Samsung ML-1630 review

Samsung's ML-1630 is a mono laser printer designed with as much care for form as for function.

It's a complete departure from the usual generic grey or beige box. It's the smallest laser printer we've seen, at just 122x332x375mm. It's also very quiet, and won't look out of place in a designer office or your living room.

The ML-1630 is one of the most stylish printers we've seen. It's finished in gloss black and has a concealed button that pops the lid up to reveal the toner cartridge. Another subtle button opens the paper tray, while the output tray is a removable pane of clear plastic that slots into the front of the printer.

It doesn't matter how good a device looks, however, if it isn't fit for purpose. Fortunately, the ML-1630 met our expectations. With only a USB port, it isn't going to take the place of an office workhorse that needs to churn out hundreds of pages a day, although Samsung claims it can print 4,000 pages per month. Print speeds were a long way from being the fastest we've seen, but 14.3 pages per minute (ppm) is certainly quick enough for a personal device, whether at home or in the office and, importantly, it can print a single page in just 12 seconds.

We were pleased with the sharp, professional quality of both text and greyscale images. There was dithering on our photo-quality pictures, but images were otherwise reproduced with a good degree of accuracy. We noticed some horizontal banding across large images, however, particularly on those that included a lot of pale shades.

The status display is an array of blue LEDs. Messages scroll across this screen showing how many pages of the current job have been printed and when the paper has run out.

At 2p per page, print costs are on a par with those of most other mono laser printers. The starter toner cartridge will yield 1,000 pages, while replacement cartridges last for 2,000 pages and cost around £40. The photoconductor drum is replaced with the toner cartridge. The transfer roller, fuser unit, and paper feed roller each last for 50,000 pages, but are not designed to be user-replaceable.

Paper handling is limited and, disappointingly, the ML-1630 can't print on envelopes. Fortunately, its smart print tray is capable of detecting if you haven't loaded the correct paper type. The tray can only hold 100 sheets of A4, and no extra paper trays are available.

The stylish Samsung ML-1630 is a capable mono laser printer, but you're paying a huge premium for its looks. However, if you need a good-quality laser printer in an environment where either size or appearance is a key factor, this is the only mono laser built to meet those requirements.