It's rare that a product – even a very good one – balances function, innovation, and performance, but that's what Hewlett-Packard has done with the Designjet Z3100 Photo Printer. The ease of use, excellent print quality, and smart design touches have been combined into one of the best professional printers we have ever seen.

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.

The Lexmark X9575 provides some valuable and well-implemented features. However, print speeds and quality detract from this multifunction’s overall appeal.

The PIXMA MX7600 has a focus on connectivity and good print quality. Unfortunately, some of the ease of the use that Canon is renowned for has been lost.

For individual users or a small office, the Color LaserJet CP1518ni's minimal paper handling and toner supplies are probably adequate. Only extremely patient people will find it easy to tolerate the slow engine, however, especially when similarly priced models are much faster and have better features.

HP’s LaserJet P1005 puts its best foot forward. But it’s crippled with slower performance and a more expensive price point than the Brother HL-2140. It’s a good printer, but it simply isn’t competitive enough.

The Brother MFC-7440N is a capable mono laser multifunction that suffers from several flaws which may impact on its use in offices. It costs $100 more than the MFC-7340, but the addition of the Ethernet port is a boon for productivity.

The LBP 3100B’s low initial cost is well complemented by attractive design and decent printing speeds. Still, some odd design choices and slightly inaccurate printing mar this printer a little — it’s good but it doesn’t excel when compared to the competition.

Although it isn’t the prettiest printer about, the P4015N is certainly functional and will suit businesses in need of high volume printing.

It won't replace your graphics department's high-end colour laser printer, but for drafts and for other kinds of office users it's worth considering.

The R290 is an inexpensive and efficient low-end addition to Epson’s Stylus Photo range. Although quality isn’t always up to scratch, the printer will suit basic photo printing needs.

The MFC-7840W improves on its cheaper counterparts with the addition of Wi-Fi connectivity. However, the extra $100 compared to the MFC-7440N hardly seems justified. This multifunction makes a good printer, but its scanning quality isn't great.