Test Color laser: Samsung CLP-310n: Steam-engine with risk of injury
Competition is in full swing among makers of compact color lasers. As a rule the small design causes higher cost of print.
Samsung CLP-310N: Actually smaller than it´s predecessor.
In January 2007 Samsung presented Samsung CLP-300 and CLP-300N as "world´s smallest, lightest color laser printer". Now the Koreans cap it all by introducing the CLP-310 (approx. 200 Euros) and it´s network-compatible option CLP-310N (approx. 230 Euros): Still smaller and at a lower price.
There also is a Wlan version CLP-315W, approx. 250 Euros and the base model CLP-315 for approx. 200 Euros. The two are basically the same as the 310-models, 310´s are grey, 315´s black.
Samsung put these models on the market almost at the same time, when Hewlett-Packard presented their even smaller (HP Laserjet CP1215 and CP1515N), which cost between 180 and 250 Euros.
DC executes a stringent test with the CLP-310N model and looks for improvements in print quality and processing.
Druckerchannel bottom line
Since all models come with a small amount of toner and a paper tray for 150 sheets only the printers are predisposed just for occasional printing.
With it´s steaming and the risk of injury when handling the paper tray (see page 2: Scope of supply) Samsung new printer line did not satisfy the lab.
The predecessors put too much toner on the paper when printing text, with additional toner mist around the characters. The text looked blurred. That has not changed. And quality of color print has not improved, there is a clear red cast.
The follow up costs are too high, even when the cost for the product is low.
As a conclusion all printers (CLP-310, CLP-310N, CLP-315, and CLP-315W) end up last in our Druckerchannel ranking.
