for a laser printer. In truth, the touted 16 ppm speed can only be achieved at lowest resolution, but that’s the caveat for any printer specs. Don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm or more that’s typical of current monochrome laser printers.

The 250-sheet paper tray is woefully undersized for office copy use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day. And it’s also common for offices buy paper in 500-sheet reams, if not a 10-ream case. For personal and home use, a 250-sheet tray is sufficient, so long as you’re not someone whose home is their office. Having a tray that you can dump an entire ream of paper into would be something any office would invest a few extra dollars for.

The printer emulator doesn’t include PCL or PostScript, but relies on Sharp’s own proprietary emulator. For standard printing, most users won’t notice any difference in performance or print quality.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
Starter toner cartridge that comes with the AL-2030 will last for only 2,000 sheets, so it’s a good idea to place an order for more toner when you get the unit.

The AL-2030 has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. Sharp offers a choice for toner: the standard-size toner (4,000 pages at 5%), or the High-yield (6,000 pages) unit. The drum unit will need to be replaced ever 18, 000 pages or every 3rd toner replacement.

During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall longevity and print quality.

Step 1
Unplug the electrical power to the printer.

Step 2
Remove the printer cable that connects the computer to the printer.

Step 3
Remove the black and color cartridges from the printer.

Step 4
Carefully wipe the cartridges circuit board with clean, dry, soft lint-free cloth or eraser.

● Warning 1
Do not touch the circuit board with your hands. The natural oils youre your hands and fingerprints
can irreparably damage the cartridge and the printer wont be able to recognize the cartridge.

● Warning 2
Do not clean the nozzles where the ink comes out, located at the bottom of the cartridge.

Step 5
Clean the contacts on the cartridges circuit board as well as those on the cartridge cradle inside the printer with cotton swab.

Step 6
Return the cartridges to the printer and close the printer cover. If you have a Deskjet 420 or 500 series, return the cartridges to the printer and push the ink button before closing the printer cover.

Step 7
If the reset (out of paper) light ( ) or ink light ( ) turns on after closing the printer cover, the printer has recognized the cartridges. However, if the reset (out of paper) light ( ) or ink light ( ) is still blinking after closing the printer cover, it may be an indication that the cartridge has malfunctioned.

Step 8
If the printer continues to not recognize the cartridge, clean the circuit board and printer again, or replace with another cartridge.

OVERVIEW:  The first all-in-one of Sharp’s AL-1600 series, the Sharp AL-1641CS offers computer printing and scanning, as well as the original copier features found in their AL-1631.

PROS:
The 53 pound all-in-one copier has a footprint 20.4” x 19.4”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-1641CS uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder allows for 30 single-sided copies to be made up to legal-size: more originals can be fed in as the level lowers. By scanning the original once and storing the image into its 8MB memory allows the AL-1641CS to produce copies at the rate of 16 pages per minute, up to 99 copies.

The AL-1641CS has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 6 jumps.

Using either Parallel or the USB 1.1 connection, the AL-1641CS can be connected to a computer to double as a modest laser printer. In a small office, the Sharp can be set up to be a shared printer provided the computer it’s connected to remains on during the hours the printer would get used. When connected to a computer, the AL-1641CS can scan color images with resolutions up to 600 x 1,200 dpi.

The control panel for the AL-1600 series is pretty straightforward, so you don’t need to go to the manual to figure things out. In addition to magnification, quantity, and exposure, you can control which paper tray to use and to switch to the toner save mode. Indicators blink for toner and drum replacement, and paper jams. Unfortunately, the jam indicator does not show where inside the copier the misfeed is, so you’ll have to do the sleuthing yourself.

The sliding paper tray can hold up to 250 sheets of either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

This Sharp model was made for compactness, not expandability. There are no options available to increase its paper or memory capacities, nor to add network capability.

CONS:
During its prime, the 16 ppm copy speed was impressive for a small copier. In printer mode, the touted 12 ppm speed can only be achieved at lowest resolution (but that’s the caveat for any printer specs). Don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm that’s typical of current B&W laser printers.

The 250-sheet paper tray is woefully undersized for office copy use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day. And it’s also common for offices buy paper in 500-sheet reams, if not a 10-ream case. For personal and home use, a 250-sheet tray is sufficient, so long as you’re not someone whose home is their office. Having a tray that you can dump an entire ream of paper into would be something any office would invest a few more dollars for.

