Customer Reviews

Samsung SCX-4500 Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This printer is smaller than I thought. It is about the size of a small desktop PC. It is rather "cool" looking printer. If you are trying to make a fashion statement with your printer, then this printer does its job.

Its small size comes with one noticeable compromise: a small paper tray that can only hold 75-100 sheets. It is not built to be a large volume printer and even infrequent use may result in filling the paper tray more than one desires. It can, however, print at a fast speed and at a good quality (600 dpi) resolution. The copier function is easy to use (press the copy button) and works reasonably well, and is good for low volume copying. I had no problems copying a 20 page document and it processed each copy in less than 5 seconds. The copy quality was on par with standard office copy machines.

The refill tray is expensive (about $70) and only prints about 2000 pages. That comes to around 3.5 cents per page. That is somewhat high.

One thing of note, this printer does not have a fax capability. So it is not all-in-one laser printer.

I recommend this printer to those who need a reasonably good laser printer/copier in a small form factor. If you need a high volume printing/copying machine which prints at a low print/cent ratio, then I would look elsewhere.

PROS:

-Text is crisp
-Printer/Scanner is super quiet
-Light, and relatively small foot print
-Eye candy. It's no eyesore like most MFPs.

CONS:

-No fax.
-No duplex printing.
-No wireless.
-No envelope printing support
-Only comes with a 1000 page "starter" toner cartridge. Replacement cartridges yield 2000 pages.

OTHER:

At $300, I would have never purchased this printer. $250 made it slightly more bearable. I knew of all aforementioned disadvantages/cons before buying, but still decided it was a worthwhile investment. I just listed them for the curious.

Wireless capability and maybe a duplex add-on would be nice, though, and probably expected in this price range.

MAC Users:

Download the latest drivers/applications from Samsung's website, if you want the "scan-to-file" button to work.

I bought this model about two weeks ago and heavily using it since than. Shortly, I'm happy with it. Here are the details :

The Good :
-Sleak, stylish design for people who are tired of low material quality and same beige/gray looks
-Very quiet operation

The Bad :
-Price. It is $300 right now and its qualifications don't worth the tag. Printers in that price level have wireless and fax capability (but not the looks, well it's a trade off in this case)
-Limited paper storage
-Not really small. (still smaller than most, but it is not really a compact printer as I assumed).

As I noted, overall I'm happy with the printer as I paid for the looks. One other thing which bothered me is, it doesn't come with connection cable. After paying premium buck, I would expect to get the cable with the printer.

---<<< The Good >>>---

IT'S GORGEOUS. This has got to be the most attractive, stylish printer ever manufactured. Piano gloss black. Subtle blue lights glow from underneath the black glass to count copies, indicate functions, etc. The buttons ARE the blue lights, you just touch the glass to activate the button. Slick. It makes my office desk look very very sharp.

IT'S QUIET. The thing just issues a whisper and a whoosh and out shoots the print job. I actually ENJOY hearing it print. It emits soothing, gentle chime-like sounds when it boots up, shuts down, finishes a job, and so forth.

IT'S FAST. It takes a few seconds to warm up on the first page, then the pages just fly out.

IT'S COMPACT. The footprint is barely larger than the 8.5 x 11 paper it uses. Just a few inches tall.

IT'S EASY TO LOAD PAPER. It's got a physical button (the only physical button) you push to kick out the tray.

IT'S RELIABLE. I haven't had a single issue so far. Out of the box, plug it up, follow the quick start/initialization steps, install the software and good to go ever since, 100%. Very easy/intuitive so far. Not a single paper jam.

AND I STOLE IT. My local Best Buy was dumping it NIB for about $140. [ BB was actually asking much more for the exact same model withOUT the scanner, since that one wasn't discounted to clear. Crazy, huh? ] Then I had a standing BB coupon for another $20 off. Plus it kicked me over for my quarterly BB reward.

