With a load of features, cheap consumables and an intuitive menu system, the PIXMA MP610 is possibly the best value multifunction on the market. Its print quality may have some flaws when compared to its bigger brother, the MP970, but its scanning quality and lower price tag more than make up for this.

Epson's Stylus Photo RX430 offers excellent--if slightly slow--four-colour printing.

In the end, the RX610 is worth its $299 price tag. Its photo reproduction is sharp as a blade, it's versatile (it'll print, copy and scan) and easy to use.

At its price point we feel an LCD interface should have been a given. However, the Brother MFC-9440CN is a robust and durable machine that delivers quality output at good speeds.

The Lexmark X6570 isn't particularly cheap, and there is obviously the question of whether the text output would really be good enough for business work -- in many cases, a cheap mono laser would be a better bet. However, you do get good fax facilities and colour printing, and if the wireless facilities are of interest then this makes a very decent buy.

The C4580 continues HP's trend of improving the quality of its low-end inkjets. Though there's still room for improvement, the C4580 is good value for money.

The MFC-685CW is a burger with the lot, with wireless connectivity thrown in for good measure. Its print quality for documents is adequate, and its scanning capability is good, but it's not a good choice for photo prints.

The Canon Pixma MP620 delivers a wide variety of features in a well-designed package. Its connectivity and generous paper handling make it particularly well suited for families or students.

Pumpkin-coloured people aside, the Canon Pixma MX700 is, overall, one of the strongest multifunction packages we've seen to date. It stuffs a lot of functions into a fairly user-friendly package and offers scads of software to help you along.

Should your business need to add scanning to basic mono print facilities, the HP LaserJet M1120 MFP will cover both tasks with reasonable aplomb. It's not super fast, and you won't want to rely on it for huge print jobs, but for running off a few text documents it'll more than suffice. Should you not need scanning, though, you can find better dedicated printers elsewhere.

The RX690 lacks the intuitive software interface of its competitors, but makes up for this in its functionality and photo customization options.

For a small office where cost effectiveness in an issue, the HP Officejet Pro L7380 provides an excellent multifunction solution. The only real problem is the lack of networking options.