Samsung ML-3051N Laser Printer (30 PPM, 1200x1200 DPI, 64MB, B&W, PC/Mac)

Monochrome Laser Printers Offer Reliability, Value, Variety to Business Users

A monochrome laser printer such as this one is a business basic. While color inkjet and color laser printers involve more complexity and invite higher print costs, monochrome laser printers are reliable, their toner is cheap, and they come in any size, speed, or price range you'd like. Plain-text printing is its forte; it can't manage anything beyond extremely simple graphics.

A monochrome laser prints by using a laser and rotating mirrors to beam an image indirectly onto a photoconducting drum; attracting toner to that image; and then melting the toner at high temperature to transfer the image to paper.

Compatible with Linux Open-source Operating System

Printers such as this model are compatible with the Linux open-source operating system. Most vendors who list this have written their own drivers for Linux, but double-check whether they are actually third-party ones.

Take black-and-white print speed times with a grain of salt

A printer's stated monochrome or "black-and-white" print speed (expressed in pages per minute, or "ppm") should be taken with a grain of salt. Vendors often use contrived methods to arrive at such numbers. For instance, they might print in draft mode, which is faster than the default mode most people use. Or they'll exclude the first page out from a document's total print time, because its slower exit reflects the processing time needed to create the document image for the printer. Or they might send raw data straight to the printer, bypassing any application or PC processing time. The PC World Test Center uses dedicated testbed PCs and real-world applications to reflect actual use as closely as possible. We also time the document "from click to clunk" -- from the time we click the "Print" button to the time when the last page falls into the output tray.

Installed Memory is Ideal for Five or Fewer Users

This printer's installed memory is sufficient for small offices or workgroups that print typical business documents, such as memos, spreadsheets, or simple Web pages. If you have more than six people using the printer or the printer handles heavy traffic, you will want more memory than this printer provides.

Ethernet Connection Ideal for Networking

This printer offers an Ethernet connection, the standard for networking in an office environment. Ethernet comes in many flavors, but all offer plenty of bandwidth, making it ideal for handling the traffic for anything from a handful to hundreds of users.