Samsung CLP 500

With the CLP 500, Samsung has made its first steps into the colour laser market and, at just £499, it is one of the cheapest models currently available.

Thanks to its Non-Orbiting Noiseless Optic Imaging System (NO-NOIS), Samsung claims the printer is a lot quieter than the competition. It also comes with a duplex feature as standard, which is quite a rarity when it comes to budget colour lasers.

With the low price tag, we were instantly suspicious that Samsung was going to sneak in some expensive consumables. As expected, the CLP 500 is shipped with starter mono and colour toner cartridges at 2,000 and 1,500 pages respectively. Once these run out you can purchase replacement mono toner lasting 7,000 pages at £77, and colour cartridges at £90 lasting 5,000 pages, all at five per cent coverage. Certainly not the cheapest toner we've seen.

Both the imaging drum and transfer belt need to be changed every 50,000 images, at a cost of just under £250 (£145 for the imaging drum and £100 for the transfer belt). However, since this is a four-pass model, you'll have to replace both every 12,500 pages if you're printing in colour.

In terms of print speed, Samsung rates this printer at five pages per minute (ppm) colour and 20ppm mono, and our tests proved these claims to be almost spot-on. The colour output can't quite match the likes of the Epson C900, but the CLP 500 did churn out an A4 colour photo in just 36 seconds.

A network version, the CLP 500N, is available for £100 extra but, if you're sharing this printer among more than a handful of people, you'll find consumable purchases start to mount up. However, for a Soho environment, it offers speedy printing and a low initial outlay.

Contact: Samsung 0870 242 0303
www.samsung.co.uk

Specifications:

• 166MHz processor
• 64MB memory (upgradeable to 196MB)
• 1,200dpi resolution
• 5ppm colour, 20ppm mono
• 350-sheet input, 250-sheet output
• USB2, parallel, wireless option
• Duplex feature as standard
• 510 x 467 x 405mm (w x d x h)