It's too bad about the inks, because the Dell V305W is a nice printer in many ways. But even if you don't print all that much, you'll notice the dent in your wallet fairly quickly. And unfortunately, this printer doesn't print money.

At a bargain basement price the TX200 provides surprising quality and performance, making this multifunction hard to pass up. There are inherent flaws in such a cheap printer, but for families and occasional printing needs the TX200 is a decent purchase.

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.

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.

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.

For the average family, the X4650 should suffice. Wi-Fi connectivity is an advantage for shared printing and print quality is adequate, but poor printing speeds will deter many people.

The MFC-7340 has a number of flaws and missing features that make it problematic for office use. No duplex, no Ethernet and an inadequate paper output tray are its key failures, but it delivers good quality printing and it is cost efficient.

The Lexmark T430dn prints clean text quickly enough to satisfy a small workgroup, but its graphics output looks dark and unrealistic.

Sleek and low-priced, the LaserJet 2550L seems promising for small offices, but its speed and print quality aren't stellar.

The HP Color LaserJet 3550n delivers decent print quality, especially for black-and-white documents, but it is both expensive and quite slow.

The Dell Laser Printer 5100cn is fast and should be an economical choice for a workgroup that plows through paper, but its image quality could have been better.

Though not a looker, lacking in versatility and slightly short on image quality, the Selphy CP510 is still worthy of your attention. That reasonable price and those brilliant running costs make this a good, cheap model.