Samsung ML-2250 review

Samsung's ML-2250 is iPod-white, which makes a pleasant change from the drab beige favoured by many peripheral manufacturers. It's bigger than many entry-level mono lasers and looks particularly straight-edged.

The ML-2250 takes a single 5,000-page-rated consumable, which combines toner and an imaging drum. It's easy to install the full-capacity unit that Samsung supplies. You could print 10 reams of paper before it needs replacing, after which each page should cost just 1.33p.

With 16MB of memory, PCL emulation and a 250-sheet input cassette, the Samsung is quite well specified, but several upgrades are available. Networking or PostScript language support can be added, the printer's memory can be upgraded to a 144MB maximum and its paper input can be doubled with a second cassette. No duplex unit is available, but the driver offers support if you need to print on two sides manually.

Setup is straightforward, but the Custom option allows you to install a PostScript driver. Attempting to print using this option spews out pages of raw data, though; it would be better if it only came with the PostScript upgrade.

This printer beat its quoted speed in both our 50-page document tests, reaching 20.3 pages per minute (ppm) in each. It delivered all 24 pages of our mixed-colour test at an impressive 18.5ppm. When ready to print, the first page of a mono print job appeared in 11 seconds, but this test took 42 seconds when repeated from power-saving mode.

Text and mono graphics quality was very high at the default 600dpi setting. Switching to 1,200dpi graphics increased the spool times for each job, but didn't halve print engine speed as with some lasers. Text printed at this resolution was exceptional. Test photos were fine, let down only by slightly uneven shading in areas that should have been uniform.

The printer isn't intrusively loud, but paper made an unusual soft crumpling noise as it passed through the final output rollers of our test unit. This didn't crease it, though, and it accumulated neatly in the 125-sheet output tray. Envelopes fed from the 50-sheet multipurpose tray were also left unruffled.

The ML-2250 is affordable to buy and run, and has no real failings. Had it arrived in time for last month's Labs test of mono laser printers, it would have been our Best Buy.