Samsung CLX-3160FN Color Laser Multifunction Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)THE HUNT FOR THE PERFECT ALL-IN-ONE OFFICE MACHINE!
Like one of the other reviewers here, I am in real estate and needed a multifunction machine that used color laser printing instead of inkjet.
But the major consideration for me was a Scan-to-Email (PDF) functionality. When you are working on deals in multiple cities, scanning the large documents is much easier than Fedexing paper all over the place.
I couldn't find any comprehensive reviews on this product because of how new it was. Now that I've owned it for a couple of months, I figure I better post one myself to help out those who are looking at this machine.
After running the machine for a couple of months I am quite happy with it and it is running well. Basic setup of the machine out of the box was very simple with easy visual instructions and tabs. Out of the box I could do color copies, black and white copies, and faxing. Setting up the printer driver over the network was very simple too. Setting up the network scanning and scan-to-email functions involved a bit more pain.
PERFORMANCE BY FEATURE-
COPIES - It makes great black and white copies and decent color copies. Copying is simple, Green button for a color copy, Grey button for B/W copy. You can copy multiple pages via the document feeder or lift the lid and copy something odd sized on the flatbed. My only gripe is that you have to wait for the unit to warm up before hitting the copy button. It would be great if I could just put the document in the feeder, hit the button and walk away, instead of staring at it while it warms up. But it does warm up quickly. Sleep settings for the copier are selected in the web-based control panel.
FAX- Its a fax, I don't know what else to say. It works fine for me, but I don't use the fax function that much.
PRINTER- I can print from my wireless laptop, sweet! The printer setup on the network was relatively simple. I installed the driver, the software found the printer and configured itself and I was up and running. I found that print quality was too thin on the regular setting, I changed it to BEST quality in the printer driver and it looks great now.
My only gripe with the printer function is the additional Software Samsung installs. They included this program called Dr. Printer or something like that, supposed to troubleshoot printer problems. However, it doesn't support the network printing at all. I had the network printing setup perfectly, but I was curious what the Dr. Printer software did. So I ran it, it says "I found and fixed the problem". It had totally deleted all of my network printer settings and set the printer up as local USB connected printer. So I had to reinstall the whole network printing thing again. Damn my curiousity.
SCANNING- You can scan from the flatbed or the auto feeder in either legal or letter size. You can either send the document as an e-mail directly from the machine or send it directly to your computer. Sounds great, unfortunately it won't do all of these things without being set up first.
Scanning direct to e-mail on this machine is my favorite feature, but it was also the hardest damn thing to initially set up. The network scanning feature (scan to your computer instead of e-mail direct from the machine) was much easier to setup.
SCANNING, TWO DIFFERENT WAYS--
SCANNING TO YOUR COMPUTER VIA THE NETWORK- This function requires the installation of software and it also requires your computer to be on when you are scanning. I found this feature reasonably easy to setup. You push scan, network scan, and then select a destination for the scan on your computer... such as Adobe Acrobat, or particular folders you setup. The scan then magically launches the application on your computer and the document is right in front of you ready to be e-mailed or manipulated.
BUT, each network scan destination can only handle one setup. That means the paper size, resolution and color/BW settings are written in stone for each preset. Which drove me crazy because the only application I use is Acrobat. I got around this by setting up seperate preset folders for the type of scan I was doing, like "Color Legal" "B/W Letter". The good part about doing this is that I don't have to hunt for the file regardless of what folder it goes to because Acrobat automatically launches with the scan open on the screen. From there I usually e-mail or save it where I want it to go.
SCAN DIRECTLY TO E-MAIL FROM THE MACHINE- The direct "scan to e-mail" function was the hardest thing to setup. You have to have an actual POP e-mail address for your scanner, which is how it sends PDFs or JPGs of TIF files directly from the box. Getting an e-mail account setup is simple enough, but the control panel won't recognize the servers by name, for example standard pop mail server names list POP.GMAIL.COM. Instead you have to actually convert the server names into IP addresses (I found a website somewhere that did this) and insert that IP address into the control panel.
Once setup, the scan-to-email function works just as you'd expect. But it requires way too many key strokes on the machine to actually send the document. "Are you sure, Are you really sure, Are you really really sure?" (not exact quotes, but you get the idea)
I'm in my late-twenties with a background in the tech field, yet programming this direct-to-email function had me cussing and pulling my hair out. I imagine most people will setup the network scanning application and stop there. The network scanning application is actually a lot more versitile than the direct scan-to-email, even though it requires you to have your computer turned on. But using the network scanning the document just appears, then you can forward it to whatever e-mail you want via your computer (and keep your hair).OVERALL, I'll give it 4 stars. Revolutionary product, not quite all the bugs shaken out.
PROS:
Very quiet for a Color Laser- Color Laser machines generally sounds like jets taking off, but this unit isn't so bad. Its not silent, but not bad.
Easy setup out of the box for color laser copying and faxing.
Easy setup of printer drivers for printing through the network.
Only machine I found with color laser printing, an auto-document feeder and flatbed and robust scanning features.
CONS:
Small LCD Display with no backlight- No big deal if the room is well lit, but if its dark you can't see what you are doing.
Direct-to-Email Scanning feature is not worth the trouble it takes to configure. (Use the included Network Scanning software instead, you have to have your computer turned on but it is much easier!)One good firmware or software update would solve all of my cons, except the LCD display. But, overall I'm happy with my purchase.