Printer emulator doesn’t include PCL or PostScript, but relies on Sharp’s own proprietary emulator. For standard printing,  most users won’t notice any difference in performance or print quality.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The AL-1641CS only comes with a 50-percent full toner cartridge, which will need replacing after 4 reams of paper.  The standard-yield toner can hold 4,000 pages at 5% coverage, the high-yield producing 6,000 pages.

The AL-1641CS has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. The front plate flips open, allowing for the toner, then the drum units to be accessed. Since the cartridges have to be slid out sideways, it will take a little bit of practice to get the hang of replacement.

The drum unit will need to be replaced every 18,000 pages, or on the 3rd toner change. During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall longevity and print quality.

SOFTWARE:
Included is Sharp’s own desktop document management software. The software does a decent job in giving you control of the unit’s various printing and scanning functions.

Unfortunately, the software is only for Wintel machines. Apple machines running OS 10.3 and above may be able to use the printing and scanning functions native to OS X or through 3rd party applications, like Photoshop.

OVERVIEW:  For those on a budget looking for a reliable monochrome laser printer, the Samsung ML-1740 offers no-frills, while producing sharp text printouts.

PROS:
When laser printers first came on the market, their sharp, smudge-proof ink made them the envy of anybody with a monochrome inkjet or thermal printer. However, their prices put them out of range of the home computer user. The Samsung ML-1740 provided an economic answer to an affordable laser printer.
At 17 pages per minute, this personal printer has a decent speed for a laser printer of its age. With current inkjets pushing B&W print speeds of 20 ppm, inkjets are now giving lasers a run for their money in performance.

The maximum resolution for the ML-1740 is a modest 600 x 600 dpi. This resolution is fine for creating sharp text and simple graphic images. Photographs will have a more grainy quality but still viewable.
To keep costs low and affordable, the ML-1740 comes with 8MB of memory.  8MB is large enough to print all but very detailed graphics or large Acrobat files. However problems may occur if the printer is shared across a workgroup as print jobs fill up the queue. For one office or cubicle, the ML-1740 can handle most single-user print needs.

The ML-1740 has a 250-sheet main paper tray. This is almost more than double the capacity of many other personal-use laser printers have. The tray has an adjustable rear lever to allow the ML-1740 hold 11” x 14” legal-size paper, while maintaining the same footprint on your desk. There are other Desktop laser printers with smaller footprints out there. But those often gain their small footprints by having a pull-down paper tray to temporarily add paper.  Adding the 3,000-sheet capacity toner cartridge, the ML-1740 makes maintenance in an office easier with less frequent toner and paper refills.

Speaking of paper refills, the little mechanical lever on the front of ML-1740 that indicates how much paper is in the tray is an easy, simple way to know when to refill at a glance.

The ML-1740 is one of the more quieter ML printers. It produces 50dB of sound during startup and printing, 30dB on standby, plus a sleep mode that makes the ML-1740 run silent until needed. To give you an idea on the amount of noise this means, 53 decibels is about the sound of low conversations and 30 decibels is the noise from a quiet office.
When Samsung introduced this printer on the market, USB was still new to Wintel machines and parallel the primary way to connect non-networked printers to a computer. While PC’s with a parallel interface have become few and far between, it’s nice to free up a USB port if your computer still has a parallel port. You get that choice with the ML-1740. The USB also makes it easy to connect a laptop to the printer.

CONS:
Unlike similar laser printers with 50-sheet multi-purpose trays, the ML-1740 has a 1-sheet manual feed slot. So, if you want to print 30 invitations from a Word mailing list you will have to stay by the printer feeding the envelopes one at a time.

On the top of the printer, Samsung has 1 button and 2 LEDs for your manual print controls and status indicators. Depending how long you press that button can cause your printer to perform several other functions than just “cancel”. And, if you want to know just what the various flashing LEDs are telling you, you’ll need the User’s Manual to find the flash codes. (Or you can do what I did: copy the page and taped it on the printer.) I can see Samsung wanting to follow the K.I.S.S approach to a console control, but this went past K.I.S.S.  all the way to M.I.C.K. (Made It Complex, Kretin)!

It takes the ML-1740 thirty seconds after it wakes-up to print. Add that plus the 12-second delays between print jobs, the ML-1740 has one of the longer start times of the Samsung ML series. Think of the ML-1740’s warm-up time like the old vacuum-tube T.V. sets. If you ever heard your parents or grandparents talk about how long it took TV’s to “warm-up” when they were kids, this printer will give you a rough idea what they went through.

