Find The Right Printers

Brother MFC-3360C

The Brother MFC-3360C does decent quality text and graphics, but anyone printing a large volume of photos won't be happy with the extremely slow output speed. If you're set on buying a multifunction printer, put your $90 toward a more capable device, like the Canon Pixma MX330.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 600 x 1200 dpi, Corded handset

Brother DCP 165C

We've tested plenty of printers at CNET, but very few have frustrated us as much as the Brother DCP-165C multifunction has. The counterintuitive setup, bland design, deplorable print quality, and crawling output speeds earns this printer a double thumbs down. Spend $30 more and you can get the Canon Pixma MX330, an all-in-one printer that adds a fax machine on top of the copy, scan, and print features.

Specs: Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 1200 x 2400 dpi

Epson Stylus NX515 (printer/copier/scanner)

The Epson Stylus NX515 is a capable machine that will improve the efficiency of any office or work-at-home setup. Not only is it a lightning-fast all-in-one, but it also has a broader range of features than most other $150 AIOs. As long as you don't need a full creative software suite, the Epson Stylus NX515 will make a dependable sidekick to your computer.

Specs: Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 2400 x 2400 dpi

HP Deskjet D2660 Printer

HP's basic Deskjet D2660 inkjet has a fold-up paper tray and a unique paper corral that make it easy to store away. We noticed several flaws in the output quality, but if you don't expect too much in terms of photo output, this $50 inkjet will make an excellent at-home printer for intermittent use.

Specs: Personal printer - Ink-jet - Color, Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, PC, Mac, USB

HP Officejet 6000

We like the simplicity of the HP Officejet 6000 single-function inkjet printer. The print quality meets HP's high standards, and it outputs full color photos at an impressive rate, but its lack of an LCD screen takes some getting used to. Nevertheless, the HP Officjet 6000 performed well and earns our recommendation as a great single-function printer.

Specs: Workgroup printer - Ink-jet - Color, Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Workgroup printer, None, None, None, PC, Mac, 1 year warranty, USB, Ethernet

Canon Pixma MX330

The Canon Pixma MX330 doesn't produce the best quality prints, but you won't find a more versatile printer in the sub-$150 category. An auto-document feeder, 1.8-inch LCD screen, and easy-to-use features make it an excellent choice for creative homes on a budget.

HP Photosmart C6380 all-in-one

The HP Photosmart C6380 is a good fit for beginning photographers who want more than just a simple printer. Its six-ink cartridge bay, and scanning and copying capabilities extend its versatility, and while the output quality suffers a few missteps, the C6380 remains a worthwhile deal for the money.

Specs: Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 4800 dpi

HP Officejet J4680

The HP Officejet J4680 offers more features at a cheaper price than most of its competitors, and small offices and home professionals will appreciate its print quality as well. Unfortunately, its negatives far outweigh the positives: your office productivity will take a major hit because of sluggish output speeds and faulty paper handling. For a better rounded all-in-one printer, we recommend picking up the Lexmark x7675 Pro or investing an extra $90 in the HP Officejet J6480.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 1200 x 2400 dpi

Dell All-in-One Wireless Printer V305w - multifunction ( printer / copier / scanner ) ( color )

The Dell V305w is cosmetically appealing and inexpensive, but the output quality needs significant improvement, and the cost to maintain the printer is much higher than the industry standard. We recommend checking out the competition for a printer that will give you longer-lasting inks, cheaper replacement cartridges, and more acceptable photo-quality prints.

Specs: Digital photo - Inkjet paper - Color laser paper, Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), A4, PC

Kodak ESP 5

The Kodak ESP5 is an attractive full color all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier, and casual photo enthusiasts will be happy with the watered-down editing software, but hard-core users should look elsewhere for a multifunction printer. The ESP5 is too expensive and suffers from too many mechanical deficiencies for us to give it our CNET stamp of approval.

Specs: Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet

Canon Selphy CP770

The Canon Selphy CP770 is a neat, little dye-sublimation printer that includes a bucket for easy travel, but the wireless accessories aren't included. If you're shopping for a convenient travel-friendly printer, check out the Canon Selphy CP760 that offers the exact same technology with a similar style for a better price.

Specs: Compact photo printer - Dye sublimation - Color, 4 in x 8 in, Wired, PC, Mac, USB, Infrared, Direct print USB

Canon Selphy CP760

The Canon Selphy CP760 takes the pain out of printing photos with its plug-and-play design and straightforward usability, and the $100 price tag makes it an excellent companion printer for quick prints in the home.

Specs: Compact photo printer - Dye sublimation - Color, 4 in x 8 in, Wired, PC, Mac, USB, Direct print USB

Lexmark Z2420

With so many other inexpensive photo inkjets on the market today, we can't recommend the Lexmark z2420--it's prone to paper jams, prints at a snail's pace, and produces unacceptable quality prints.

Canon Pixma iP2600 Photo Printer

The Canon Pixma iP2600 is an excellent option for buyers looking to print their personal photos and text documents. We wish it had external ports for direct image uploading (although we're not surprised it doesn't), but you'll be more than satisfied with this printer's ability to deliver quality photos at a low price.

Specs: Photo printer - Ink-jet - Color, Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Letter A Size (8.5 in x 11 in), Wired, 22 pages/min, 17 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB

Canon Pixma MX700

The Canon Pixma MX700 is a great choice for small offices with a wide variety of print tasks. This inkjet multifunction beats out the competition with a winning combination of features and performance.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 2400 x 4800 dpi

Samsung ML-1630

The Samsung ML-1630 can't claim to be the best value among $200 mono laser printers--the competition offers faster print speeds and more features--but the ML-1630's aesthetic appeal is undeniable.

Specs: Personal printer - Laser - Monochrome, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Wired, 16 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB

HP Photosmart A626

The HP Photosmart A626 is supposed to bridge the gap between the A826 and the A526 snapshot printers by providing lots of features, good print quality, and decent print speeds, but it falls short on the last two counts.

Specs: Compact photo printer - Ink-jet - Color, 3.9 in x 11.8 in, 3.95 in x 5.9 in, 5.12 in x 7.1 in, Wired, 0.6 min/page, 0.9 min/page, 1.3 min/page, PC, Mac, USB

HP PhotoSmart A526

The HP Photosmart A526 snapshot printer is meant to be simple and easy to use, but we found it simplified to a fault. There aren't enough options in standalone mode, and it's not as fast as the competition.

Specs: Compact photo printer - Ink-jet - Color, Wired, 0.6 min/page, 1.3 min/page, PC, Mac, USB

Canon Pixma MP210

If you're looking for the best print and scan quality from a budget all-in-one, the Canon Pixma MP210 is the one for you. Other models, however, offer more substantial feature sets.

Specs: Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 600 x 1200 dpi

Canon Pixma MX300

If you work in a one-person office and are on a tight budget, the Pixma MX300 is a good fit; you won't find better quality output from comparably priced all-in-one inkjets. You'll need to keep shopping, however, if you need built-in networking or fast prints.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 600 x 2100 dpi