Inkjets are great, but the falling prices of products that use laser technology means that laser printers and even laser MFDs are much more affordable than they used to be. That's good news for cramped home offices needing a loaded MFD—such as the Samsung SF-555P—that can print, scan, copy, and fax.

True to its laser origins, this is a fast printer, with a 12ppm rating and 600dpi resolution. The SF-555P also comes with a 33.6Kbps modem, a 20-page automatic-document feeder, Samsung Printer Language capability, and USB and parallel ports for maximum flexibility. The numerous features on this Samsung don't result in a bloated case; at 9 inches high x 12.3 inches wide x 12.8 inches deep, this unit's footprint is small and similar to that of many other budget-priced laser printers.

My tests proved that this MFD is plenty fast for printing text in a home office, with a rate of about 9.7ppm. Surprisingly, my text/clip-art file, which most inkjets struggle to print in under three minutes, was completed in only 0:44 (minutes:seconds). My three PowerPoint slides also include complex graphics, but the SF-555P finished in a quick 0:23.

Print quality was exactly what you would expect from a low-cost monochrome printer. Alphanumeric characters looked very sharp when printed at 600dpi. Copied and scanned characters were good but displayed a bit of blurriness around the edges. Clip art and photos both had banding, but this problem was minimal, and the print controls helped to lighten or darken images.

The SF-555P comes with a few push buttons for budget-conscious users, including TollSave, TonerSave, PowerSave, and PaperSave. There's also a security mode to prevent unauthorized fax machine use and battery backup so you don't lose your fax jobs. Home office users who don't need color output but need a speedy, full-function MFD will be satisfied with this Samsung.

by Nathan Chandler

SF-555P
$350
Samsung
(800) 726-7864
(201) 229-4000
www.samsungusa.com

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