INK / TONER NEEDS: 
The cartridge is used in the ML-1740 (the same toner used for the ML-1750 and ML-1755 printers) has a 3,000 page print capacity. On the other hand, the toner that you get with your new ML-1740 comes with toner that is only one-thirds full. So it might be a good idea to buy the full yield toner the same time you buy the printer.

SOFTWARE:
It’s nice that Samsung recognizes there are other operating systems than the one from Redmond. The CD that comes with the ML-1740 provides software support for Windows, Mac OS 8.6-9.x, and Linux operating systems. The Samsung web site offers new drivers you can download for Mac OS 10.3 up to the new 10.6 Snow Leopard systems.

Dimensions	14.2”W x 14.6”D x 7.8”H
Supported OS	Windows 9x, Me, NT, 2000, XP Mac OS 8.6 -9.x, 10.x Linux
Toner, Drum	Standard cartridge; 3,000 pages yield
Speed	17 ppm
Maximum Resolution	600 x 600 dpi
Tray Capacity	250-sheet cassette, 1-sheet slot-feed
Interface	USB 1.1, Parallel (IEEE 1284)
Memory	8MB (non-expandable)
Emulation(s)	SPL (Samsung Printer Language)
Optional features	none

   
For a cubicle or a home that needs a basic monochrome printer, the Samsung ML-1740 fills that need without costing an arm and a leg. -- Mel Myers

OVERVIEW: 
A desktop facsimile system, the Sharp FO-DC535 handles high-volume, high-distribution faxing and basic copying. Optional network attachments expand its functions to include e-mail, scanning, and printing.

PROS:
The top of this desktop machine contains the DC535’s full-house control panel. The prominent LCD display tilts from 10° to 65°, with automatic energy-saving backlighting. The pseudo-QWERTY keyboard doubles for 1-touch rapid dialing, with cover letter creation, and machine status. The lower panel has your traditional 10-key phone pad and basic menu for 2-sided faxing and copying.

For distribution lists and faster transmitting, the FO-DC535 allows programming up to 159 fax and phone numbers. It also can hold up to 20 personal phonebooks, each one password-protected and able to hold up to 75 programmable numbers. Combining the broadcasting feature with a programmed distribution list, one fax can be transmitted to up to 179 numbers (but no junk faxes, please).

With all of these features, Sharp understands there will be times when you only want to send a single fax to a single number. With Quick Scanning, a fax can be transmitted with a couple of button presses in under 2 seconds.

A speakerphone on the fax actually allows you to talk to someone before sending out or receiving a fax. If you prefer a standard phone, the back of the FO-DC535 does have a pass-through phone jack for connecting a phone without needing another wall jack.

The FO-DC535 can hold up to 750 sheets of letter-sized or legal-size paper, through a 250-sheet and 500-sheet trays. For even more capacity, a second 500-sheet tray can be attached for over 2½ reams of paper-packing capacity.

With the paper and toner capacity, it’s unlikely the FO-DC535 will ever run out of supplies. But in the case of a possible paper jam, the built-in 8MB flash memory can store about 500 pages. If a sender transmits a confidential fax, it will automatically get stored into memory until a password is entered to print it out. The Print Hold function allows you to manually send faxes to memory. This option can save on paper for overnight faxes, allowing the user to filter out spam before printing, or to prevent reading of faxes without the proper security password. There is also a “Junk Fax” blacklist for up to 50 numbers.

The FO-DC535 has transmission speeds up to 33.5Kbs for a 2-second transmission rate per page. Printing and copy speeds reach up to 16 pages per minute of 64-level grayscale images at 400 x 400 dpi resolutions. For single-feed faxing, original documents can be as small as sizes 5.8” x 5” up to 11” x 38”. Using the automatic document feeder, up to 50 letter-size or 20 legal-size pages can be scanned on both sides.

Its large paper capacity makes the FO-DC535 a fine office copier. Copying is as easy as placing the original in the feeder and pressing the “Copy” button. Resolutions of 600 x 600 dpi with settings to adjust exposure and contrast will print up to 99 copies at 16 pages per minute. You can choose if copies are to be collated or stacked.

