Conclusions

The Samsung SCX-4500 is unlike any Laser multifunction printer you will find and the sexiest you'll ever lay your eyes on.  Yes, a laser printer can look appealing, thanks to the excellent design team over at Samsung.  Some are quick to bring the product down due to its feature set.  I strongly disagree and the printer offers all the features most will really take full advantage of.  On top of that, they have other models some may not even be aware of that offer additional features. 

Printing

As far as print performance goes, the SCX-4500 does quite well for a printer in this class.  While slightly shy of its rated 17ppm specs, it is quite a speedy compact laser printer.  It is far from the fastest, including even some inkjet-based models, but those coming from a dedicated inkjet printer will be satisfied.  Its print quality was the most impressive in this area though.  Text is crisp and clear and true black in color.  On quality paper specifically designed for such a printer, the Samsung SCX-4500's text quality is about as good as it gets.  Also, although this is a monochrome printer, its graphic quality was also above average.  When changing its default print resolution to 600dpi, web prints with graphics were impressive, including hybrid prints with some rather complex/detailed graphics. 

Scanning

When it comes to scanning, I have personally found very few scanners that are able to output some decent images.  This is most apparent in multi-function products such as this one.  I've used quite a number of them and with the exception of a couple of models from Canon, I have always been a fan of Microtek.  There's nothing like the old Slimscan C6 with older Scan Wizard software.  I have always been able to get the best scans from this cheap old scanner.  With that said, I went into testing with low expectations.  While the first several scans were far from impressive, after some tweaking, the SCX-4500 is indeed capable of producing quality scans that will suffice.  Scans are fairly quick and while the software seriously lacks any tweaking options, the hardware itself manages to handle mostly all scans quite well.  The exception was a number of photo scans, where they appeared pixilated and had difficulty with gradient colors.

Also, let's not forget the built-in OCR scan capabilities.  While I clearly pointed out some issues when scanning at low resolutions, once you find the right settings, the OCR scans are not only instant, but 99% accurate.  With the Samsung SCX-4500, it is possible to take advantage of such functionality without shelling out a substantial amount of money on third-party tools to handle such scans.

Copying

Its copy performance is fairly impressive.  As mentioned in earlier in this article, unlike many multifunction printers, the SCX-4500 actually begins the printing before the full scan process is even complete.  This results in some speedy copies and very suitable for home or even small business users.  The copies are a bit lighter than original prints, but its overall quality and speed is impressive.  A few minor changes in the software will significantly improve the quality of all copies.

A Truly Quiet Printer

Samsung does take extra measures to market this printer as one of the "quietest" in its class.  Unlike a majority I've used, I will honestly say that it does live up to all the hype.  While personally not a feature that will impact my decision to purchase, it is still a nice advantage nonetheless.

Control Panel & Design

Leave it to Samsung to finally break the norm and design a laser printer as sexy as the SCX-4500.  Its design is truly breathtaking and unlike anything you'll find on the market.  Finally, you can actually "show off" your laser printer without having to make slight changes to your modern decor.  In our example, the SCX-4500 fit right in a contemporary setting and its dimensions and vertical functionality was perfect for placement on a contemporary or modern-style filing cabinet.  Its overall design is impressive, but let's not forget the excellent touch-sensitive control panel with the sapphire blue LEDs.  This is the final touch to a product that honestly will give the user a completely different perspective, functioning like a laser printer but offering a whole other level of user experience that will leave many wondering they are actually using one to begin with.

Final Thoughts

Samsung is right on the money when stating this product transforms a laser printer into a refined "work of art".  There is no doubt that it is in a class of its own in terms of a design standpoint.  However, focusing this much on design and still managing to impress in the area of functionality and quality can be quite a challenge.  Fortunately, the Samsung SCX-4500 manages to excel quite well here and is capable of spitting out some quality prints and produce some impressive scans with some tweaking.  Is it perfect?  No.  Providing so much in such an appealing and compact design meant that they had to make some compromises in a number of areas.  While I have found that some were quick to put the product down for its lack of features, I strongly disagree.  Based on its intended target, the SCX-4500 offers what most would really make full use of.  Sure, it is an MFC device lacking fax functionality, but the truth is that most consumers these days don't even want or care about such a feature.  Business users likely have their own dedicated fax machines already to begin with and incorporating such functionality in a product in this unique class just doesn't make much sense at all.  Can it offer more?  Sure it can.  The lack of wireless connectivity is the most apparent here.  However, note that they have just released a model in this series offering such functionality.  In the end though, its breakthrough design and overall performance earns our recommendation.

NOTE:  For those of you who have been wanting to get a hold of this printer but did not want to shell out $300 for it, check our forums of a tip on how to get one for significantly less.

More information on the Samsung SCX-4500 can be found on their Official Website.

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