Other Special Copy options include Auto Fit, where the original is reduced or enlarged to fit the paper in the cassette; ID Card Copy, where you can have both sides of an original printed on the same side (you'll be prompted to flip the original to complete the scan); 2-up copying, which is much like ID Card Copy, but fits two originals on one sheet (this option reduces the originals by 50 percent); and poster printing, wherein the original is enlarged so that it fits nine sheets of paper in a 3x3 layout.
To scan a document, you must initiate the scan using your PC. You can use any TWAIN-compliant program, such as Photoshop, the Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) driver, or Samsung's SmarThru software that comes on the CD. If you use the SmarThru software, you can select how you want to use the completed scan. You can open it in an application such as Photoshop, attach the scan to an e-mail, save it to a designated folder, open it using Optical Character Recognition (this allows you to edit scanned text documents), or upload it directly to a Web site (you'll need to provide a URL and a login/password if necessary). Output options include bitmap, TIFF, JPEG, and PDF. And while the printer itself can only output monochrome documents, the scanner can replicate either monochrome or color documents.
Performance
Predictably, the Samsung SCX-4200 was a little slower at most tasks than its higher-priced competition (we haven't reviewed any mono laser multifunctions in the same price range as the Samsung recently, so we can't compare to its direct competitors at the moment). It printed black text at a rate of 13.42 pages per minute, as opposed to the 17.75ppm posted by the Dell 1815dn and the 17.13ppm posted by the Lexmark X340n. It did a little better with mono graphics: 14.29ppm. It did, however, beat both the Dell and the Lexmark at grayscale scans: 5.62ppm vs. 4.85ppm from the Dell and 4.12ppm from the Lexmark. Color scans were a tiny bit slower, at 4.95ppm.
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What the Samsung SCX-4200 lacked in speed, it made up for in quality. The text prints were of excellent quality: sharp and legible down to very small point sizes (2 pts). The only thing we found issue with was the darkness: we would have preferred for the text to be blacker. The mono graphics/text document was also pleasing, with sharp details. Large patches of gray were covered in a faint crosshatch pattern, but this is common among laser printers. The grayscale scan didn't fare quite so well, though it was serviceable. The white end of the grayscale was overblown, resulting in lost detail in highlights. It fared better in the color scans, with good color reproduction, smooth curves, and sharp details. Overall, we were pleased with the printer's output quality, especially for the price; it should suffice for most small office environments.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Service and support
Samsung backs the SCX-4200 with an industry-average one-year warranty. Toll-free phone support is available every day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. Ideally, we'd like to see 24/7 phone support, but having support available every day is nothing to sniff at. Samsung's Web site has helpful FAQs that deal with general questions, such as how to network a printer and what types of paper you can use with a laser printer. The site also offers a download center with user manuals, drivers, and software, along with a guide to consumables and accessories.
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Samsung SCX-4200:
