Getting the highest print quality out of the 5300 costs about 30 cents per photo, which is a pretty good result. And those ink prices may be hard to pass up.

In the end, the RX610 is worth its $299 price tag. Its photo reproduction is sharp as a blade, it's versatile (it'll print, copy and scan) and easy to use.

The Lexmark X6570 isn't particularly cheap, and there is obviously the question of whether the text output would really be good enough for business work -- in many cases, a cheap mono laser would be a better bet. However, you do get good fax facilities and colour printing, and if the wireless facilities are of interest then this makes a very decent buy.

The LaserJet P1505 doesn't look like much, but it is a fast printer. We think HP cut a few too many corners in designing it, but those seeking a no-nonsense workhorse may be willing to put up with some of its shortcomings.

Pumpkin-coloured people aside, the Canon Pixma MX700 is, overall, one of the strongest multifunction packages we've seen to date. It stuffs a lot of functions into a fairly user-friendly package and offers scads of software to help you along.

The very stylish Samsung ML-1630 flouts the monochrome laser printer's reputation for dull efficiency. It's a decent machine whose low-capacity input tray and pricey toner restrict it to individuals or small offices that wouldn't mind sacrificing some usefulness for style.

Ease of use and low-cost consumables help give this printer an edge over the competition.

With the J6480, HP offers home offices a productive and efficient multi-function designed to meet most, if not all, printing and faxing needs. While the running costs may not be the cheapest, this multi-function device should definitely be considered.

For a small office where cost effectiveness in an issue, the HP Officejet Pro L7380 provides an excellent multifunction solution. The only real problem is the lack of networking options.

The Sony's design, features and quality prints make it a fine choice. If Sony could get the cost per print down, it would be a must-have product.

The Aficio GX3000 is a photo printer posing as a business model. Office users would be well advised to set their sights on a laser printer instead.

Should your business need to add scanning to basic mono print facilities, the HP LaserJet M1120 MFP will cover both tasks with reasonable aplomb. It's not super fast, and you won't want to rely on it for huge print jobs, but for running off a few text documents it'll more than suffice. Should you not need scanning, though, you can find better dedicated printers elsewhere.