Samsung ML-1865W review
Samsung has something of a reputation for creating tiny, smart laser printers, and the ML-1865W is no exception. It's as small as any other laser we've seen, and made from the kind of glossy black plastics that make it particularly well suited to the home. Sat on a desk, it takes up little more room than a laptop.
Although it's small, Samsung hasn't quite been able to fit everything into the ML-1865W. The simple paper tray extends out of the front, but unfortunately there's no cover: if you print only occasionally you may find that dust settles on the top sheet of paper. The output tray is fairly steeply raked, but even so we found that some pages rode up higher than others, leaving the printed stack a little scruffy.
As the 'W' in its name suggests, this printer has a wireless network interface in addition to its standard USB port. There's a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button for easy configuration with compatible routers, but no display: those with older routers will need to configure the printer using a USB cable first. A version without the wireless network costs about £20 less, but neither printer has an Ethernet port.
Samsung claims a modest 18 pages per minute (ppm) print speed for the ML-1865W, and it came quite close to those figures in our tests, reaching nearly 16ppm for documents and graphics. With a slow engine it's quieter than most, making it possible to work next to it in a home study or small office. It's also easy to use, with an excellent driver interface that separates basic, paper, graphics and advanced settings onto different tabs. The paper options tab has its own mini-tabs for quick selection of paper and envelope types, and it's particularly easy to use.
The ML-1685W may not be quick, but it produces high quality prints – among the best photos and graphics we've seen from a mono laser. The only notable problem in our tests was very slight horizontal bands in darker regions. Unfortunately, that all-in-one consumable lasts for only 1,500 pages and costs around £46, meaning that print costs will soon add up.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Maximum native print resolution | 1,200x600dpi |
| Maximum enhanced print resolution | 1,200x1,200dpi |
Quoted Speeds | |
| Quoted speed, mono A4 | 18ppm |
| Quoted time to first page, mono | 9s |
Tested Speeds | |
| Mono page from sleep time 1.0 | 24s |
| Letter, time to first page 1.0 | 15s |
| 25-page mono document - total time | 00:01:35 |
| Time for 24 pages mixed greyscale 1.0 | 1m 32s |
| Time for two greyscale 10x8in photos 1.1 | 23s |
| Time for six greyscale 6x4in photos 1.0 | 26s |
Physical and Environmental | |
| Standard printer interfaces | USB, 802.11b/g wireless |
| Optional printer interfaces | none |
| Size | 184x341x224mm |
| Weight | 4.2kg |
| Noise (in normal use) | 50dB(A) |
| Duty cycle | 5,000 pages |
Paper Handling | |
| Maximum paper size | A4/legal |
| Standard paper inputs | 1 |
| Standard paper input capacity | 150 |
| Maximum paper inputs | 1 |
| Maximum paper input capacity | 150 |
| Output tray capacity | 100 sheets |
| Duplex (code, cost if option) | No |
General | |
| Printer technology | mono laser |
| Language(s) | PCL 5e |
| Supported operating systems | Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.3 or later, Linux |
| Standard printer memory | 64MB |
| Maximum printer memory | 64MB |
| Other laser features and options | none |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £94 |
| Price of 2nd paper cassette | N/A |
| Capacity of supplied black toner | 700 pages |
| Capacity of supplied drum(s) | N/A |
| Estimated mono TCO - three years light | £186.47 |
| Estimated mono TCO - three years medium | £739.55 |
| Estimated mono TCO - three years heavy | £3182.32 |
| Supplier | http://www.printerbase.co.uk |
| Details | www.samsung.co.uk |
Tested Print Speeds | |
| Time for two greyscale 10x8in photos 1.1 | 23s |
| Time for six greyscale 6x4in photos 1.0 | 26s |