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Samsung SCX-4500 Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)This printer is smaller than I thought. It is about the size of a small desktop PC. It is rather "cool" looking printer. If you are trying to make a fashion statement with your printer, then this printer does its job.
Its small size comes with one noticeable compromise: a small paper tray that can only hold 75-100 sheets. It is not built to be a large volume printer and even infrequent use may result in filling the paper tray more than one desires. It can, however, print at a fast speed and at a good quality (600 dpi) resolution. The copier function is easy to use (press the copy button) and works reasonably well, and is good for low volume copying. I had no problems copying a 20 page document and it processed each copy in less than 5 seconds. The copy quality was on par with standard office copy machines.
The refill tray is expensive (about $70) and only prints about 2000 pages. That comes to around 3.5 cents per page. That is somewhat high.
One thing of note, this printer does not have a fax capability. So it is not all-in-one laser printer.
I recommend this printer to those who need a reasonably good laser printer/copier in a small form factor. If you need a high volume printing/copying machine which prints at a low print/cent ratio, then I would look elsewhere.

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The Samsung SCX-4500 monochrome laser multifunction printer will produce fast, high-quality prints, and look good doing it. Compact, quiet, and portable, this sleek multifunction printer will print, copy, and scan, making quick work of all your office needs. With a fast performance, low noise emission, and an energy-saving design, it is the perfect solution for a home-office.
100-sheet, semi-automatic paper tray opens with the press of a button. Printing in a Flash With the push of a button, the SCX-4500 goes from Sleep Mode to printing in less than 15 seconds. With 8 MB of memory and a print speed of 16 to 17 pages per minute, you won't waste valuable time waiting for lengthy printing jobs again. At a crisp 600 X 600 dpi resolution, print outs will look good and even the smallest of text will be readable.
Copy and Scan Documents From the Same Machine The copy function works without needing the computer to be turned on and features a speed of 16 ppm in A4 (17 ppm in Letter). From a cold start, it takes 15 seconds for a first copy. The copies are at a crisp 600 x 600 dpi resolution. The SCX-4500 allows you to make from 1 to 99 copies and allows a zoom rate from 50% to 199%.
The SCX-4500 is also a TWAIN and WIA compliant flatbed scanner that features a resolution of up to 4800 x 4800 dpi (600 x 2400 optical dpi).
Conserve Valuable Desktop Space Easy on the eyes with its high-gloss black finish and cool sapphire LED lights, the SCX-4500 is a polished centerpiece for any desktop. It measures a compact 13-by-15.5-by-6.5-inches, so it frees up valuable desk space without sacrificing efficiency. A gentle touch of the printer's touch-sensitive buttons controls the power and settings and even ejects the 100-sheet paper tray.
This monochrome laser printer operates at less than 45 decibels of sound while printing. To put this in perspective, an average library operates at 40 decibels. In other words, this people-friendly printer was designed to serve you with pleasure, not annoy you with noise. With the SCX-4500, your work space just got a lot more productive and a lot quieter.
Award-Winning and Energy Star Compliant For added peace of mind this machine is Energy Star compliant, which means it helps save the environment while saving you money. (Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy promoting energy efficiency).
The Samsung SCX-4500 connects to your computer via a USB 2.0 interface and is compatible with Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista, various Linux OSes, and Mac OS 10.3-10.4.

