Samsung CLP-550 Laser Printer

Pros: Price, 64MB RAM included, double sided print capability, easy set up
Cons: Big and heavy, toner cartridges are expensive, mediocre resolution capability (1200 DPI)

Overview: This printer comes loaded with features, and with current rebates out there, a good color laser printer for under $300 is hard to pass up. I was looking for something for my home office, where I could print my own color business documents ...

Pros: Duplex Printing! Satisfactory color Low cost of operation (maybe!) Good value for the money
Cons: Noisy operation. Lightweight construction. Sticker shock on consumables. Hardtofind Consumables No toner remaining meter.

I purchased this printer almost on a whim on Ebay because I was looking for a duplexing printer to print brochures for our nonprofit trails advocacy & maintenance organization (www.triangletrails.org) In the past I've had to go to the copy store to ...

Pros: Low per-page cost for B&W, two-sided printing, comes with full toners
Cons: Slow to produce the first page, heavy

This is a great printer. I love the two-sided printing, because it reduces that amount of paper I have to deal with. Some people comment about the fact that pages come out of the printer and are then pulled back in for printing on the other side, but I ...

Pros: Cheap duplex
Cons: doesnt last long

I bought a CLP550 roughly 2 years ago.Its used at home for light duties about 1-5 pages per day!

All of the toner cartridges were replaced about 9 months ago. Now it needs a new imaging unit and transfer belt. I reckon the toner is about 30% too. Considering the cost of toner plus the other bits it would be cheaper to buy a new printer.


On the other hand I have a 7 year old HP laser 5000 in my office which only uses toner and goes flat out all day. It has never needed any replacement parts!

If you want a printer to last - dont buy this Samsung model.

Pros: Built-in duplexing, reasonably quiet, good color/b&w, price.
Cons: Pretty big machine, no USB included

After a few months I'm happy with this printer. It is fast, prints nicely in color or black and white, and (important to me) has a built-in duplexer function that is reliable and does not slow down operation.

THe manufacturer emphasizes the quietness of the printer. I don't know how it compares with others because I bought this but it is not silent, that is for sure. Good power management puts it onw standby (which IS silent) pretty quickly and it "wakes up" reasonably promptly when you need it again. I have it in my office and certainly can talk on the phone, etc. when it is going.

One note: BUY the 550 even though it is a bit more. It comes with FULL ink cartridges unlike the 500. The short-term savings of the 500 will be wiped out whenyou have to buy new cartridges.

Pros: Doesn't jam, excellent color, duplex
Cons: Heavy, heavy and big

I bought my printer off eBay, and when I received it...it wouldn't work. I worked with tech support for about week, fixing or attempting to fix the printer. (By the way, these techies are about the best I've ever worked with). Finally, I was told I was getting a replacement. I was concerned since it cost about $40 to ship. Samsung paid for shipping both ways. Both tech support and I believe the printer had been mis-handled during shipping. Okay, that was the bad news; the good news is the new printer that replaced the old one - works great, you could never ask for more. The color quality is as good as or betters then my HP photo printer and man do I love the duplex feature. I generate lengthy documents and this printer does an excellent job. The best news is that is doesn't jam. I've had several laser printers and after awhile of printing, I get a jam, but this printer just doesn't jam - wonderful! If you thinking about an excellent printer - this is the one

Pros: Great Print Quality, built-in Duplexing
Cons: Toner Cartridges Expensive, Starter Cartridges have short life, Standby to Printing is Slow

The printer prints well. It is quick, and the built-in duplexing was the clincher, but BEWARE... the toner cartridges are expensive (~$120 for each of 4) and the "starter" cartridges have less then 1/3 the life of the replacement cartridges. Expect to spend the price of the printer again for new cartridges after the first 1500 pages.
The printer is billed as quiet. Well it is quiet in standby mode, but when it is ready or printing it has about the same noise level as comparable laser printers. Coming out of standby mode takes about a minute before the first page appears.

Pros: Trouble free printing and duplexing
Cons: Not a photo printer

After nursing along ink jet printers with touchy print heads, this color laser is a pleasure to use in my home office.

Color is required by todays standards and with more documents being transmitted in PDF format a duplexing color laser is a must.

While the Samsung is no photo printer there is no comparable printer in it's price range. Duplexing and splashing color on and my client presentations has improved my sales.

I would buy this trouble free printer again