Samsung 6050

The 6050 doesn't look like a workhorse, but the design is functional and the small footprint will be well appreciated where desk or office space is at a premium. The fascia is simple, sporting just a single button and four LEDs to let you know if the printer is on, out of paper, in manual mode or suffering from an error such as a paper jam. The 250-sheet paper tray fits only loosely into the printer, but in practice this shouldn't cause too much of a problem; unless you're intending to print on a slope, that is. Samsung also offers an extra paper cassette for £99, which holds another 250 sheets and fits underneath the main body of the printer.

If you're intending to put the 6050 to heavy use, running costs become more important. According to Samsung each toner cartridge lasts for 5,000 pages at five per cent coverage. With replacement cartridges costing £65 this works out at a reasonable 1.3p per page. The Xerox DocuPrint P12, by comparison, manages 1.2p per page but, considering how much more expensive it is, you'd have to print an awful lot of pages to break even.

The only real chinks in the 6050's armour are its lack of networking features and failure to cope with complex graphical tasks using PCLXL. However, as long as you stick to using PCL5e you shouldn't have any reason for complaint. It's quality and speed combined with a very reasonable £329 price tag makes it ideal for high-volume personal or small office use.

Author: Tim Danton