---<<< The Bad >>>---

Not SO bad, really, considering all the positives.

I really wish it could do color.

It doesn't fax.

It looks like cost per page ain't gonna be so nice.

I got it cheap, but at the going street price, you're paying a lot for the look of the thing.

The toner cartridge provided in the box is intentionally only half full.

They didn't include the USB cable in the box.

It doesn't hold much over 70 sheets of paper.

The part of the scanner software that converts scans to PDF has a bug in it. (It won't crop the entire glass scan.) I had to download some TWAIN-compliant shareware (called SoftiPDF) to use instead. The Softi software automatically recognized the printer.

The scanhead lets out a horrid groan about half way through the pass.

The print job just flops out on the desk or floor unless you slip in the flimsy paper tray/catch, which is in the way and/or gets knocked off if you leave it in. So I keep it in a drawer and slide it in before every job then put it away again when done.

---<<< The Ugly >>>---

I'll let you know when I have to cough it up for the first replacement toner cartridge. When I looked a while back, $50 to $70 was the going rate. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a cheaper, recharged one by the time I need it.

---<<< Bottom Line >>>---

If you want a stylish look, can do without color print ... and you can live with the price ... look no further, this is your printer.

Samsung SCX-4500 Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer

I love this printer! Everytime I use it, I look at it & smile. I am a writer & a teacher & have used a Samsung basic b&w laser printer for years. I bought it for [...] after a [...] and put a new cartridge in every six months. I had a separate Visioneer scanner and an Epson MF printer with copy & fax capability. All serviceable technology but so "blah & functional looking."

Last year, I replaced my old computer with a HP Pavillion Slimline Desktop with a Pocket Media Drive; recycled my scanner & Samsung & Epson Printer and purchased this Smasung SCX - 4500.( I knew what I wanted & am a patient, crafty shopper so I pounced when the price was right & bought it for [...].!) And I am thrilled!! They are both elegant & highly functionally. The Pocket Media drive is a joy and the printer is so QUIET...SO QUIET!! It has this soft little woosh sound when it is doing its thing.

If your desk is in a family area or bedroom nook, this is tecnology you can enjoy displaying. This is not a workhorse machine but there are plenty of those on the market. The small 100 sheet paper tray is a small trade off for the advantages.

I am a 65+ senior woman, who has owned computers since the early 1980's. I am not a notebook person but do appreciate all the mobility featues of small, lightweight, smart looking gadgets. This printer has a small footprint, is lightweight and great looking!

Note: I no longer use a fax as I scan & e-mail documents.

For whatever reason, printer manufacturers have ignored the almost universal trend across technology companies and products of adding a sense of style to their merchandise. TVs, Ipods, computers, you name it, have all kept up with the consumer demand for style, but printers never did...until now. Quite simply, this a great printer. It takes up minimal desk space and has a sleek sense of style (black piano finish, blue lit digital controls, etc...not an orange "stop" button or gray plastic paper feeder to be found!) It is simple to use, produces fast, high quality pages and has never once caused me any functional problems. It is hands down the best personal multi-function printer I have ever owned and would recommend it to anyone who cares about function AND form.

The scans and prints from this machine have been excellent. The very compact footprint and crisp appearance are both important features to me - allowing me to overlook the admittedly less than optimal paper tray size and lack of envelope printing mentioned in other reviews. The speed of the prints is very good and the prints are very good - both for line art and gray scale images.

Nice looking and compact product. Print and scan quality is on par with the rest of all-in-one "group". Works with VISTA-64 and it DOES print envelops.

Besides the usual excellent attributes, the machine is beautiful, good-looking enough to earn a spot in our kitchen.Samsung SCX-4500 Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer

Finally a printer nice looking enough to not hide in an office. I just had to download Snow Leopard drivers from:
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/office/printers-multifunction/black-and-white-multifunction-printers/SCX-4500/XAA/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=support
Only complaint is I wish it were network ready.