Samsung SCX-4725FN Offers Excellent Home Office Space Saving Solution

I have owned my Samsung SCX-4725FN for five months now, and have found it to be nearly the perfect home office all in one device. I replaced three office machines with this Samsung, ridding myself of a separate fax, separate copier and separate flat bed scanner. I have not had a single malfunction, and enjoy this machines quiet operation and quick start up.

Other than some difficulty setting up the scanning features (due to my not realizing that computer-installed software was required to scan), my experience has been perfect. The on-board array of functions lets this printer work as a copier, scanner and a fax machine. The 30 sheet document feeder gives you ease of use. The Samsung SCX 4725FN can integrate into standard and Fast Ethernet networks, as well as being connectable to individual computers using USB. The 1200 dpi resolution has your prints looking crisp and professional.

This multifunction machine is digital which means it warms up fast; very fast. From idle power save where nothing is running, in 10 seconds the first print page is moving. While documents I print typically are not long enough to test the print speed, based on 10 page printing, this unit will easily meet its rated 24 pp. per minute output.

The automatic sheet feeder at the top has a 30 page capacity, which has never jammed. Document quality is very good, but the toner saver feature sometimes cuts back the darkness a bit too far and you may find yourself switching toner saver off for when you want final top quality dark printouts.

The menu commands are simple to follow, however the LCD screen is only 2 rows of text high and a bit difficult to see if lighting is not optimum.

The only significant negative experience I have had was around setting up scanning. The very detailed owner’s manual offers nearly no guidance about scanning and understanding how scanning works required a call to Samsung. After contacting Samsung, I learned that can only scan directly at the machine if you set up for network, while I was set up for single PC use of this printer. The problem is that the manual more than implies that you can scan directly standing at the machine, but fails to mention that feature only works when you have networked the machine. So, as a PC only user, I had to make sure software was installed, and I have to control scanning from my computer. That’s not a problem at all since the machine is within arms length from my chair, but would be a problem for someone who wanted the printer located across the room; you would have to get up and down to put the paper into the scanner, then to the computer to issue commands.

A very helpful Samsung customer support representative answered after a 10 minute wait. After I learned that PC only users must use the PC software to scan, I also learned that I had not installed the SmarThru software that you must have to scan when not on a network. The CD-ROM setup software was saying SmarThru was installed; I ran the routine 3 times, but in fact it had not installed. Working through the file directories on the CD-ROM, the representative was able to guide me to manually installing the SmarThru software, which now not only has solved my scanning problem, but also lets me control the printer from my PC. Using SmarThru is very simple, and actually quite convenient. It allows you to type in a cover note for a fax, and gives you several options on how you want your scanned files sent to you. After a document scans, the best feature is that you can save as PDF, then as TIFF, and then as other versions, you don’t have to re-scan a document if you want to save it to different formats.

The printer does not work right out of the box, you must first go through some very basic on-board menus to set the date; very basic stuff, but a surprise that I could not copy and print without doing that first. Overall, this printer is a super bargain. The printer weighs less than 25 lbs. which was a relief compared to my heavy color laser. It remains to be seen if that lightweight is an indication of good design, or low priced materials.

The plastic housing for the printer seems reasonably thick and sturdy for home use, but it is not solid enough to take on an regular office -- my judgment is that the unit works well for a home office where care and attention to preserving equipment is much higher than in a business office. The platic housing a a light grey-blue color, which will likely not match most other machines; but since you are replacing 3 machines with 1, the color consistency issue is probably moot or less of an impact.

I was able to get it for half price at $140 after $140 in rebates from Staples, and I see that the printer is offered in the $199 range today by several supply houses. I have yet to see any similar low pricing on a machine that looks this good and has these features. We own 3 Samsung B&W laser printers that have been great toner savers for our kids in college, so we are hoping for similar great toner print volumes from this printer.