One of things that has been holding me back from investing in a multifunction laser printer is the fact that these things are typically pretty gargantuan, especially if you want a laser printer with color. These machines are even bigger if you must have a flatbed scanner rather than the paper shredder-style ones that try to keep the girth down to a minimum. The Samsung CLX-2160N multifunction laser printer may be marketed as the world’s smallest color laser MFP, but don’t let that fool you. It’s a heck of a lot bigger than most desktop printers. At the same time, it’s a heck of a lot more powerful too.
What Functions Make it a Multifunction
For me, I just need a printer to print. I want it to print quickly, clearly, and filled with vibrant colors. For other people, particularly those who run home offices in the smallest of spaces, multifunctions are obviously the way to go, because you just don’t have room to stash several different devices in such a small room.
The Samsung CLX-2160N has three core functionalities:
- Print: The spec sheet claims that this thing will print up to 17ppm in black (letter) and 3ppm in color with a maximum effective resolution of 2400 x 600 dpi. It’s also notable that you can connect this printer either through a conventional USB cable or through a network via Ethernet.
- Copy: Compared to industrial-sized copy machines, the CLX-2160N is clearly much more compact, but it’s also a heck of a lot slower. This is due partly because it can do color as well. They say that the first black-and-white copy is produced in 18 seconds, whereas the first color copy takes 45 seconds. The ID function, which prints both sides of an ID card on a single piece of paper without re-feeding, is quite handy.
- Scan: Don’t expect to scan items that are much larger than a standard letter-sized piece of paper. It’ll do 1200 x 600 dpi, but this can be “enhanced” up to 4800 x 4800 dpi. I like how the scanned image can be saved onto a USB memory device directly instead of having to go through a computer (which it can also do).
I do find it interesting that Samsung didn’t include some sort of fax functionality in this machine, but I guess in the day and age where everybody relies on email, faxing has become less of a priority. Even so, it’s something that I would have liked to see in a multifunction printer clearly designed for use in small offices.
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Speed and Quality
As described above, the claimed print speed for black and white documents is 17 pages per minute. Obviously, much like the battery lives on cell phones or the song counts on MP3 players, this figure is grossly inflated by the manufacturer compared to real world tests. In order to achieve that rate, you’ll likely need to dial it down to a draft quality level and the keep the detail to a minimum.
More specifically, when I tried to print a 41 page PDF file, the printing process — I started the timer when I heard the printer hum to life — took three minutes and 45 seconds. This works out to a rate of almost 11 pages per minute. That’s not quite up to the claim of 17, but I suppose it’s still acceptable for a home-based business.
In terms of quality, the colors are rich and vibrant. Even when printing photographs on non-photo paper, I was quite impressed with the detail and contrast achieved with this laser printer. On the downside, the heads did not appear to be completely clean, because there were unsightly black smears on several sections.
Presumably, if one were to go through a head cleaning process, this problem would be alleviated, but seeing how I was using the printer in brand new condition, I shouldn’t have experienced the problem in the first place.
On a side note, you can use the USB port on the front to print photographs directly. There isn’t much in terms of customization, but it’s a handy feature in a pinch. Unfortunately, the USB port cannot be used to print Word or PDF documents. Again, this would have been a nice feature to include.
Lots of Toner
Compared to the ink cartridges that you get with most consumer level printers, the toner cartridges included for the Samsung CLX-2160N multifunction printer are huge. Naturally, they are separated into four cartridges — black, blue, red, and yellow — each of which are housed in a large cylinder.
I’m not sure what kind of capacity you can expect from these cartridges, but I’d imagine that you’d get quite a bit of printing out of them. I guess that makes sense for a high volume office. Changing cartridges is also very easy, because the cylinders sport a handle at the end that makes them easy to pull out (and put in).
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A Few Paper-Based Shortcomings
The paper tray is actually quite small. Based on my estimates, it seems that you can only fit about 200-250 sheets in there at most. This is unfortunate, because it means that if you do a lot of printing, you’ll be replacing the paper tray quite often. I feel that for a machine like this, there should have been enough room for a full ream of 500 sheets.
Also, where the printed paper comes out is also quite small. Unlike most photocopiers, the copy does not shoot out the top of the Samsung MFP; the flatbed scanner apparently gets in the way. The paper shoots out the front and the extension tray is very short. At the end is a small flip-out portion that prevents your print-outs from flying onto the ground below.
Conclusion
Setting up this network printer is relatively straightforward, but it would have been appreciated if it was completely plug-and-play when used via a USB connection. You’ll have to use the installation CD to load up the appropriate drivers and software.
Print quality and speed were quite good, but I found the printer to be pretty loud at times and it can give off a fair amount of heat. Also, if you’re accustomed to a consumer-sized printer, this laser multifunction printer is certainly going to take some time to get used to. It needs a fair bit of desk real estate. By contrast, if you’re used to giant Xerox or something similar, the Samsung CLX-2160N will feel like a chihuahua.
Pros
- Great color reproduction and decent speed
- Unique USB quick access port
- Easy setup and installation
- Large toner cartridges are easy to replace
- Network ready
Cons
- Can get quite warm and loud
- Warmup time can be annoying
- Small paper tray and output tray
- Feels very large for most consumers
Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
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