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It was almost a case of déjà vu as I unpacked the latest Samsung printer to arrive for testing.  I had only just packed up the previous model for returning to the company’s PR agency and now I appeared to be looking at its exact twin.  I should explain that both models, the previous ML-2525 and now the ML-1915, were both mono laser printers.  Yet I was still expecting that there should be some sort of visible evidence that would help identify these two models.

Almost like two peas in a pod, the ML-1915 has the same colour scheme of matte black with a reflective black collar running round the top of the device.  A quick check with my trusty tape measure revealed that that was not even a millimetre difference in the length, width and depth of the two models.  Like the earlier unit, the ML-1915’s measurements are 360 x 389 x 197mm (W x D x H) including the protruding block at the rear of the unit which holds the various connection sockets for power and USB.  Not surprisingly I could discern no difference in the weight of the two units which remained steady at 7.3kg.

Positioned alongside the right side of the unit’s top is the same arrangement of LEDs indicating status and problems such as a paper jam plus buttons to carry out a screen print, cancel and turn the unit on/off.  Most of the unit’s top is taken up by the paper output compartment which can hold up to 80 sheets.

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The front of the unit looked exactly the same.  There is a drop down panel which revealed the opening for inserting the toner cartridge.  A full toner cartridge should provide 1500 pages and there is a high yield option that gives 2500 pages.  However it is my belief that the toner cartridge supplied by Samsung with a new printer is a starter unit that only gives you 700 sheets.  Just below this compartment is a letter-box style slot for use when you want to print an occasion sheet of different sized paper.  Completing the front arrangement is a 250-sheet paper tray capable of accepting a range of paper sizes including A4, A5, A6, Legal and Executive.  Not only does this paper tray have the same capacity as the ML-2525, it also has the same tendency to be a little reluctant to slide smoothly back into place following being reloaded with paper.

After much searching, admittedly without recourse to a magnifying glass, I did come across a couple of difference in the appearance of these two units.  There was the matter of the model’s designation located on top of the unit and I could find no trace of the foam strips running along the base of the unit that had been present on the other model.

As well as the similar external appearance, Samsung has opted to use the same processor and amount of internal memory with this model.  The ML-1915 is powered by a 150MHz processor and has 8MB of memory to aid its printing tasks.

It was not until I began using this printer that I was able to identify various differences between the ML-1915 and the ML-2525 reviewed earlier.  Turning on the printer from cold generally took between 27 and 30 seconds before the unit was ready to accept data from the computer.  This was longer than the start-up time of the ML-2525 which averaged out at around 15 seconds. 

Whereas the ML-2525 had been rated at 24ppm, this model claims a print speed of up to 18ppm.  As is usual with laser printers, this speed relates to a full A4 page rather than the limited coverage used to measure inkjet print speeds.  The ML-1915 offers both normal and best print modes.  Running tests using both modes, the ML-1915 was able to produce 18ppm with a 516-word document.  The same print speed was achieved with both modes when the document consisted of a full A4 page graphics.  Using the unit’s screen grab print mode took 12 seconds to print.  In all instances the print quality was good and could be used for all types of corresponded and documents.  I did notice that after heavy use there was a slight smell that hung around for a few minutes before dispersing.

The Samsung ML-1915 has been priced at £79.99 with replacement toner cartridges costing £45 (1500-page) and £56 (2500-page).  This would make an ideal printer for a home or small office user who just needed to print documents in monochrome.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/print-solutions/print-solutions/mono-printers/ML-1915/SEE/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail