A slight speed boost and a new curvaceous shape keep Canon on top of the inkjet pile.

Capable of reproducing good photos, but it’s slow, a bit expensive to run and has a poor scanner.

Cheap to buy and run, the X5470 is great for mono printing, but less so for photos and images.

While HP’s strength in photo printing is once again proved, mono prints take too long and the scanner is poor.

It’s one of the few to include a fax machine and the ADF could be useful, but we expected far better print quality and faster speed at this price.

Reasonably affordable to buy, but high running costs combined with poor-quality output mean you’re better off spending your money elsewhere.

The quality of this diminutive cutie is almost as good as the high-end models, but the price means a compromise on both speed and features.

Economical running costs and a great scanner make it appealing, but it’s slow and hard to use as a standalone copier.

The price is reasonable, but the interface is poor and speed and quality are below average.

One of the fastest and best-quality printers on show. The scanner isn’t perfect and there aren’t as many features as the best here, but the MP170 is hard to beat for value.

The second-cheapest model submitted for the roundup, the $249 price tag is very attractive

It's tough to find a point to begin describing this MFD, its plus qualities are numerous and evenly spread across the unit, making for an impressive product.

It is all well and good selecting expensive printers based on the quality of the photo prints they produce, but the general home user often wants something that can do basic print jobs well, and make the kids' homework look good.