Samsung ML-1640 Mono Laser Printer Review
The ML-1640 model is the successful model of Samsung’s budget monochrome printers. The ML-1640 is a sleek and compact solution for all your speed, performance and design needs. In the following review, we have a detailed look at each of the feature of this laser printer.
Compact design:
The main campaign feature of the printer is in its design. It looks very sleek and compact and also possesses a very stylish design. It has a matte black finish which is the current trend in the market. Its elegant looks adds beauty and style to the place where it is kept. The simple looks of the laser printer with no gimmicks compliments its ease of use. It has just three controls and indicators, it has a light for power and data, another light for indicating “Low Toner’ and a button for canceling the print operation. One-button print job cancellation helps you correct even volume.
Connectivity and set-up:
The only way by which an external source like PC can establish a connection with the Samsung ML-1640 Mono Laser Printer is via the USB2.0 interface which is located in the left panel in the rear side of the laser printer. In the right hand side of the rear is the kettle head power connection. The set up of the printer is extremely easy and the installation of the given software can be done very quickly as it is simple and fast. Samsung has equipped ML-1640 with a combined drum and a toner cartridge and it has also included a long articulated handle using which you can manipulate the cartridge to the back of the printer within the case. This system does not make you feel much comfortable.
No dust protection:
In order to print, you will have to unfold the output paper support from the top surface and fold down the front flap which acts as the paper feed tray. There is one disadvantage with this kind of design that is, if you will need to keep Samsung ML-1640 Mono Laser Printer ready for printing at any time, the input tray has to be kept open without any dust cover. Many of the low budget entry level printers come at least with a detachable cover and the cheap Canon i-SENSYS LBP-3100 comes with a built-in dust protection.
Compatibility:
Supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, various Linux OS and Mac OS 10.3 ~ 10.5.
Tray capacities:
The capacity of the input paper tray is 150 sheets and the capacity of the outlet tray is 100 sheets. You will be able to notice lot of quirks with the printer. One of them is that, the Samsung ML-1640 catches the trailing edge of the preceding sheet and pushes it out of the tray when the pages are fed to the top paper tray.
Good print speed:
Samsung claims the printing speed of the machine to be 16ppm for A4 and 17ppm for letter size. This specification is quite true, but you will not get this rate of printing straight away. The print speed of ML-1640 increases as the job increases. For instance, ML-1640 prints 5 sheets in 30 seconds but 20 pages in 84 seconds and so on. You will be able to achieve the speed that is specified in the specs when you have a job of around 100 sheets. In a situation where few minutes passed from previous printing, you will have to spend some time waiting for first sheet of next printing job to be printed. Reason for this is that, after every pause in printing process ML-1640 needs a noticeable period of time for warming up.
Toner Save Mode:
Samsung has employed the Toner Save Mode feature to ML-1640, which allows you to save up to 30% on toner while still producing high quality prints. It also means less frequent toner changes. Printing options let you save paper by printing 2-up, 4-up, even up to 16-up on one page.
Excellent print quality:
For a monochrome laser printer costing less than £100, the print quality is very good. The text quality is very precise and there is very little signs of any shaky texts. Coming to the grayscale graphics, they are well reproduced too and offers clear classification of the colours. In case of grayscale slight banding can be seen but you would not be able to notice it as it is, it can be seen only if it is searched for. The texts over greyscale fills show up well. Samsung ML-1640 Mono Laser Printer has a maximum print resolution of 1200×600dpi which makes the mono images printed very grainy. But the details produced by the printer is so good that the prints can be used for both internal and external documentation purposes.
Cost of operation:
The cost of printing in Samsung ML-1640 is about 25% higher than that of the Canon model. The overall cost of printing is quite high for a monochrome laser printer. On the other hand, this printer like all other monochrome laser printers from the same category should be avoided if you have in mind large printing jobs on monthly basis. That is because these models are neither robust nor economical enough for this type of exploitation.
The package:
Usually a standard cartridge prints 1500 pages but Samsung, like many other manufacturers of low cost printers has just offered a started cartridge which has a capacity of just 700 pages. We cannot actually complain over this because ML-1640 Mono Laser Printer is a budget home office printer, but what we do have to say is that Samsung could have mentioned the toner capacity, right over its page. The software that is bundled with the printer includes the Dr. Printer diagnostic and a driver that supports watermarks and overlays and instructions for manual duplexing. All the documents provided are very easy to use and understandable too.
Warranty:
Samsung ML-1640 Mono Laser Printer comes with one year standard warranty.
Verdict:
Samsung ML-1640 Mono Laser Printer is a compact sleek printer that suites you home office the best. The print speed is pleasing and the quality of the mono texts and greyscale graphics are excellent. The absence of dust cover is a disadvantage to this printer. Though the initial cost of buying the printer is less, the operational cost is high. We recommend Samsung ML-1640, but you could compare this with the other low budget monochrome printers like Canon i-SENSYS LBP-3100 before you take a final decision.
You may also be interested in checking Canon Laser Printer Reviews, Latest Laser Printer Models in this website.
Samsung ML-1640 Laser Printer - Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Model Name | ML-1640 |
| Product Code | MLT-D1082S |
| Printer type | Laser - Monochrome |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 209 X 353 X 298 mm |
| Weight | 5.7kg |
| Enclosure colour | White |
| Display | None |
| Interface | USB2.0 |
| Print Resolution | Up to 1200 x 600 dpi effective output |
| Print Speed | Up to 16 pages per minute |
| Time for the first print | Less than 10 seconds from Ready Mode |
| Language Simulation | SPL (Samsung Printer Language) |
| Duplex | Manual |
| RAM Installed ( Max ) | 8MB |
| Input tray type | Multi Purpose Tray |
| Input tray capacity | 150 sheets |
| Output tray type | Sheet Face Down |
| Output tray capacity | 100 |
| Compatible Operating system | Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 Server / Vista Various Linux OS Mac OS X 10.3 ~ 10.5 |
| Media types supported | Plain, Thin, Recycled, OHP, Label, Card |
| Media sizes supported | 76 x 127mm (3″ x 5″) to 216 x 356mm (8.5″ x 14″) |
| Monthly Duty Cycle | Up to 5000 pages |
| Ink type | Black toner |
| Software Included | Dr. Printer diagnostic |
| Package contents | Samsung ML-1640 monochrome Laser Printer, toner cartridge, a power cord, a printed setup guide, and an installation CD |
| Noise level | Printing: Less than 50 dBA Stand-by: Less than 26 dBA |
| Power consumption | 300W |
| Warranty | One year- Back to Dealer type |
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