Once you're over the initial set-up hurdle, the MagiColour 8650DN is a top-notch printer for design studios.

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.

You can’t expect a $390 colour laser printer to demonstrate the very latest in performance and quality. However, for those who primarily want decent graphics, and who would also like to occasionally run off text jobs, this printer is better than its low price tag would suggest. It’s not fast though, so patience will be required.

While there are some minor flaws, Fuji Xerox's DocuPrint C1110 is a great colour laser printer with fantastic everyday colour quality.

If you need to print large volumes of colour documents each month, this printer is ideal. It's perhaps the best colour laser printer in its class and at $1699, the initial outlay for this unit isn't extravagant.

Large volume colour printing is very affordable with this unit. It's compact and easy to physically set-up and use, and it's very fast, but its print quality in colour mode is by no means perfect.

The Epson Aculaser C1100 is a good choice for low-volume colour printing, with best of breed output quality, providing you don't mind the slightly higher than average running costs and slow colour output.

This entry-level colour laser delivers high text quality and fast colour speeds, but operating costs are high.

The HL-4040CN is designed to be, and is priced as, a low-end machine. Its only option is a networking add-on.

Lexmark's budget-priced colour laser delivers fast, high-quality text. Albeit without the option for a duplexer, but you can increase your paper tray to a 530-sheet tray for an additional cost.

A low price and great-looking photo quality helps this model stand out, but its toner cartridges are expensive.