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Microtek ScanMaker S400 Flatbed Scanner Review

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(More customer reviews)This scanner is good and bad at the same time. It is horribly slow, but I'm using the pictures I'm scanning for a slideshow of pictures throughout my life at my Bar Mitzvah party, and the quality of the pictures are very good.
Be warned, scanning negatives on this scanner requires very high resoulution (but I think that this is the way with all scanners I'm not sure), and it takes a VERY VERY long time to scan. It took ten to twenty minutes depending on the settings for ONE PICTURE. They turned out in good quality, but I was highly dissatisfied with the time it took.
Overall, this scanner is pretty good. But if you are a person that needs pics in a hurry, this is not for you. But if you are creating a slideshow (like me) and have time for it, this scanner is a very good choice.

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The ScanMaker s400 brings high-resolution scanning, with its 9600 x 4800-dpi resolution letting you create poster-sized files of your film or photo with remarkable sharpness and detail previously only available in much higher-priced scanners. And with Microtek's exclusive ColoRescue, color restoration is as easy as a click of a button. The ScanMaker s400 also comes with the new LightLid 35 Plus accessory for scanning 35mm slides and filmstrips. Rounding out the scanner is a Hi-Speed USB interface, eight easy-to-use buttons, as well as imaging and document-scanning options.

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HP M2727NF Laserjet Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)This review is based on usage in a small business where the device is at a satellite office.
This is a good piece of Hardware by HP, but as is typical of HP scanners the software is weak. The printer makes excellent images. The machine is fast from the time you click on print to when the page starts printing, and the printing is fast. This is the highlight of the machine. Two sided copying is excellent. The automatic document feature works well for copy and fax, but the scannning software is a problem.
The first machine I got had a defective fax board, but the store I bought it from let me return it for a new unit. Setup of the machine worked well. You can configure it using a built in web server. You might have trouble finding the machine on the nework, though. Unfortunately it does not respond to ping broadcast packets. You can go to the front panel and go through the menus to print a network report to see what IP address it selected. From there the web access works best to set up the machine. Setting a manual IP address is easy enough from the front panel so you know what IP address to connect to. You can get an optional second paper tray.
While setup of the machine via the web access works well it is limited in that the fax cannot be set up through the web interface. This is unfortunate, since the fax settings are tedious to enter from the front panel. You can use the web interface for the address book, but setting fax settings like address, speed, report settings, and everything else are not changeable except through the front panel.
As far as scanning goes, this is not a push scan device. (A push scan device is one where the scanner does the scan, then transfers to another computer by a network protocol like FTP or SMB). There is a button on the machine to scan, but that just starts up the program you have to install on your computer. The HP scan software is difficult to use and unintuitive. Definitely NOT production environment. It is also bloatwear. Over a thousand files get installed on the computer that serves as the scanning control computer. Also, whenever you scan the document comes out at 17 inches on the computer. The workaround in my setting is to fax to our fax server, which takes the calls and keeps the faxes. In this way I have a push scan option at the cost of a phone call for each scan. But if you have a business you do not want to use this as the document scanner using the HP softwear. I do not know if VueScan works with this device.
If you just need a postscript printer then this will work out of the box. For the advanced features that the printer supports you need to install the postscript driver. It may be possible to install the postscript driver without the scan softwear, which would be best if you have several computers that need to use the printer. I specifically did not install the scan softwear at the satellite location where I use the printer and it works fine as a generic postscript printer. (I installed the bloated HP scanning softwear at the main office where I did the initial configuration)
The printer is the same engine as in the HP LaserJet P2015dn Printer (HP LaserJet P2015dn Printer (CB368A#ABA)). Review there are good for understanding more about the printing function. The cartridge, an HP 53, is shared between this multifunction device and the P2015dn. In a small office having the same cartridge used by different printers simplifies inventory issues.
So, for home use and occasional scanning this is a nice machine, fast to print with very high quality printing. For an office environment it is good as a printer and copier, but the scanning software would choke anyone who needed to do document scanning as part of the business workflow.

