Review: Samsung SCX-4500 laser printer

Monochrome laser printers are among the most uninteresting peripherals in the universe. When a monochrome laser printer grabs your attention, it’s not an enjoyable experience.

However, the Samsung SCX-4500 does grab your attention. This is probably because unless you catch it in the act, you would have a hard time believing it was a printer at all.

It has a polished piano-black finish, flat and uncluttered surfaces, and a distinct lack of scary panels and controls. Visually, it’s very quiet indeed and using one won’t make your home look like an office.

Beneath the surface, the SCX-4500 is packed with blue LEDs that glow in formation to display status information - as well as the occasional unnecessary, but very pretty animated pattern. A further LED travels the length of the unit during scanning indicating progress along your document.

Our tests showed the SCX-4500 operated close to its rated 16ppm (pages per minute) with many kinds of document and it can wake from standby to deliver a single page in 15 seconds - the same time it will take to copy a single A4 page from a cold start. It may not be the fastest device in the world, but if it were any quicker you wouldn’t have enough time to look at the pretty lights.

Toner installation is very easy; the cartridge slots in easily via a top-loading mechanism. The starter cartridge is good for 1,000 prints, with replacements printing up to 2,000 pages at a cost of around £45.

The SCX-4500 offers only basic essential functionality (networking is noticeable by its absence) and is a little pricey, but it does so with an unrivalled sense of style.