August 22, 2008 - Continuing its commitment to laser-based printers, Samsung Electronics America recently showcased a number of its newest consumer electronics and document imaging products at a press briefing in New York City’s West Village.

The new units on display were the color single-function CLP-315 and multifunction CLX-3175FN and the monochrome multifunction SCX-4828FN. According to Kenneth Colby, senior business manager at Samsung, an additional monochrome MFP unit will launch in the fall.

SCX-4828FN

According to Anthony S. Buzzetta, senior manager of integrated marketing communications for Samsung Electronics America’s (SEA) Information Technology Division (ITD), the 30-ppm SCX-4828FN will be sold primarily in the BTA and VAR channels. The upcoming monochrome MFP, which will replace the SCX-4725FN, will be sold via the retail, distributor and e-tail channels. The e-tail channel consists of relatively new e-commerce companies such as New Egg, Amazon, PCMall and Buy.com. New Egg offers more than 25,000 technology products, and the company claims that 99 percent of its orders ship the same day. Buzzetta said that the fall product is slated for retail because, unlike the SCX-4828, the upcoming product will not offer PostScript and will therefore be less expensive and a better fit for the retail channel.

Buzzetta noted that the SCX-4828 has an MSRP of $499.99 and offers features sought out by many small and medium-sized business customers, such as all-in-one functionality, an automatic document feeder, a high monthly volume and PostScript support. “The SCX-4828 is a small unit ideal for a doctor’s office or a burgeoning enterprise because it is reliable, easy to use and produces great output,” said Buzzetta. Other features include color scanning, a 33.6-Kbps modem, 3.2 MB fax memory, maximum print/copy memory of 384 MB, a 250-sheet paper drawer (upgradeable to 1,250 sheets) and ID card copy. The SCX-4828 also ships with a toner cartridge that yields approximately 2,000 impressions. 

CLP-315 and CLX-3175FN

Designed for sale through the retail, e-tail and distributor channels, the multi-pass single-function CLP-315 and the multifunction CLX-3175FN, which share the same engine, feature a color speed of 4 ppm and a monochrome speed of 17 ppm and offer users a number of advantages, according to Colby. First and foremost is their small footprint. Colby noted that Samsung has used cylinder-type cartridges in some of its color laser printers, but has equipped the new units with Samsung’s newly redesigned traditional cartridges in order to achieve the small footprint. Buzzetta also noted that the two units’ consumables are interchangeable and they have a contemporary black stylish finish so that they blend in with a customer’s surroundings. The cost of each device’s toner cartridges is also lower than that of their predecessors, although the imaging kit is more expensive. Priced at $44.99, the rated black toner yield is 1,500 pages. Priced at $39.99, the rated yield of each color toner cartridge is 1,000 pages. According to Samsung, the supplies cost per page for each device is 3.6 cents for black and 17.5 cents for full color (including the drum).

The CLP-315 is replacing the CLP-300 and will have a suggested retail price of $199.99, which is $50 less than its predecessor. Other improvements over the predecessor include a faster processor (360 MHz versus 300 MHz) and a noiseless optic imaging system that reduces noise levels. The unit ships with starter toner cartridges expected to yield 1,000 black impressions and 700 impressions for each color (cyan, magenta and yellow) impressions. Paper handling has increased from 24-lb. bond to 43-lb. bond and the unit weighs 24.3 lbs. versus the predecessor’s 30.8 lbs. 

A multifunction version of the CLP-315, the CLX-3175FN will replace the CLX-3160FN, and offers a number of enhancements over its predecessor. Monochrome speed has increased from 16 ppm to 17 ppm, and the unit can now accommodate paper weight up to 43-lb. bond, versus 24-lb. bond from its predecessor. Further, the unit features a standard automatic document feeder, enhanced resolution of 2400 x 600 dpi and N-up printing. In addition, the unit offers scan to PC and supports multiple file formats (PDF, BMP, TIFF and JPEG). The unit also weighs less (33.5 lbs. versus 45.1 lbs.), and the CLX-3175FN’s suggested retail price is also $100 less than that of the CLX-3160FN.

Wireless Laser Printing

As Buzzetta explained, because laser printing costs are coming down, Samsung is able to equip its laser printers with features that users demand at a reasonable cost. For an additional $50, the CLP-315W (a wireless version of the CLP-315) supports the 802.11 b/g wireless protocol. The unit also offers an Ethernet port for a wired network connection and a USB 2.0 port for a local connection. In addition to the wireless and wired network connections, memory is higher on the CLP-315W (64 MB) than on the CLP-315.

The CLX-3175FW also offers wireless capability for an additional $50. Aside from the 802.11 b/g protocol, both the CLX-3175FN and CLX-3175FW offer an identical feature set. Buzzetta noted that the two wireless units will be distributed via the same channels as their wired counterparts. In addition, Buzzetta said that Samsung will launch wireless versions of the ML-1630 and SCX-4500, but they did not disclose the units’ distribution or pricing.