Samsung ML1510

Good laser printers are usually way out of the price range of the average buyer. However, they are becoming more affordable and in some cases, can make a much better investment than an inkjet printer. Toner cartridges for inters may cost more than their inkjet counterparts but they last a lot longer. If you only need to produce text and greyscale images, it's worth considering a laser such as the Samsung ML1510.

Installation is straightforward and similar to your average inkjet. Once set up, there's a hefty 250-sheet A4 paper feeder for your blank paper and a 50-sheet output tray for your printed documents.

The published print speed of the ML1510 is 14 pages per minute (ppm) for text, which our tests agreed with. Even pages with mixed text and images printed at 14ppm and our test A4 photo only took 29 seconds to print, all of which are very respectable speeds.

One of the most crucial aspects of any laser printer is print quality. Bolstered by its maximum printing resolution of 600 x 600, the ML1510 didn't disappoint. We produced a page of text in varying font sizes and even as small as 2pt, the text was crisp and clearly readable. The same went for larger fonts, which were solid and free from jagged edges. Greyscale images and diagrams appeared to suffer slight banding (where stripes of different tones appear in the image) but this was by no means chronic.

Laser printers are renowned for being large and unwieldy, designed with the office in mind. While the ML1510 might be a little bland, it's relatively small, measuring 34cm deep and 20cm high, which won't clutter up your desk too much.

Unfortunately, there are no buttons on the printer. Usually you'd find a 'paper-feed' or cancel button but not here. Everything is controlled by the PC software, which makes it difficult to maintain the printer if there's a problem with the PC. All in all, though, the ML1510 is a great laser printing solution that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Contact: Samsung 020 8391 0168
www.samsungelectronics.co.uk