Network options for the FO-DC535 allow for expanding its features to include scanning, printing, and e-mailing.

CONS:
With less professional fax machines capable of handling phone services that may be on the same line, it’s surprising the FO-DC535 can not support lines with services like call waiting or call forwarding.

More companies rely on digital lines for phone support, but the FO-DC535 is not compatible with digital telephone systems and must be connected into traditional analog phone line.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
Indicators on the Control Panel will indicate when 100-pages are left for the toner, 1,000 pages remaining for the drum before replacement. The drum and toner can be easily accessed through the top cover.

Sharp ships the unit with a 50% full toner cartridge that will last for about 2,000 pages.  Unless you plan to go through 4 reams of paper in a week, you will have time to order a full toner cartridge before the starter cartridge runs out.

Having the drum as a separate component reduces the overall consumables cost. The drum is good for 20,000 pages, or 4 cases of paper.

OVERVIEW:  Not too long ago, color laser printers were too expensive for even most people to justify buying one. Now that the technology has matured, prices have dropped to the point where a color laser is an affordable investment. Samsung offers for the personal user, the multi-pass CLP-315 color printer.

PROS:
At 15.2” x 12.3”, the 23-pound CLP-315 has one of the smallest footprints for a Samsung color laser. The CLP is of the few color lasers at it’s time to come in a black enclosure, with a discreet piano-black control panel making it’s overall appearance more appealing.
It takes only 35 seconds for the CLP-315 to go from cold boot to ready, with a shorter delay time than other Samsung color printers. However, since this is a multi-pass printer, color prints are 4 times slower because the paper has to go through each of the toners one at a time, making your total print time a wash.
This machine is quiet. Typically color laser printers have a tendacy to be noisier than their monochrome brothers, but at 47dB the CLP-315 prints literally above a whisper. While in idle it blends in with the background noise of a room. So, if you got to print fifty pages out at 3 a.m., you won’t be waking the entire house doing it.
At a maximum print resolution of 2400 x 600 dpi, the CLP-315 keeps text reasonably clear. It does a decent job with basic graphics, but don’t expect the photographic quality of inkjets with resolutions of 1400 x 1400 or higher.
The 32MB built-in memory allows the CLP-315 to handle larger graphics and files without appreciable printing delays. As most home users will never exceed this amount the memory is not expandable. The USB 2.0 interface allows the printer to connect to any Wintel or Mac machine.
The CLP-315 comes with a 150-sheet semi-cassette tray. Releasing a locking tab on the front of the tray extends the footprint out three more inches to hold 11” x 14” legal-size paper.  The printer can support 16 to 28-pound bond paper weights, letter or legal sizes. For printing transparencies, card stock, or envelopes requires putting the media one sheet at a time in the paper tray.
Samsung’s only provides their proprietary printing emulator. SPL-C can handle most of the print jobs home users will need, but imaging problems like “ghosting” can occur if trying to print certain Photoshop or Illustrator graphics without a PostScript print option.

CONS:
To keep costs low, the CLP-315 has no duplexing. If you want to print 2-sided, you’ll have to do it manually by turning the paper over after printing the first side. A word of advice on manual duplexing: to reduce jamming, use paper that’s at least 20# bond.
The CLP-315 prints up to 17 ppm in B&W and 4 ppm in color (remember about multi-pass color printing?). The print speed in B&W could stand to be better, especially since there are now inkjet printers that are faster than this laser. Since the CLP-315 doesn’t offer a multipurpose paper slot or flip tray, transparencies and envelopes must be put into the paper tray and printed one at a time—not the best design if you have to create several foils for presentations or using a mail list to print envelopes.
There’s a time to keep things simple, but having a single button to perform several different functions is just too much.  If the CLP-215 had a multi-line display, I could see having the single-button-does-it-all. But there are only two LEDs for communication, so it’s like having to read Morse code—or POST code from BIOS. Depending on how long the “Stop” button is pressed will perform different functions. Then there are the various flash rates and colors by the LEDs that indicate various statuses and warnings. Here are one of those times when installing the manufacturer’s monitoring software comes in handy.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
With the printer, Samsung includes 2/3-full “starter toner” cartridges. Considering full toners will only last through a couple of reams of papers, it would have been nice if Samsung topped off the toner in the first place. Order more toner as soon as you get the printer. 
The standard yield cartridges can be purchased separately, especially if the black toner gets depleted at a higher rate than the other colors. For the case of low-yield cartridges like these, it may be a good idea to get the toner in available combo-packages.
Other consumables are replacing the waste toner container every 5000 toner passes, and the imaging kit every 24,000 passes.

