Samsung SCX-3205W

Samsung's SCX-3205W is what we call a three-in-one multifunction printer: it prints, scans and copies.  It's a 1200 dpi black-and-white laser that prints at speeds of 16 pages per minute.

It can be connected to wireless and wired networks, and, according to the spec, runs quietly, making just 49 dB while printing/-.
 
Hardware

In the past, setting up Samsung's printers to work on a wireless network was a very complicated business, but the manufacturer claims that 'it's over' that.  Just one press of the WPS button on the front and the printer should configure everything automatically.  In reality, we found it was a real improvement, even if we did have to go back and try again a few times.  Basically, you have to start off by configuring the printer using a USB cable, then set up over WiFi by pressing the WPS button from time to time and that's supposed to be it.  We managed to print wirelessly from two different machines, but it was a bit of a struggle and we didn't always understand what was going on ...

This printer's two other innovations are an Eco button-which reduces two A4 pages to A5 and prints them side-by-side on a single sheet-and its ID Copy feature, which can copy the front and back of an official document like a driver's licence on a single page.

We liked the 'Print screen' option available in the software, which allows you to adjust the layout of a page yourself, removing any info you don't need.  On the 3205 (the version without wireless), this feature even gets its own button on the front, but here the WPS button replaces it.



Speeds

Samsung claims that its printer can reach speeds of 16 pages per minute, and, although we only reached 15 ppm, that's more than fast enough for a small team, who will also be able to benefit from the 128 MB of memory.

There are two disappointments though:

1. this model doesn't do double-sided printing
2. as we mention in the inset, this printer starts work quickly once it's warmed up, but the first page can take a while to arrive if it's been on standby.

Quality

The 1200 dpi resolution that this printer offers is high, and more than you'd normally get on a printer like this, and bodes well for the quality.  The results aren't quite as good as we'd expected, mostly because it struggles to produce smooth gradients.  Text is very sharp, but lighter areas of graphics and photos often look over-exposed, which wipes out some of the detail along the way.


Scanner & Copier

As is so often the case with Samsung, the scanner is a bit of a disappointment.  It misses some of the detail in photos and changes the colours, especially with red tones.  We measured a discrepancy of 12%.

The quality of photocopied documents naturally suffers as a result.  But at least it's quick: an A4 copy takes ten seconds or so.

Energy Consumption & Noise Levels 

Samsung claimed noise levels 49 dB and we measured 51 dB, but that's still a decent result for a laser printer.

The same is true of the 3205W's energy consumption: 282 W while printing and 4 W on standby really isn't much for a laser and we were impressed.  You should still bear in mind that an inkjet uses 1 W on standby and less than 20 W while printing.


Cost per page

Like so many others, this printer ships with a starter cartridge that isn't full: you only get enough toner for 700 pages, but the replacement cartridges offer 1500 for a price of £47.  That works out at a cost per page of X.Y p, which, although a little pricey for a laser printer is about what we'd expect from an entry-level product like this one.

Toner	Price	Lifespan	Cost per page
MLT-D1042S	£47	1500	3.1 p