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In the past, the phrase “multifunction” generally meant compromise. The quality of combination devices rarely came up to the standard of their stand alone counterparts and on top of that usually cost more than all of the devices put together. More recently this theory has been chipped away and it all but dissolves with Samsung’s latest entry into the multifunction market, the SCX-4216F.

Samsung describes its latest offering as a 4-in-1 machine and what this entails is a laser printer, flatbed scanner, photocopier and fax. Being the second Samsung device we have tested in recent weeks, following the impressive ML1750, our expectations for the SCX-4216F were high and certainly the specifications look impressive on paper.

What you get for your £311.37 is a laser printer capable of 16ppm with a 12 second first page, a front loading 250 page paper cassette, a 33.6kbps fax modem with 30 sheet automatic document feeder, a scanner capable of resolutions up to 4,800 x 4,800 dpi and a digital copier with a zoom range of up to 400 per cent.

Now from the outside, the SCX-4216F may look like a small house but appearances can be deceptive. Opening up the box the first thing that struck me was how light the SCX-4216F was, at 15kg this is not going to break anyone’s back and measuring up at a mere 445 x 419 x 341mm (WxDxH) this is also one of the smallest multifunction devices available. It bulges out noticeably towards the top (that roof on a house impression) but this means the device leaves a smaller footprint and offers up a larger surface at the useful end of things. I would even go so far as to call it quite stylish.

Overall build quality is good, the buttons have a solid feel to them and the LCD is clean and clear. One gripe I do have however is the top, which can feel a bit rickety when you open it, and though this is because the hinges extend telescopically to accommodate thick documents or heavy books I can’t help but feel that there should have been some form of lock attached to these hinges to make them feel more sturdy. That said I had all but forgotten about it after a few days.

Setting up the SCX was a doddle thanks to a rare thing in today’s market; a well written manual. Even more helpful is the large fold out quick start guide which gets you out of the box and up and running in six straightforward steps. Connection options are the usual parallel and USB ports at the back of the machine and overall this is technology at its most user friendly. It still annoys me that manufacturers won’t stump up for a USB cable in this day and age, especially for any printer over £100.

Software installation is also straightforward; just pop in the bundled CD and follow the onscreen instructions. As long as you select the right language on the first screen, you really can’t go wrong.

So, how did it perform? Well the answer is remarkably well. After I got over the irritation of another supplied “starter cartridge” (as with ML1750, which is only capable of 1,000 sheets as opposed to 3,000 sheets) I was thoroughly impressed.