SOFTWARE:
The included software CD supports Window and Linux machines. The software contains basic printing features, status monitor, and an extended printer control panel.


A small footprint makes the multi-pass Samsung CLP-315 a good personal color laser for home or light office use. -- Mel Myers

Canon GENERIC "S" SERIES RESET CODE

(1) Turn off the printer.
(2) Press and hold the RESUME button, then press and hold the POWER button.
(3) Release the RESUME button, Next press and release the RESUME button two(2) more times in
succession. Note: you are still holding the POWER button). The printers carriage will "reset"
or move momentarily. If the above was properly performed the printer will enter the
"Service Mode".
(4) Press the RESUME button 4 times, this will select the clear waste ink counter function. The lamp
will alternate (change) color with each key press.
1. Service/Factory test printout, including ink sensor check.
2. EEPROM - Info printout.
3. EEPROM - Initialization.
4. Reset the Waste ink counter.
5. Printer model setting. (More selections beyond this point - However it is best leave them unaltered - You have been warned!)
After selecting the desired mode (eg 4), press the POWER button to "set" the change, and return to the top of the function selection menu. Press the POWER button again to restart the printer.

Dell is a name well known in the computer market.  It was no surprise when the company began diversifying into peripherals and consumables to support its mainstream offerings.

The Dell 3110cn is a big black box of a printer that hints at the power within.  It is a color laser printer that can service 60,000 copies per month, so it aimed squarely at businesses rather than home users.  It is a heavy duty printer, designed to handle everything the average office or workgroup can throw at it with ease.  The design is functional but reassuring, the black and silver making a nice statement next to the other, standard beige office equipment.

It performs well too.  The 3110cn produces monochrome prints at a rate of 30 page per minute and color at 17 pages per minute.  While not the fastest on the market, it is no slouch either. 

The print quality is good, even on fonts down to 3pt, at a standard resoltuion of 600dpi.  The monochrome reproduction is the real strength of the 3110cn.  While printing photographs isn’t a laser printers strength, the image quality is good enough for leaflets or brochures, with only a little dithering when translating full color pages. 

The hardware is specified to keep printing long after similar priced competitors have given up or broken down.  The 400Mhz processor and 128Mb memory is enough for even the most demanding workgroups, but the memory can be upgraded to 1Gb if necessary.  It can be connected via USB or via network as the n in 3110cn indicates.  An added feature is the opional wireless adapter that can be added to allow true wireless printing. 

The paper drawer is at the bottom fron of the machine and can handle up to 250 sheets.  There is also a 150 sheet multi-purpose drawer above it that can either be used for envelopes and other non standard materials, or in addition to the 250 sheet drawer to take it’s total capacity to 400.

Replacement toner are plentiful and most online retailers stock them.  The standard black toner can print approximately 5000 pages, and the color ones around 4000 before needing replacement.  At $99, the standard black is competitlvely priced and offers a lower cost per page than many other manufacturers on the market.

Overall, the Dell 3110cn is a solid performer. Ideally placed to fulfill the needs of the business or larger office.  It’s strong enough to cope with almost anything, and at a reasonable price point is an attractive proposition for most businesses.

The Lexmark E250dn is a compact monochrome laser printer that looks quite small but packs a quality punch.

There is a 250 sheet paper drawer, which is upgradeable to 800 with an additional 550 sheet drawer and a single slot feeder for different media. Prints are then output to a 150 sheet output slot on the top. The construction feels solid and seems built to last. Some manufacturers have a tendency to save money on paper trays or drawers, providing thin plastic affairs that don’t last long at all. No such problem with the Lexmark, or any Lexmark products that we have seen so far.

Test results pretty much what we expected from a Lexmark. While the print speed may be average, the quality of the prints were not. Out test document appeared after only a minute and a half, that’s 24 pages of a mix of text, graphs and images designed to test any printer. Text was clear and tight, with defined edges and looked good at each point. Images were surprisingly accurate with grayscale doing a sterling job of interpreting color images. Talking of speed, the E250dn can output prints at a speed of 28 pages per minute.

