Samsung ML-2551N Laser Printer Drivers and Software

The Samsung ML-2551N is a functional-looking gray box that packs a lot of features for its price. You can connect it to a network using the built-in Ethernet interface or connect it directly to a PC using the USB 2.0 port. An optional 802.11b Wi-Fi adapter costs $300.

The printer has a 500-sheet drawer and a sturdy 100-sheet additional tray. Busy workgroups can add a second 500-sheet feeder for $208.

Up to 250 printed sheets collect face down in the tray on the printer, or you can fold the rear output tray down and allow 100 pages to collect face up – this also provides a straight path for relatively rigid media.

Most impressively, the ML-2551N has a built-in duplexer that allows you to automatically print on both sides of the paper.

When we put the Samsung ML-2551N through its paces, it prints pages of text at 10.5 pages per minute – the slowest speed we saw among workgroup models in our November 2004 comparison.

And it printed graphics at a somnambulatory 4.1 ppm. Print quality was consistently good, with smooth diagonal lines, solid black text in large fonts, and well-graded skin tones in our test photo. However, the very fine type lacked sharpness and we noticed significant banding in our photo test.

Setting up the printer on our network was a problem. The installation manual would have been sufficient to connect the printer to a single PC via its USB or parallel port, but there were no instructions relevant to our network setup. A second guide detailed how to install the SyncThru software, but did not explain its purpose or use.

We installed it but remained confused. Although the user manual included as a PDF document on CD-ROM states that SyncThru can be used for network setup, it does not include the procedure for setting network parameters using the control panel – which is what we ended up doing.

Related Printer: Samsung ML-2510 Driver

One aspect of this printer’s design that we liked was the front panel, which was easy to use. The backlit LCD was also a nice touch, allowing you to navigate the printer’s menus in low light.