Samsung SCX-1000s

The benefits of a multi-function printer for the small office or home office are obvious: a minimised footprint saving valuable deskspace; the need for fewer power outlets and cabling; consumables that are easier to manage; and the sophistication of an integrated software suite. The Samsung SCX-1000s Colour Inkjet MFP is a new entry to this market, combining competent performance with compact design.

Connection to a PC is via either USB or parallel port. The installation of colour and black ink cartridges is straightforward, and the software suite provided needs only a few mouse-clicks to integrate with your current system. The SCX-1000s, however, does not rely on a PC system to function. It is able to operate as a standalone colour copier thanks to a comprehensive front panel that has buttons to reduce or enlarge (25 to 400 per cent), produce multiple copies, change the resolution of the printed document and alter its contrast.

A page of text takes about 20 seconds to copy in black and white mode at draft resolution, whereas an A4 colour copy is produced in about 55 seconds. Higher resolutions dramatically increase these figures.

Apart from the main copy control buttons, the front panel also sports a two-line LCD display and a slot for Smart Media cards. These cards are a popular storage medium for digital stills cameras, and by using the Smart Media slot on the SCX-1000s you can produce printouts of photographs quickly and easily. However, the optional photo-colour cartridge is necessary for optimal results. For those who can live without the Smart Media slot, Samsung produces the lower priced SCX-1000.

The SCX-1000s can also operate as a fax. However, it does require a desktop PC connected to a telephone socket in order to do so. The ability to 'scan to fax' is supplemented by the ability to 'scan to email' and 'scan to OCR' (optical character recognition). The software is easy to use with comprehensive manuals and help dialogues on hand to smooth out any difficulties. While the OCR program works well, it doesn't provide any layout capability, therefore the text will need cutting and pasting into your word-processor of choice.

The scanner itself has an optical resolution of 300x600 dpi, which rises to a maximum interpolated resolution of 4800dpi. It is not the most user-friendly of devices, when tested it effectively locked out the connected desktop while in operation, nor is it the quickest scanner on the market. There is also no support for 36bit colour.

In our tests (at standard resolution) the printer portion of the unit produced fine-looking black and white documents at the rate of 3.5ppm, and colour documents at about 1.5ppm. While the latter suffered with 'banding' problems at low resolutions, however, the highest resolution (1200dpi) produced impressive results.

The SCX-1000s has a 150 sheet tray that can accept a variety of sizes from legal downwards, and there is a manual feeder for envelopes and thick paper. Paper jams seemed to be thankfully rare. However, the unit's design does make the removal of lodged media a particularly tricky procedure. Furthermore, the design team's omission of an on-off switch means you'll be scrabbling about under the desk to get to the mains outlet if you want to power down the machine.

Contact Samsung Electronics 0800 521652