Standard black toner can print approximately 4500 pages before needing replacement. At $50 the black is competitively priced and offers a lower cost per page than many other manufacturers on the market. A drum will last for 25000 pages and is only a little more expensive at $70. Both of these consumables are reasonably priced which follows the trend for Lexmark.

Out of the packaging, the E250dn is a simple affair to install and configure. Its built in network port allows users to get it up and running in no time at all. It also has a USB port for single users. The only downside is the lack of an LCD screen. There are a couple of buttons and status lights, so everything else has to be adjusted through the driver.

Overall, the E250dn is a great little printer. Ideally suited to the needs of the home or small office. It’s print quality is enough to cope with almost anything, and at a reasonable price, this is an attractive proposition for the market.

OVERVIEW:  In that traditional American sprit of entrepreneurship, more and more people today are setting up their own small businesses: be it in a leased office, in the garage, or in a spare bedroom. And with every small business, there is a need to keep expenses down while you’re starting up. The Samsung ML-2510 offers speedy, sharp printouts, a decent paper capacity, and a compact size all for a price that won’t put you in the red.

PROS:
This monochrome laser (that’s what the “ML” in ML-2510 stands for), occupies an area just over one square foot on your desk or shelf.

This laser can accept a range of paper weights from 16 to 43# for both paper trays, giving its owner a wider range of paper choices than some other printer brands would allow. However, for manual 2-sided printing (you’re flipping the paper over yourself) use 20-24# weight paper to save yourself some grief.

When you flip open the door on the front of the ML-2510, it reveals the 250-sheet paper tray. The single-sheet manual feeder is above the main paper tray, for printing labels, cards, and transparencies (and make sure to use transparencies that are “laser printer safe”). The main tray can handle a variety of sizes: from postcard (3” x 5”) to legal (8 ½” x 11”). The ML-2510’s larger paper and toner capacity makes it ideal for people who rely on printing throughout the day.

For such an affordable laser printer, the ML-2510 prints extremely fast. After the initial warm-up time, letter-size paper prints at 25 pages per minute, making this one of the fastest of the ML series.

Having a maximum resolution of 1200 x 600 dpi, the ML-2510 is great for printing text and simple graphics. Photographs will have a more grainy quality, and if you are a stickler for details the ML-2510’s resolution may not have the sharpness you desire. The Toner Save feature, only available in 600 x 600 dpi resolution, still produces printouts that are clear and readable.

For small-press desktop publishers using Wintel machines, Samsung’s software CD gives advanced printing features, like booklet printing and large-format poster creation. Sorry Mac and Linux users-- you’ll have to find those features in whatever publishing software you are using to get the same results.

As expected for a printer of its price, the ML-2510 only comes with 8MB of non-expandable RAM. 8MB is more than enough for everything except but large Adobe files and graphics. Instead of the standard HP Printer Control Language (PCL) emulator, Samsung opted to use its own proprietary printer emulator, SPL. Most users won’t notice any differences in their printouts, unless they use a lot of advanced features from high-end graphic or photo-editing software.

It’s nice that Samsung recognizes there are other operating systems than the one from Redmond. Samsung provides software support for the “Big 3” (Windows, Mac OS, and Linux). Now you don’t have to be chained to one operating system just because your printer can only support one.

An external network attachment will give the ML-2510 the ability to be a network server. But without a way to increase the printer’s memory, the ML-2510 will struggle with simultaneous job requests. For the cost of the network attachment, you can upgrade to a more powerful network printer.

CONS:
This is not so much a problem with the printer, just with the printer’s users. One disadvantage to the ML-2510’s smaller size is many people think it can be wedged anywhere without regard to its ventilation needs. To keep from cooking its internal parts and to prolong the printer’s life I would recommend (1) don’t put the printer where the air-vents are going to be blocked (leave 3” - 4” clearance), and (2) turn the printer off at the end of the day. (Remember what your mother would tell you about turning the lights off when you leave a room?)

In start-up, wake-up, and in operation, the ML-2510 produces 53 dB of sound, and 35dB of noise in standby. Think of 53 decibels as the sound of low conversations and 30 decibels as a quiet office. While 53 decibels may not be loud, it is if the printer is sitting next to you chugging off 50 pages.

