Samsung ML-1670

The Samsung ML-1670 is a very small black & white laser printer. Its main characteristics are that it's very compact and can print content via the 'print screen’ button. Designed to handle 5000 pages a month, it will suit individual users (those who don’t print very much won’t even need to change the cartridge) and small companies.

Hardware

Its extraordinary size (34.1 x 22.4 x 18.4 cm) and feather weight (4 Kg) class it in the category of light, ultra-compact machines. Its 8 MB of memory will be plenty enough for the individual user. In any case, you can’t share it in a network or via wi-fi: it simply plugs in via USB to one computer (any operating system: Mac, Windows, Linux).
Naturally, in this small volume you can’t expect to find a multitude of features. There's no scanner, copier or fax, no colour, no double-sided feature, no PCL language and no PS3. Its paper loader has been designed to take various formats (A4, A5, A6, envelopes...) and contains 150 pages.

                         Printer controls

It does however have the original and functional ‘print screen’ button (you can see the icon above) that we saw previously on the Samsung ML-1665. You can select the area to be printed on your computer screen with just one click using the AnyWeb Print software that comes with the printer. It’s simple, practical and clever and saves on toner and paper! What’s more, you can even avoid having to print this information, by saving it in various formats, including PDF. A printer that saves on printing! We like!

The ‘print screen’ feature

 

Speed

The ML-1670 does indeed give the 16 pages per minute announced by Samsung. This is very slightly down on the Samsung ML-1865W (18 ppm) and the Canon i-SENSYS LBP6000 (19 ppm).

Quality

It's very slightly better than the ML-1665. Its resolution can be increased from 600 x 1200 dpi to 1200 x 1200 dpi. The results are good, with sharp, legible characters that will be plenty good enough for pro documents, though there is a slight print head line.

Energy consumption & Noise levels

The printer consumes less than 2 Watts in standby and 250 Watts when printing, which is very low for a laser. The ML-1670 is also quite quiet at 49 dB(A).

Cost per page

It may surprise you to know that the replacement cartridge costs almost as much as the printer! However it isn’t a good idea to buy a replacement printer instead of a replacement cartridge as the cartridge supplied with the printer isn’t full. It’s what’s known as a starter cartridge and only has a lifespan of 700 pages instead of 1500…

Once you’ve installed your new cartridge, it’ll give you a cost per page of 3.1 pence, which is above average for a laser.

However, many of those who buy this printer will only use it occasionally for short documents and 1500 pages is more than enough for such a user.

ISO lifespan for text