Review : Samsung CLX-3175FN
Samsung is one of those companies that has the ability to spring surprises from time to time. They did it earlier with their piano styled black printers and the latest multi-function colour laser printer, CLX-3175FN has plenty to offer. For starters, its footprint is comparable to an inkjet printer rather than any other laser printer. Weight is also under control at just over 33 pounds.
This Samsung laser printer prints, scans and faxes, even over a network; additionally doubles up as a standalone fax machine, copier, and e-mail sender. Users can directly scan-to or print-from USB drives through a USB slot provided in the front portion of the printer. Surprisingly, the CLX-3175FN also features a PictBridge port which is an oasis for laser printers.
Output quality generally is good, but the monochrome output is below par when compared with other laser printers. Graphics output was better with fully saturated colour and solid fills. When observed carefully, white gaps were found between blocks of colours which can upset perfectionists. Photo printing was good enough for a laser printer but colour imbalances were observed on monochrome photo outputs.
Printing speed is below par for a laser printer. Samsung claims that the printer can output 17ppm for monochrome and 4ppm for colour. During the tests, the actual printing speeds were 13ppm and 2ppm respectively.
The printer is priced just over £200 and the array of features it offers, lures customers into buying it. Great features, yet ordinary outputs can eventually put off many potential buyers. At the end of the day, it’s the output from a printer that matters rather than all the other things that it can perform. A good blend of features and outputs would be ideal for any consumer.
About the author:
Abhinav has been blogging about printing and related technologies on CreativeCloud for several years. He is also a project manager for a large technology company.
Share your thoughts, leave a comment!
(get your own gravatar)