Monday, June 20, 2016

Updated the firmware of my Samsung Xpress M2885FW printer to version 3.00.01.13

I have just updated the firmware of my Samsung Xpress M2885FW printer to version 3.00.01.13.

You can download the latest firmware from Samsung support webpage of this MFP here.

Firmware update can be done via the Samsung SyncThru Web Service, by accessing the printer's IP address using your web browser.

Note that you need to login as administrator user in order to perform the firmware update.

Here are the steps to perform the update:

  • Download the latest firmware, and unzip the file.
  • Locate the firmware file with extension .HD, such as M2885_V3.00.01.13.hd.
  • Open your web browser and access to the printer's SyncThru Web Service.
  • Login as administrator.
  • Go to Maintenance > Firmware Upgrade.
  • Click the Upgrade Wizard button.
  • Select the firmware file, e.g. M2885_V3.00.01.13.hd.
  • The file will be uploaded, and the firmware update process will begin.
  • The printer will restart, followed by the firmware reflash procedure.
  • Upon successful update, you can check the firmware information in Maintenance > Firmware Version screen.

And here is the changelog of the firmware for this printer for your reference.




Upgraded my home MFP to Samsung Xpress SL-M2885FW/XSS mono multifunction laser-class LED printer from Dell 1355cn colour multifunction LED printer

My Dell 1355cn colour multifunction laser-class LED printer has served me for more than 4 years before I hit with a paper jam problem that I'm unable to resolve by myself (probably due to faulty in either its sensor or paper feed roller alignment).

Considering its high toner price and I found difficulty to get a printer repair shop who are willing to repair this Dell printer, I decided to replace it with a new Samsung Xpress SL-M2885FW/XSS mono multifunction (print/scan/copy/fax) laser-class LED printer.

 


I have chosen a mono laser printer this time rather than a colour laser printer, as I found out that I seldom need to do colour printing. This BLI award-winning mono laser MFP which cost me RM698 (inclusive 6% GST) is much cheaper than the colour laser MFP available in the market. In addition, it only has black toner to replace instead of 4 toners which cost a lot when replaced at the same time.

One of the beauty of this Samsung M2885FW printer is that its imaging unit is separated from the toner, which helps to bring down the cost of the toner. The imaging drum unit MLT-R116 has a page yield of up to 9,000 pages and cost around RM175 for replacement, while its high-yield toner MLT-D116L  with page yield of up to 3,000 pages cost about the same price with the imaging unit. There is an alternative standard-yield toner MLT-D116S with page yield of up to 1,200 pages cost around RM100 only.

The easiest way to setup this Samsung M2885FW printer is to first connect it to the computer using USB cable, configure its TCP/IP settings so that it is accessible with network cable or WiFi LAN. The printer also supports WiFi setup using WPS method.

There are 2 ways to obtain and install its required drivers and software applications. One way is to install from its installation CD, another way is to install the Samsung Printer Software Installer and Samsung Printer Diagnostics which you can download from Samsung support website for SL-M2885FW/XSS.



You can make use of the Samsung Printer Diagnostics software to install and update the drivers and related applications to the latest version.


Other ways to setup the printer's TCP/IP network settings including using its control panel with 2-line LED display, which might not be convenient, and to connect to the printer using WiFi Direct, then continue with the configuration, which might need some technical know-how before the attempt succeed.

There are 2 important software that you need to install namely Samsung Easy Printer Manager and Samsung Easy Document Creator.

The Samsung Easy Printer Manager has 2 modes. The Basic Mode (or I call it end-user mode) is a clean and straightforward screen that tells you the printer's status, and provides quick button access to its scanner functions (which handled by the Samsung Easy Document Creator application), fax functions, user's guide (which is a comprehensive user manual) and some other basic functions.


The Advanced Mode (or I call it administrator mode) provides more detailed information about the printer, including its serial number. It also allows you to perform some settings configuration here.


