- Fast, compact Black & White Laser Printer with easy Built-in Wireless setup.
- Fast 21 ppm speeds and quick first page out time for less time waiting.
- 10,000 Monthly duty cyclefor more reliability from your printer.
This is my original 5 star review, see below for sad update:
I''ve had this Samsung 2165W monochrome wireless printer for just a few hours and here''s what I know so far. (I''ll post updates later when I have more experience.)
First of all, the price ($59 plus shipping) was very appealing, and delivery was super fast to my house (in Virginia) from Amazon''s supplier.
There''s not much in the box, and not much to assemble. You just pull off a couple of tape and packing pieces and snap in the exit tray. The toner cartridge is already installed--you just take it out, shake it up, and put it back in. No tabs to pull, etc.
The machine itself weighs almost nothing, and takes up about the space of a shoe box. Once installed, it needs only a power cord to serve all the computers in the house. It sleeps silently, and once awakened to print, it does so quickly, and with no more noise than any other printer. Then it goes back to sleep at once. So it''s a very unobtrusive house guest.
Set up and installation is fairly easy. I am a clever DIY''er, and not afraid to wade into something technical; but I''m no IT tech by a long shot. But if you, like me, are happy to follow instructions and try something else if they don''t work, you''ll have little trouble. Here''s how it went for me. YMMV.
I was expecting to have to connect the printer to my wireless router with an ethernet cable. But the printer doesn''t even have a port for one. (Maybe that''s what wireless means? Like I said, I''m no IT wiz!) I was also expecting it to provide it''s own connection to my network (also a silly assumption, I guess.) Instead, for each computer in the family (we have 4) I had to connect it to the printer with the supplied USB cable, and insert the installation disc in the drive. I have a Cisco Valet wireless router; but it behaved oddly when I asked it to install the printer, so I gave up using the Cisco Connect program at all. The printer didn''t mind a bit. Once connected to a computer (which has already been connected to the home LAN) the Samsung just found the correct network by itself. It did ask me to supply the network security key (whatever that is), but Cisco gave that info up to me easily enough on its third screen. From that point, it was just a matter of pressing all the NEXT buttons until the printer was up and running. At some point it tells you to remove the USB cable, and then the software finishes doing its wireless thing--with an occasional request for you to push the NEXT button, or make some simple and obvious decision. (I denied all requests to let it connect to the internet for registration and automatic updates, and resisted all other inducements to let Samsung spy on me. I''m not paranoid, just ornery!)
The installation software hung up and crashed once on three of the four computers, and always in a different place. But starting from scratch the second time always worked. So, in the end, I''d have call the installation a fairly easy gig.
Print quality is laser excellent, and now that anyone in the family can print from his or her laptop anywhere in the house--for $59 bucks--I''m as happy as a pig in mud.
I''ll let you know how reliable it turns out to be, how many copies you get out of the toner, etc. But right now, it''s looking like a darn good deal to me!
Update and down-rate: This thing has lost contact with all our computers, and no amount of rebooting or reinstalling will get it on-line. It is now only a hardwired printer for one laptop. Down-rating to 2 stars.
Buy Samsung ML-2165W Wireless Monochrome Printer Now
This is one awesome little printer. I got it as an upgrade from my old Samsung laser Printer that was not wireless. Now, I thought my old Samy laser printer was compact and small. But this little guy is really the size of a large shoe box. It''s crazy how small these things are getting. The Pages print out smooth and flawlessly in black and white, just like my old one. Doesn''t make a sound until it''s called upon to print. I had no issues with setting up the physical printer machine. That part was completed in 5 minutes flat. The windows installation was a breeze. Just pop in the CD, select the windows setup executable and follow the install steps. I wanted wireless printing, so I had to go through the install steps that required my network name and password key. I was printing my test page from my WIndows laptop in about 10 minutes.
Now for the reason why this review did not get 5 full stars. The installation steps for the Macbook were almost non-existent from the manual included with the printer and they were actually inaccurate from manual that was downloaded from the Samsung site. Furthermore, There seems to be no option to install from the Macbook via Wireless Access point (utilizing the existing home network). Every time, I tried to install the software from CD on my Wife''s Macbook, it never provided me a option to do a wireless access point install like the Windows installation on my Windows laptop. So after reading through the Online manual, which was way better then manual in the box, and reading through some Mac forums where there users describing their experience as a nightmare to setup wifi printing with this very printer model, I was about to give up. But then I tried the following steps below and it worked! Though not via Access point, its an Ad-Hoc direct wireless printing setup, which was fine by me as long as it worked. If I had knew this method which was not described in any of the manuals, it would of take me the same time as the Windows install, but instead, it took me 30 minutes..:) Hope this helps the Mac Users!
How to setup wireless (AD-HOC) Network printing with a MacBook and Samsung ML-2165W Printer.
1. Setup the physical printer machine according to manual. Then connect it your Macbook via USB. Make sure the printer is powered on and verify the Macbook is powered on with wireless network Access.
2. Insert the supplied software CD and double click on the CD from your desktop.
3. Double click and execute to Mac_installer folder >Installer OS X icon.
4. Complete the license agreement and installation steps.
5. This will be a standard install without the wireless option. This is your only option. You will not be given a chance to do the wireless installation like in the Windows version install.
6. Enter in the admin password to install the software.
7. Once the software confirmation screen pops up to confirm your installation was successful, proceed to DISconnect your USB connection to you Samsung Printer.
8. In case you missed it, Disconnect the USB connection between your Samsung printer and Macbook.
9. Navigate to Applications > Utilities >Print Setup Utility (For Mac OS X 10.5 10.7) Navigate to Applications > System preferences > Print & Fax.
