Samsung SCX-4200

December 29, 2006 10:38
Good
1.5/5
Second unit to crater on me. Only about 150 pages on each then the gears that drive the paper mess up.

When it did print it was good - and scanning is fine for my use. But to break so soon and with low use?

No customer service for return under warranty on Saturday - maybe not unusual, but it does slow down the process of getting another unit.

Interface with Mac OS seems to be just fine. Nice size. Can't find the toner anywhere. Rating wizard did not want me to grade this as Abysmal - so I graded it as poor, and with good reason. The new machine broke very soon after the start of use and was replaced with a refurbished unit - that now has given up the ghost. What rating you give it?

- gharcourt

January 28, 2007 12:51

4.5/5
Best bang for your buck that you can find. Print quality is great, speedy, and simple. The only knock is the origional software/driver set did not allow you to be able to scan to your computer w/o some stand alone software (like Photoshop, Word, ScanSoft). There is an update on Samsung's page that installs their own driver/software now so you can scan w/o the need for third party software.

- TheeBadOne

February 3, 2007 02:13

4.5/5
I read another Mac users negative review after I purchased this laser multi function unit. I was concerned, but after it arrived and was set up - it works great! No issues with scanning and I am able to use 100% of the features that were promised. In fact, the ink save mode is located directly in the menu feature on the printer. Everything works 100% with my G3 iMac using OS X 10.4.8. This inexpensive unit does skimp on a USB connection cable, but I had an extra. Also sometimes when I print many pages, one blank sheet will sneak in. For the price and features it can't be beat! I have used this unit for 30 days.

- Guyman1966

January 15, 2007 01:27

4.5/5
I use much more expensive laser printers and scanners at work.

Got this multi-functional printer on special with additional free standard toner as I do significant writing at home.

In the beginning, it always mishandled paper and caused paper jam. Then I found the toner was not installed properly - not really in place. Once this snag was removed, it prints beautifully. Surprisingly, it prints pdf files (generated from postscript files  I use LaTeX to prepare my documents) way faster than HP LaserJet 1200.

The scanning quality is more than adequate. I use it to scan paper documents into PDF files for archival purpose.

I am very pleased with its performance so far, especially at its cost.

- jimhball

January 10, 2007 07:24
Mediocre
1.0/5
Felisa Yang called this product a "no-brainer." Makes me wonder if she ever tried it. The feeders (both the tray and manual) are the worst of any machine i have ever owned. It won't print on lables, card stock, and had trouble on basic white printer paper. I am within my 30 day return policy and am sending it back.

Felisa, you should be more careful about the words use as an editor in describing products. Honestly, i feel like i have "no brain" for taking your advice to heart. You definitely made a frequent visitor to CNET more skeptical of the "Editor's Review."

- Will.P

July 20, 2006 03:15

4.5/5
Absolutely wonderful printer, driver for the Mac OS X is a bit weak, not many options. Prints extremely fast and copies are faster than any other multi-function printer I have ever used.

- B777Boeing

December 11, 2006 12:28
Mediocre
1.0/5
Yes it is a great all in one if you are a pc. But what if you are a mac user? What then? Then you get a raw deal. Thats what it is. The scanner function does not work with a macintosh system. Yes there is a scanner driver software in the cd or samsung website for macOS. Yes, but that does not mean you can scan with the machine. For that you have to buy costly (read me buy) third party software (that includes OCR) Otherwise you get stuck with only a printer. Also the much touted toner save functionality does not work with macOS. My guess the starter cartridge will last only 200 pages with a mac. So there is nothing to be excited about low running costs. So buy another mfc that has all the necessary software including OCR meant specifically for mac.

- kuberdevta

June 7, 2007 12:23

4.0/5
For years the printer companies have tempted us with cheap inkjets that print dazzling colors...but easily leave you spending more on ink in a couple months than you spend on the printer itself. After 2 or 3 bubblejets and inkjets I've finally learned, the hard way, to leave photo printing to the professionals.

The Samsung 4200 costs a bit more upfront than a typical inkjet but saves bundles in printing costs. For the professional who can always print hundreds of pages at work but wants a convenient printer at home for the occasional letter or boarding pass, this is perfect. The scanner and copier are added bonuses.

As for those photos, it's cheaper to send your jpeg's away to get professionally printed than to keep paying for ink cartridges, and you'll get better quality prints than any home printer can give you.

My first two copies jammed, but I think I was able to solve that problem by jiggling the ink cartridge into place a bit better. Hopefully I won't be returning in a month to complain that the problem never really went away.

- zdevil78

August 13, 2007 12:56
Good
1.5/5
I bought this machine in Mexico, (May 2007) immediately had toner problems. It would read toner empty at less than 1000 pages. Now, after four months and 3 trips to Samsung in Guadalajara for repairs. and more than 20 phone calls, it still reads toner empty, also after they finally returned the machine the cables where missing. Samsungs office in Mexico City (Allen Rositti) will not even return my phone calls, nor will he do anything to resolve the problem. In Mexico play it safe and buy HP.

- Duwayne Cook