Samsung ML-1630W Laser Printer

Another quiet, fast, efficient, and cool-looking laser printer from Samsung. While it's networkable via a wired or a wired network, it doesn't offer any other conveniences, such as a copier or scanner, and I had more trouble getting the networking to work than with other networkable printers. It does what it does very well, with extremely sharp prints, but to me it was a triumph of form over substance, and I'd prefer a wireless laser printer that at least provided a copy or scan option. That said, if all you need to do is print in black and white, you won't find a better-looking machine to do it!

Samsung has taken laser printers in a new direction, at least in terms of style. This monochrome laser printer has a small footprint (13"x14.8"x4.8") and comes in a glossy black finish with buttonless touch panels. Instead of irritating alarms, it emits a cool chirping noise (that helps the printer keep quiet, and it is quiet) while blue LED lights flash different patterns. All in all, you'd be happy to see this on your desk.

It prints as fast as a laser printer should. First pages took about 15 seconds but after that, pages from a large PDF file took just over three seconds each. As it should be, print quality is excellent, with extremely crisp and sharp fonts.

The 1630W is networkable, with built-in wireless networking. The printer comes with a network cable, which I appreciate. But I had less-than-good luck getting the networking configurations set up, with the Samsung software unable to identify the printer on the network. Anyone in the market for a low-end laser printer is not likely to have a dedicated IT staff person to figure out how to get things running; and in tests with other wireless printers, in particular those from Brother, I've not run into this situation before.

What else can be said about this printer? Not much, because it doesn't do anything else. If you need to scan or copy, figure on having a second machine (or opt for another monochrome laser printer). Like another Samsung printer I recently reviewed, the SCX-4500, this line of printers wouldn't be my first choice since the lack of an automatic duplex option is, to me, a serious drawback (you can do manual duplexing on these units, of course), since I tend to print a lot. For somewhere around $200, I'd opt instead for a monochrome laser printer that has those options--and maybe allowed me to copy as well.