10. Click Add on the printer list (For Mac OS X 10.5 10.7, click the PLUS sign) and new display will pop up.
11. On the "Default" Tab of the pop up display, select or highlight the Samsung printer. In the printer name column, it should be listed as "Samsung ML-2160 Series (NNNN)", then in the Kind column, It should be listed as "Bonjour"
Note: DO NOT select the Samsung Printer with the "USB" in the Kind column. This Samsung printer USB option should only be selected if you intend to print from USB.
12. Click ADD, then select continue to create the print queue.
13. Now open up any word document with text and print a test page.
Enjoy!
Read Best Reviews of Samsung ML-2165W Wireless Monochrome Printer Here
I bought this printer for $49 shipped from ''newegg'' and I am one very happy camper. Easy set up, easy interface, prints quickly. Very simple.
I have a netbook (no CD drive) so had to download the required driver from Samsung''s website, but this took only a few minutes to download and install.
I am using it with USB cable, not with wireless, and that functions just fine.
You can''t go wrong with this in the $50 to $70 range...
Want Samsung ML-2165W Wireless Monochrome Printer Discount?
I love this printer. If you''re looking for a no-nonsense, small, easy to use wireless laser printer, this is a very good option. The print quality is very good no smudges, no lines, no defects in the text.
The printer is a little slower than I expected, but tolerable. I printed 20 pages in a few minutes, which wasn''t bad.
Setting up the wireless was pretty straightforward. I''m using Windows 7 and plugged it directly into my computer. I installed the drivers, and it took me through the setup. It connected to my wireless network and voila instant printing from all computers in the house. I''ve heard some people having issues using older versions of Windows, but I have no experience with that.
My main complaint is the cost of the toner refills. As with all printers these days, they''re priced dirt cheap so you can buy expensive ink/toner refills. Sadly, this printer is no exception. The printer costs $60, and the toner refills also cost $60. This is SO annoying, and would definitely make me think twice about buying this printer. The cartridge is labeled to print 1500 pages, so I guess it all depends on how often you print.
Overall, great, no-nonsense printer with unreasonably expensive toner refills.
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UPDATE: The original review appears below
I finally got fed up with this Samsung printer and bought the HP 1102w, which is designed similarly to my old HP 1018. I haven''t used the HP yet because I had planned to use up the cartridge on the Samsung before I placed it in storage. Yesterday, I was anxious to print the first sixty pages of my latest project and inserted about three eigths inch of HP paper into the Samsung. That was too much for it to handle, for it chewed up the first page and creased approximately two more sheets. Luckily, there wasn''t a paper jam. However, that annoyance was enough to convince me to activate the HP and hold onto this Samsung for acetate printing or other stuff that could be a little rough on the favored HP.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
I have mixed feelings about the Samsung ML-2165W black & white/monochrome laser printer. I wanted to replace my almost six-year-old HP 1018, which still functioned, but needed serious cleaning that involved dismantling, something I can no longer do because of arthritis. HP has a model that is practically identical to the 1018, but I wanted something smaller and lighter. The Samsung ML-2165W fit the bill at under nine pounds, so I truly like the weight and size. I also like the fact that unlike the HP compact models, the Samsung''s USB jack isn''t recessed into a cavity that is difficult to access with arthritic fingers.
After getting the Samsung out of the box, I discovered that it also has its drawbacks, and I probably would have been better off with an HP compact model, for I have encountered very annoying design problems with the Samsung. Two items on the Samsung were designed backwards.
The first design flaw is with the cartridge. You remove normal laser cartridges by slipping your fingers under a handhold or groove and pulling up, usually at an angle that works well when you''re working against gravity. The Samsung cartridge''s groove is on top and you cannot slip your fingers under anything to pull up at the correct angle. The cartridge is preinstalled, and you''re advised to remove it, shake it, and reinstall it. I grabbed it as best I could, but each time I pulled, the entire printer lifted off the desk and the cartridge didn''t budge. Luckily, I have a set of miniature crowbars, and I used them to dislodge and refit the cartridge at the proper angle.
The second design flaw is the width-graduating lever for the paper tray. That too is backwards, and it wasn''t easy for me to adjust the width to the 8 ½ inch setting, which is as far as it should go, but fails to expand to that full size. To increase the width to the maximum setting, you need to squeeze a clip between your thumb and index finger and glide the clip all the way to the right. The problem is that the release lever is on the right, instead of on the left, where it would make the most sense and would permit you to flush the clip against the printer''s frame to get the full 8 ½" width and hopefully allow for some play. The location of the lever prevents that from happening because your finger will end up pinned between the lever and the printer''s frame. A pair of needle nose pliers may remedy that, but I don''t know where mine are. The end result is that 8 ½" X 11" paper fits so snugly within the tray that it''s hard to accommodate more than a few sheets at a time due to the lack of play.
Other annoying little things: The printer is only about a week old, and I already notice that the top page can end up smudged while it sits on the feed tray under the pick-up roller. That''s an indication that something may not be quite right with the cartridge or other mechanism(s). Secondly, compared to the HP 1018, the Samsung is whiney noisy. I hope I get used to it.
SUMMARY
The attributes: It''s light; it''s small; prints well, but not great because the grayscale isn''t up to par; has easy plug USB and power jacks; it''s also wireless; driver Windows and Mac updates are easy to acquire; it arrived within twenty-four hours and cost me only $87.09 after a $50 instant rebate at Staples. You can''t get an HP for that price, but an HP LaserJet printer functions nicely.
Negatives: Has two annoying "backward" designs, making it difficult to remove/install the cartridge and paper; it doesn''t have a separate feeder tray for envelopes and postcards; grayscale print is disappointing; and it whines.
