Samsung ML-2165W Highlights
Pros: Very affordable. Compact design. Quick printing.
Cons: High cost-per-page. Very basic paper-handling.
Laser printers have come a long way since they were first introduced in 1981 for home/office use. It now only takes a small investment, just a few hundred dollars to take full advantage of the latest laser printing technologies. When it comes to choosing a laser printer, users should focus on 4 main features - printing costs, print speed, paper handling/capacity and connectivity options. Laser printers are well regarded for their low running cost-per-page, but a low printing cost is probably pointless if print speed is very slow. Also, having to constantly replace new paper is frustrating and a waste of time. That's why users need to consider the printer's paper handling and capacity, and look for features like two sided printing and automatic document feeding (ADF). In addition, users would definitely want their laser printer to include Wi-Fi for wireless printing from laptops and smartphones. Built-in slots for printing from USB drives and media cards would be handy as well for many users. In this review, we will take a closer look at Samsung ML-2165W monochrome laser printer and see whether it's a good choice.
At first look, we were really impressed with how small the printer is. Measuring just 8.5 (D) x 13 (W) x 7 (H) inches, it is basically the size of a large shoebox. The small and compact design with support for wireless printing makes it portable too. The printer's build quality is decent and the body is made of light grey colored plastic. There is a front cover which when pulled down becomes the paper feed tray. The top cover can then be folded forward and serve as the output tray. The printer is smart enough to feed paper through the gap left at the hinge onto the desk, incase you have forgotten to open the output tray before printing. This can potentially prevent paper jams, which otherwise would be common. There is a small control panel on the top with two LEDs and two illuminated buttons. The front button with the power sign turns the printer on and off and the rear button can be either used as a WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) button or to perform certain functions like manual duplex printing, Continue/Print or print a status report. Setting up the ML-2165W is fairly simple too. Assuming your wireless network supports WPS, you'll just need to plug in the power cord and press the WPS button on the printer. Your wireless router will automatically find and connect the printer to the network. You can also connect the printer to your computer via a traditional USB cable.
The Samsung ML-2165W is a monochrome laser printer with an advertised print speed of 21 pages per minute (ppm), which means that the printer can only print in black and white. If you're looking for a color laser printer, please read our review of Brother HL-L8350CDW wireless color laser printer. This printer's paper-handling capabilities is very basic. The paper input on the bottom holds 150 sheets, and the output tray above it holds 100 sheets. As mentioned above, the printer supports wireless printing (802.11b/g/n) from devices like smartphones and tablets on an existing wireless network, plus Wi-Fi Direct for direct printing without a network.
Functions : Print
Print technology : Laser
Maximum Mono Print Speed (ppm) : 21
Maximum Print Resolution (black) : 1200x1200 dpi
Maximum Input Media Capacity : 150 sheets
Wireless Print Technology : Samsung MobilePrint, Wireless direct printing
Automatic Duplex Printing : Manual
Replacement Toner:Samsung MLT-D101S Toner 1.5K Yield
Click here for a closer look and buyer reviews.
The Samsung printer ML-2165W is quick and prints close to the advertised print speed of 21 ppm. It is also reasonably quiet during printing and is capable of producing sharp texts and images. The print quality is decent enough for small home/office use and is of consistent quality. The printer ships with a starter toner cartridge that will last for approx. 700 pages. The standard 1500 page replacement cartridge costs about $65 (at the time of writing this review), which comes to about 4.3 cents per page. Ideally, a black and white print should cost less than 3 cents per page. Similar monochrome printers like the HP LaserJet Pro M225Dw have a per page cost of approx. 3.9 cents. Nevertheless, if your printing needs are not much then this should not be a big concern. Also, unlike the M225Dw, this printer doesn't come with advanced security features like securely storing print jobs. The printer measures 16 x 17.4 x 14.6 inches and weighs 21.1 pounds. Click here for Samsung ML-2165W drivers download page.
ReviewsBucket's Verdict:
As the demand for space efficient home/office printers increase, the Samsung laser printer ML-2165W is a perfect choice. We really like it's compact and small design. Small business and home offices with low volume and basic printing needs will find this printer ideal. The print speed is good and the wireless setup is very easy. However, the printer is not very rich in features. The printer's paper-handling capabilities are minimal though adequate for it's intended light-duty role. It doesn't have paper saving features like duplex printing and lacks advanced security capabilities. The cost-per-page is also slightly higher. However, additional paper handling features go hand-in-hand with a bigger size and cost. If you want a printer to take up as little desk space as possible and have a low-volume printing requirement (less than 15-20 pages per day), the Samsung ML-2165W is a potentially good choice as it offers good print speed, wireless connectivity option with a modest price tag.
[azcss]
