Samsung SCX-4300 Toner Cartridges
(and other items)

 

The Samsung SCX-4300 is a laser printer that can quickly and effortlessly handle text documents, but with repeated graphics printing, runs into some problems with grey patches. This mono printer sticks to what Samsung claims it will do: print quickly and in bulk. The USB 2.0 connection for the computer allows for rapid communication between devices, and even the scan function yields fast results. While optimal for home use, the scan and copy functions mean that this printer is adequate for small business use.

Design

The SCX-4300 looks sleek and professional; its black facade with LCD display and 16-button control panel looks equally fitting at home or in the office. The LCD panel, unfortunately, is not backlit, but can still be read clearly under normal lighting. While it sits a bit wider than other standard A4 printers, this saves space in the width of the device, and accommodates the left-to-right scanner in a compact fashion. Unlike most printers, the top of the scanner does not swing up, but instead has a spring-loaded mechanism to lift the cover just enough to insert a single sheet of paper. There is a pull-out extension for printed pages, but this isn't necessary to keep pages from dropping from the printer with small print loads. The generous feed tray has a 250 sheet capacity, and there is a single sheet loading slot at the bottom for special print jobs.

Advantages

The speed of this printer approaches 14 pages per minute (pages per minute) for text-heavy print jobs, which is a rare example of print speed approaching the manufacturer's claims, in this case, 18 pages per minute. The cost of the printer itself and the cost of supplies means that the SCX-4300 is an affordable and reliable machine. The control panel and LCD displays are easy to navigate, meaning that the printer can be used right out of the box with minimal prior knowledge of the SCX-4300's features.

Disadvantages

The included printer cartridge only prints about 1,000 pages, which is about half of the capacity of most cartridges. With graphic-intensive grey scale print jobs, there is a tendency toward banding and grey patches in the middle of the image, leading to sub-par pictures. Printing scans of grey scale images usually gives lacklustre results, with even more banding and patches than print jobs from the computer.