Samsung ML-1630W Laser Printer Drivers and Software

A Samsung representative described the Samsung ML-1630W as being based on the design of a Steinway piano. This is a new model Steinway piano the size of a record deck, made of black plastic and incorporating a mono laser printer engine instead of all those outdated strings and hammers. But it is true that they are both shiny and black.

This is from the latest round of Samsung designer printers for those looking to take their peripherals from the office under the stairs to the salon workstation or desk on the high street. The looks are a big part of the machine’s appeal and it’s certainly a stylish design.

The glossy black case has a clear step at the front up to the “keyboard” where the paper actually comes out. This is a very flat machine, but has a larger footprint than first appears. If you don’t want your documents to end up on the desk or floor, you’ll need to add a clear plastic paper holder to the front of the printer, which will change the appearance to exclude it from the promotional photos.

Controls are limited to power and job cancel buttons, which are touch buttons on the top of the Samsung ML-1630W. The status indicator consists of a matrix of 13 x 5 blue LEDs, supplemented by four specially developed icons for errors, paper, toner and paper jam.

The blue LEDs not only display large, animated icons and arrows, but also simple messages such as “OPEN” when the top cover is opened. The printer also emits a series of ringtones when problems are resolved or print jobs are completed.

A push button on the front of the printer releases a spring-loaded paper tray. Samsung calls this a 100-sheet tray, but this only applies to 75gsm paper, which is lighter than regular general-purpose office supplies. We think 90 sheets is a more realistic number. In both cases, the capacity of a monolaser is small unless your requirements are very small.

Once everything is installed, printing is quick and quiet. Samsung claims a top speed of 16 pages per minute for the ML-1630W, but our five-page text print was completed in 32 seconds, which works out to 9.38 pages per minute. For longer documents, like our 20-page document, it comes closer to the advertised speed – 1:33 at a speed of 12.9 pages per minute.

Even with this reasonable speed change, the printer is generally much quieter than most entry-level lasers, and although the quoted 45 dB figure is rather optimistic – we measured peaks of 54 dBA during paper feeding – the noise is not intrusive and we would be very happy to have this machine printed alongside us while we worked.

With all the focus on style, you might expect print quality to play a secondary role, but that’s not the case. Text printing is sharp and precise, and even at the standard 600 dpi resolution there are no signs of jagged edges or curves.

Related Printer: Samsung ML-3310D Driver

Verdict

There’s no doubt that this is about as smart, neat and stylish as a mono laser printer. It’s not all about style, though, and the Samsung ML-1630W’s print quality is as good as any entry-level laser we’ve tested. It also prints fairly quickly and is commendably quiet. A wired and wireless network in a laser printer at this price is a bonus.