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 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 Brother MFC-5840CN is good value for a networked MFP, but slow speeds and middling print quality limit its usefulness in an office setting.

Canon touts the Canon Pixma MX850 as a multifunction powerhouse, and it's worthy of such a description. On top of being fast, easy to use, and excellent at outputting documents and photos, the MX850 includes features such as a duplexer and an automatic document feeder — making it an office-friendly printer. Despite its less-than-impressive scanner output, the Pixma MX850 is a stellar choice.

The PIXMA has features that are very useful in a small office environment, such as a relatively large paper handling capacity, an automatic duplex unit and an automatic document feeder. It's also fast and quiet.

The MP830 has a strong combination of features and terrific performance, making it a worthy option for small businesses, despite its bulky size

It may not look pretty, but underneath its boxy exterior the MP600R has plenty of useful features that make it a great all-round multifunction centre for the home or small office.

This well-appointed MFP should be up to handling the workload in most small offices.

With many photo-centric features such as film scanning, the easy-to-use Canon Pixma MP960 will appeal to photographers who work with both film and digital cameras. It performs most tasks quickly and makes superb photo prints.

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.

Exclusive business users might find a laser printer more to their liking but, for a home office with a need to mix faxing and decent text output with a desire for eye-catching photographs; the C6180 is a decent option.

The LaserJet 3015 is a capable entry-level multifunction laser device for a small business or demanding home. HP has cut a few corners to save cost and desk space, but this won’t be an issue unless you need to scan books or magazines.