Samsung SCX-4835FR

The Samsung SCX-4835FR ($450 street) is the sort of unexciting monochrome laser MFP that does its job well enough, but without offering anything to make it stand out from the crowd. Like some other Samsung MFPs I've reviewed recently, including, for example, the Samsung SCX-4729FD ($250 street, 3 stars), it's slower than you'd expect from the engine rating, which is 33 pages per minute (ppm) in this case. However, it offers all the features most offices need. As long as you're not overly concerned with speed, that's enough to make it worth considering.

Aimed at the range from micro to mid-size offices, but most appropriate for micro to small offices or workgroups because of its slow speed, the SCX-4835FR ?is too big to share a desk with comfortably, at 17.6 by 18.5 by 17.2 (HWD) inches. On the other hand, it's small enough to find room for easily even in a micro office, and its Ethernet connection makes it easy to share on a network.

As you would probably expect for an office MFP, the SCX-4835FR can print and fax from, as well as scan to a PC, even over a network, and it works as a standalone copier and fax machine. In addition, it can both scan to and print from a USB memory key, and it includes a 50-page automatic document feeder (ADF) to complement the letter size flatbed, and let you scan legal-size pages. The ADF also duplexes (scans one side of the page, then turns it over to scan the other) making it easy to scan stacks of paper printed on both sides of the page.

The printer's paper handling is good enough to count as a plus, with a 250-sheet paper tray, a 50-sheet multipurpose tray for easy printing on different types of paper, and a built-in duplexer for printing on both sides of the page. For most micro and small offices this should translate to both ample capacity and welcome flexibility. For those who need more, Samsung sells an optional 520-sheet tray ($200 street) to boost the paper capacity to a total of 820 sheets.

Setup and Speed
For my tests, I installed the SCX-4835FR driver and software on a Windows Vista system, and connected the printer directly to the network. Installation was standard fare.

The printer was a lot slower than you'd expect from the 33 ppm engine speed?which should be close to the speed you'll see when printing a text file without any graphics or photos. I timed it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing) at an effective 3.3 ppm.

For comparison, the SCX-4729FD , rated at 29 ppm, came in at 8.2 ppm, and the Editors' Choice Brother MFC-8480DN ($400 street, 4 stars), rated at 32 ppm, managed an effective 10.6 ppm. That makes the SCX-4835FR slow for the price and slow for the engine rating.

Output Quality
I wish I could report that the printer makes up for its slow speed with dazzling output quality. Unfortunately, however, the quality is a bit below par across the board. The good news is that even below-par text for a mono laser is more than good enough for most business needs. It's not suitable for serious desktop publishing, but for anything less demanding than that, you shouldn't have a problem with it unless you have an unusual need for small fonts.

Graphics and photo quality are both at the bottom of a tight range where the vast majority of mono laser MFPs fall. Graphics are easily good enough for any internal business need. Depending on your level of perfectionism, you may or may not consider them good enough for PowerPoint handouts or other material going to potential clients or customers. Photo quality is good enough to print recognizable photos from Web pages or the like. Whether you?d consider them suitable for, say, a client newsletter, will depend on how critical an eye you have.

All told, the Samsung SCX-4835FR offers the right set of features for most small offices, including such conveniences as the ADF and the ability to scan to and print from a USB key. It's slow, but not intolerably slow, and although the output quality isn't stellar, it's good enough for most business use. The only real issue is that it costs a lot for what it delivers. The Brother MFC-8480DN , or even Samsung's own SCX-4729FD offer better value?aka more bang per buck. But if you don't mind the price, or can find the Samsung SCX-4835FR for a sufficiently low price, it's otherwise a perfectly reasonably choice.

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