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HP M2727NF Laserjet Printer. Do not waste time waiting for your documents. The HP LaserJet M2727nf MFP features professional print and copy speeds of up to 27 ppm. Other MFPs need time to warm up before printing the first page, but with no wait Instant on Technology your first page will print two times faster than devices without it. And with a stable light source, copy or scan jobs begin in a matter of seconds even first thing in the morning. Your documents always look great with reliable, high quality printing at true 1200 dpi. We design our toner formulas and papers to work with each other and with the devices high speeds so you get crisp and consistent print quality without sacrificing performance. Easily handle even the most demanding jobs with HP PCL and HP postscript level 3 emulation driver support, a powerful 450 MHz processor, and 64 MB RAM, expandable to 320 MB. Fax documents at up to 33.6 kbps and enjoy digital storage for up to 600 pages. Use private receive to securely store faxes on the device until you are ready to print them. And with Fax/Tel, your MFP will determine if the call is a voice or a fax call. Get the job done faster with the paper handling features your business needs. The MFPs maximum input capacity of up to 300 sheets, expandable to up to 550 sheets helps you maintain your momentum. Count on default copy collation and standard two sided printing and copying to conserve paper. And with the devices multi tasking capabilities, if one person is printing or copying, you can still receive faxes. Your workteam can share resources easily, efficiently, and securely with fast, value featured networking. Experience worry free operation and continually refresh your MFP with Original HP print cartridges. They comprise 70 percent of the imaging system and communicate with the MFP to automatically optimize print quality, provide alerts when supplies run low, and facilitate convenient supplies reordering.

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Eikon Digital Privacy Manager - USB fingerprint reader Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have tried the Microsoft, APC, Dell, and Omnipass fingerprint readers.
While the hardware is mediocre, the software is garbage.
Vista support is rare, Vista x64 support is ubelievably rare, and Windows 2008 support is non-existant.
Microsoft's own fingerprint reader wont properly support Windows Server 2008 or 64 bit.
On the other handm the Eikon /Upek solution is fantastic.
The hardware is made from aluminum instead of plastic and has a nice sturdy feel. However its the software that makes this solution stand out as "best of breed"
Not only does it support 64 bit and Vista and Windows 2008 Server, but it supports 2 factor and 3 factor authentication as well.
When you run the software, your first impression is WOW. The user experience is fantastic. It installs perfectly, its very intuitive and is very visually appealing.
It looks and feels like they really spent a lot of time on polishing the sofware.
If you are looking for a fingerprint solution, this is it.
Im so happy with my purchase that I just threw out my Microsoft and APC readers and I deleted my Omnipass software(that I had to pay extra for)
My new christmas wish is to get this reader built-in to a keyboard for my office PC.
Bottom line: I give it 12 out of 10. I bonus point for broad OS support and 1 bonus point for "exceeding expectations"

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