There is a reason I said setting up TCP/IP for the printer is important. Apart from making the printer accessible via the network once the TCP/IP setting is done, it also enables you to have access to its powerful Samsung SyncThru Web Service which you access by connecting to port 80 of the printer's IP address using your web browser.


The number of information you can get in SyncThru Web Service is even more than Samsung Easy Printer Manager Advanced Mode. It also provides you much more control to the settings of the printer.

You can gain even more access by login as administrator in SyncThru Web Service. The default username is admin and its default password is sec00000. Once logged in, you can replace this username and password with your own.

You can also perform print, scan or fax function from your mobile device through the Android app called Samsung Mobile Print. If you are using iPhone or iPad, there is Samsung Mobile Print for iOS too.


What I like about this printer?
  • It prints and/or copies really fast, at speed of up to 28ppm. Much faster than the Dell 1355cn.
  • Its print output is of high quality. Resolution can be as high as 4800x600 dpi.
  • Its scanner support high resolution of up to 1200x1200 dpi optical, and 4800x4800 dpi maximum.
  • It has built-in support for automated double-sided printing, which is a feature normally available in printers of higher range.
  • It has built-in support for ID copy to easily copy double-sided cards (e.g. IC, driving license, business card, ...) onto the same page of A4 paper.
  • It has built-in support for Google Cloud Print, Samsung Cloud Print, and Apple AirPrint.
  • It is small in size, even slightly smaller than the Dell 1355cn.
  • It has low power consumption of 1.6W during power save mode, 2.4Wwhen sleeping with WiFi direct on, 50W during standby, and 400W when printing.
  • Its paper tray is of drawer type, not exposing the papers in front of the printer. The tray has input capacity of up to 250 sheets of papers.
  • It has easy to use Eco Mode which helps to save toner and/or paper usage.

What I dislike about this printer?
  • Its 2-line LCD display panel has limited display area. It is not practical to perform setting directly using its control panel.
  • When putting in A4 paper in its paper tray, there is still slight exposure of the paper at the back of the printer.
  • It supports NFC, which needs to function together with WiFi Direct. However, my phone's NFC contact with the printer most of the time not successful to bring up the Samsung Mobile Print app. It is not easy to make use of this function.
  • The Samsung Printer Installer unable to detect and download the latest firmware for the printer, and the Scanner Driver is always in "update needed" state even if the latest version already installed successfully.



Sunday, June 5, 2016

Online free search of registered company name and purchase of their company profile with SSM e-Info website

If you are going to start up a new business in Malaysia and would like to check whether the company name you thought of is available or not, now you can check it online for free, with SSM e-Info website.

Other than the above purpose, you can use the same website to check a Malaysian company's information at a small fee payable online. Available information including:

  • Company profile: consists of company information, summary of share capital, directors/officers, shareholders, company charges and account summary.
  • Company charges: extraction of information from Form 34 (Statement of Particulars to be Lodged with Charge) and Form 40 (Certificate of Registration of Charge).
  • Financial comparison: extraction of information from 2 most recent Audited Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account of the company.
  • Business Profile (for LLP, sole-proprietary, partnership): consists of business information, business address, nature of business, branch information (if any) and current business owner.
  • Business Termination Letter: certification of termination of registered Business from SURUHANJAYA SYARIKAT MALAYSIA which verify that the Business is expired or terminated.
In the good old days, you need to go to the office of Companies Commission of Malaysia (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia, SSM) to perform the searching, checking and information purchasing. This SSM e-Info website eliminates the hassle by making the service available online.

Before you can perform any searching in the website, you need to register a user account by clicking on the "Register Now as e-Account Member" image link on the website. The registration is free and once your account is successfully registered, you can immediately login and make use of the services available.

You can search the company or business by name or by registration number.

If no search result displayed, then the company name you searched for is probably available for new registration application.

If the search found any matching company/companies or business/businesses, it will display their registration number, name, city and state in search result, and you can click a button to purchase further information of the company/business.


Hint: Click on the "Older Posts" link to continue reading, or click here for a listing of all my past 3 months articles.