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.

There is little difference in functionality or capability between the bizhub 421 and 501, so the price difference clearly favours the bizhub 421. Unless every ounce of performance matters, the bizhub 421 is a more reasonable purchase.

The CM3530fs is a decent candidate for small to medium offices, offering good remote administration options and an integrated print server.

Though the MP480 suffers from the major flaws found in other budget multifunctions, it largely makes up for these problems through decent quality printing.

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.

Konica Minolta’s bizhub 501 provides adequate functionality for the medium-sized office with fast print speeds and decent remote administration capability. This multifunction is let down by mono scanning, however.

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 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 Colour LaserJet CM1312nfi packs in a decent number of features for a low asking price, but significant drawbacks ultimately make it uninspiring. This is a jack of all trades and master of none.

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 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.

Though the TX700W offers a lot of functionality and connectivity, it is ultimately let down by poor quality. This multifunction performs acceptably for a simple text printer, but there are better options in the same price range.