Low-Budget Printer with High Quality Performance
Pros:
Inexpensive; Great Prints, Scans, and Copies; Fast Printing Speeds; Relatively Compact
Cons:
No Auto-Duplex (double sided printing); no fax functionality
The Bottom Line:
This printer is incomparable due to it's incredibly low price while deliver high-quality performance. No fax functionality so it's not for large businesses, but perfect for small businesses and homes.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The Samsung SCX-4200 delivers great prints at a surprising price. Compared to other higher-priced brands, such as Dell, Canon or Lexmark, it produces equal print quality and speed.
The design of the printer is great for dorms, as it is compact, yet comes with enough features to do its job and do it well. However, its LCD screen has limited functions, and isn't back lit, so it may hard to see in darker conditions. It will fit on pretty much any desk, and print just as well as other printers that are much more boxy and space-consuming - great for a small office or home.
The printer come with a 1,000-page cartridge, but replacement cartridges can print up to 4,000 pages, which can get for about 70-100 dollars, depending on how thoroughly you shop. To save money, the printer has a toner-save mode that reduces the amount of toner used on each print, but it also reduces the print quality. In addition, the drum lasts much longer than a toner cartridge does, so it's wise to buy a drum kit separately.
The printer also comes with a variety of features made for basic businesses and offices. You can scan, print, and copy with great quality on all three. Also, there are special options, such as enlargement, shrinking/reduction, and darkening. The only thing that may be a drawback is that the scanning process must be done through the computer. Other than that, basically any work you'll have to do with paper, this printer can handle it with clear scans, crisp copies, and sharp printing. 2 features that this printer lacks is fax functions, but that's only important to certain individuals, like if you're in a large business, and auto-duplex, so double-sided print will have to be done manually.
Overall, you can't go wrong with this printer - it's cheap (roughly $150), reliable, produces with quality in all 3 of it's functions, and even compact in size. What it lacks in a few features, it makes up for in quality and price. If you're not going to be making double-sided prints or faxing documents, this printer will be perfect.
