Samsung CLX-4195FW Multifunction Laser Printer Review

The Samsung CLX-4195FW Color Multifunction laser printer offers small businesses four-in-one print, copy, scan and fax functionality. In addition to its high-resolution color printouts, the multifunction printer (MFP) comes with a vibrant, 4.3-inch color touch-screen operating panel and an impressive array of both wired and wireless interfaces. It sells for $449.99 direct from Samsung and includes free shipping.

We take a closer look at how the CLX-4195FW multifunction device fares as a general purpose small business printer.

Key Small Business Printer Specifications

A quick glance through the specifications and it is immediately evident that the Samsung CLX-4195FW printer is designed for mid-duty to heavy-duty usage. Samsung confirms this by pointing out that the MFP’s duty cycle is rated at 40,000 pages per month, which should be more than adequate for most small business offices.

Samsung CLX-4195FW multifunction printer

Figure 1: The Samsung CLX-4195FW multifunction printer packs plenty of features into is a mid-sized device.

Of course, with a toner yield of 2,500 pages for black and 1,800 for each primary color, business owners will want a more heavy-duty machine if they plan to print anywhere near that figure. The use of separate black and color cartridges can be a huge money saver though, especially for businesses that require some color from time-to-time, but print mostly in black and white.

An output speed of 19 pages per minute when printing in either black or color means that the CLX-4195FW is no performance slouch. The speed comes from a 533MHz dual processor and 256MB of memory under the hood, with the latter upgradable to 512MB. The CLX-4195FW scans at 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution, and it’s capable of up to 32-bit color or 24-bit greyscale. The built-in fax modem is rated at 33.6kbps.

The paper input tray holds 250 sheets while the output tray accommodates 100 sheets. The ADF (automatic document feeder) holds 50 sheets – a reasonable capacity for small business needs. The CLX-4195FW supports a range of connectivity options that includes Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. For direct connectivity, MFP can be plugged into a PC via USB or using Wi-Fi Direct.

Setting up the CLX-4195FW

Setting up the CLX-4195FW printer is simple, and involves taking it out of the box, inserting the various toner cartridges and plugging it in. To install the toner cartridges, you open up the front cover by releasing the twin latches on the sides. Tug on the green lever that is revealed, and a tray for the toner cartridges slides out. There are four toner cartridges to be installed in total: One for black, and three others for cyan, magenta and yellow.

Plug in the AC cable, phone line for fax, and depending on your deployment plan, this may be followed either by a USB or Ethernet cable – or neither if you plan to hook the CLX-4195FW to your Wi-Fi network. The various ports are clustered on the back and along one side, which makes it easier to keep the cables tidy. The printer’s integrated wireless antenna is hidden within the chassis.

You can setup the printer for the first time in a number of ways. We quickly configured the network settings using the touch screen for both the wired Ethernet network and the Wi-Fi wireless connection. For the latter, you can either have the CLX-4195FW perform a quick scan to select the appropriate network, or you can enter the information manually.

Once on the network, simply install the device driver and the Samsung small business MFP is ready for use.

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