Samsung ML-1630

The Samsung ML-1630 mono laser printer is the printer-only version of the multifunction SCX-4500 we just reviewed. Eye-catching aesthetics aside, it's a standard $200 mono laser multifunction. Its value proposition is similar to that of the SCX-4500-- not great. Unless your highest priority in a printer is its looks, you can get more for your money--in both features and print speeds--with a model like the Lexmark E250d or the Samsung ML-2571N. It should be noted, too, that the ML-1630 is available exclusively through the Apple Store (both online and in-store) through January 2008, so don't bother looking for this printer on discount elsewhere until the partnership ends.

The ML-1630 features the same body as the SCX-4500, minus the scanning unit. It sits 13.1 inches wide, 14.8 inches deep, and just 4.8 inches tall. Because it's just a printer, its control panel is even simpler than the basic one on the SCX-4500. It consists simply of touch-sensitive power and cancel buttons. When you print, a blue LED display lights up, showing how many total pages were printed. It uses the same 100-page paper cassette, clear plastic output arm, and toner cartridge as the SCX-4500. The printer ships with a 1,000-page starter cartridge, but the $70 replacement toner cartridge is good for about 2,000 prints. This works out to a per-page print cost of approximately 3.5 cents, a bit high for a mono laser.

As far as features go, $200 mono lasers don't generally come with a lot of bells or whistles, and the ML-1630 is no different. A couple of exceptions include the Lexmark E250d, which comes with an autoduplexer, and the Samsung ML-2571N, which comes network-ready.

Compared to similarly priced mono laser printers, the ML-1630 sits in the middle of the pack. It scored 13.29 pages per minute (ppm) for text and 13.48ppm for graphics, slightly faster in both tests than the HP LaserJet 1020. Its text speeds were on par with the text speeds from the Dell 1720, but the Dell outpaced it in graphics with a score of 21.59ppm. Interestingly enough, the Samsung ML-2571N--another $200 mono laser printer from Samsung--outscored it by a mile: 16.71 pages per minute for text and 18.19 pages per minute for graphics.

In terms of print quality, the ML-1630 kept up with the competition. Its black text prints were clean and sharp, and the black graphics prints were detailed and sharp, as well. We did notice some minor compression in the dark end of the grayscale, but nothing too bad. All of the $200 mono lasers we compared here offer similar print quality.

Samsung backs the ML-1630 printer with a standard one-year warranty. Toll-free phone support is available 24-7. Samsung's site also has downloadable software and drivers, manuals, and FAQs, though currently there are no FAQs specific to this model.

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