The ML-2510 has a 25 second wake-up delay, with a 9s delay between print jobs.  A long delay when you turn on the printer in the morning isn’t a big issue, but the ML-2510 goes automatically into a power-saving sleep mode when it’s inactive. Add all this up and the 25 ppm speed boost is lost with all the delays.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
A big disappointment is the ML-2510 ships with a toner cartridge that’s only 1/3 full. This so-called “starter cartridge” prints about 1000 pages, or 2 reams of paper. So it might be a good idea to go ahead and buy the full yield toner the same time you buy the printer.

The ML-2510 will use the same toner cartridge as the ML-2010, with a standard yield of about 3,000 pages, or six reams of paper.
The Samsung does not offer a high-capacity toner for the ML-2510.

SOFTWARE:
The ML-2510 has one of the better software packages. Not only does it have the basic printing properties for Mac and Linux systems, but for Windows users there’s also an advanced printing section that allows for booklet printing, creating a large poster mosaics, and watermarks.

Open front cover.
Press Options.
Replace Drum 1. Yes 2. No
To confirm you are installing a new drum, press 1.
When the LCD shows (Accepted), close the front cover.

OVERVIEW: 
How many of you have bought a personal printer because of it’s small size and footprint only to discover that in order to use it the printer needs at least 10 more inches just because of the horizontal paper tray or output bin? Let’s face it: the length of the paper used in printers ultimately determines the space a printer occupies. Somewhere, a smart engineer sitting in the back of a meeting said, “If horizontal space is a premium, how about using vertical space?”  After the head-slapping stopped, the Samsung ML-1430 was born.

PROS: 
Introduced in 2002, the ML-1430 is one of the first consumer-level affordable laser printers on the market. If this printer’s design looks familiar, that’s because HP also has two vertical laser printers—the 5L & 6L—that are similar in design and function.

For a small printer it carries a lot of features on its control panel. The Demo button also performs drum cleaning, and operates the manual input tray. The 1-touch Toner Save adds 40% life to toner. The cancel button doubles as a Reprint button—it will preprint the last page of the last print job.  This feature is almost like having a copier in your house and is nice when you realize you wanted multiple pages after you closed your application.

The maximum 600 x 600 dpi resolution produces sharp text and decent details on simple graphics. Photographs and higher resolution graphics will appear grainy but are suitable for publishing the community newsletter.

When the ML-1430 was first introduced to the public, the15 ppm print speed was a fairly decent speed for a laser printer. Printer warm-up time takes 30 seconds, also normal for printers of its age. The noise level on this printer 49dB when printing, 35dB when the automatic Power Save puts the printer in standby. To give you an idea on the noise level, 50dB is the level of low conversations and 40dB is whispering.

For computer connectivity Samsung offers either USB 1.1 & Parallel IEEE 1284. The slower USB speed is fine for the ML-1430’s slower print speeds.

The ML-1430 can hold up to 150 legal-size sheets in its rearward input tray, with a 1-sheet manual tray in front for envelopes, transparencies, card stock, labels. For paper versatility the ML-1430 gives you two paper feed output options. A simple flip of a switch on the printer changes feed direction from vertical to the more traditional horizontal printing for heavier paper, envelopes, and transparencies.

As expected for a printer of this type, Samsung only installed a fixed 8MB RAM for the ML-1430. 8MB is fine for text printing, but large Adobe files and graphics will fill up the ML-1430’s memory and will slow printing. There is no PostScript or even the standard HP Printer Control Language (PCL) emulator. Instead Samsung uses a proprietary printer emulator. Most users won’t notice any changes in the way things print, unless they use a lot of advanced features of professional graphic or photo-editing software.

CONS:
After about 3 years, ML-1430’s start developing a paper feed issue. Just like with the HP5L, the 2” pick-up roller band will either require cleaning or rotation. If you like to work on your own cars, getting to the roller shouldn’t be a problem. For those who don’t like to disassemble things, usually keeping the feed tray full seems to bypass the feeder problem.

Due to the age of this printer, software support for Macs is only available for OS System 8.6 to 9.x. If you still have the choice of running Classic on your OS X, the ML-1430 should be able to still run.

INK/TONER NEEDS:
1000-sheet starter toner comes with printer is less than half the capacity of the 2,500 page standard cartridge. Unless you plan on going through two reams of paper in a week, the starter cartridge should last long enough while you order a regular yield toner.

SOFTWARE:
The CD comes with basic printer drivers for the printer to run on Windows and Linux operating systems.
Samsung no longer offers OS X support for this printer, but you may be able to find other web sites with copies of the original drivers.