If you are in need of a decent printer but aren't worried about color, a monochrome printer is your best bet. The Samsung ML-5017ND is just the monochrome printer you are looking for to get those high-volume print jobs done accurately and quickly. It many not be the fastest out there, but it is still pretty fast.

The ML-5017ND is quite cumbersome. It measures 14.1 by 16.5 by 17.1 inches, and weighs in at a whopping 56 pounds. You might need a bit of help putting it in place, and you'd better make sure that's exactly where you want it to go. You won't want to move it again. The ML-5017ND features a color touch screen, usually not included on other monochrome models. It allows you to manage print jobs, control direct USB printing, set up specific print functions, print in Eco mode, and many more.

Features

This printer offers a sizeable 520-sheet paper capacity, as well as an automatic duplexer allowing you to print on both sides of the page. Is 520-sheet capacity not large enough? That's ok, there is an optional 520-sheet tray add-on available for purchase, as well as finishers. This translates to a whopping 2,700 sheets capacity, although there are others on the market which offer more after purchasing add-ons, like the Lexmark T650n (although purchasing the T650n with 350-sheet capacity and purchasing a 500-sheet optional tray costs the same as the ML-5017ND. The T650n also lacks the automatic duplexer out of the box.)

The ML-5017ND features USB and Ethernet connectivity, including Gigabit Ethernet.

Speed and Print Quality

Tests clocked the ML-5017ND at 8.3 pages per minute when printing a mix of text and graphics. Text only, the printer performs at 50 pages per minute. Compared to other monochrome printers, like the Lexmark T650n which output 10 pages per minute, that's pretty good.

As for the quality of the printed text and images, it was as to be expected for this style of laser printer. Text quality was average, which should suit just about any business use. Graphics, on the other hand, displayed faint banding. Some spots were mottled due to an uneven distribution of toner. That said, if you plan on distributing your PowerPoint presentation at your next meeting, that's fine (unless you are a perfectionist or are presenting for the CEO who is a perfectionist.)

Picture printing from web pages or otherwise also showed the banding, and light areas of photos showed a little loss of detail. Images also appeared slightly grainy. However, most don't purchase a monochrome printer to print out pictures, so this shouldn't be an issue.

Value

For its paper capacity out of the box, the ML-5017ND wins hands down, as well as adding a rare touch screen to quickly and easily perform special functions. Really, there are few other machines out there that can handle this much volume out-of-box. Other competing printer machines may be faster, but the speed difference isn't a reason to count this workhorse out at $950.