Finishing a point above average overall, Canon's PIXMA iP5000 was unlucky to miss out on our coveted recommended award, pipped at the finishing line by Epson's PictureMate small format printer. Canon's five individual ink cartridges is a great system that allows you to replace only the inks you need without needing to replace a whole colour cartridge as is the case with the HP PhotoSmart 8150 printer.

The cheapest unit on show, it disproves the old 'you get what you pay for' theory, offering good colour reproduction from the original image and quality prints. Printed again using Canon's enhancement mode we see a slightly sharper image with better colour adjustments. PictBridge and Bubble Jet Direct compatible, you'll be able to print straight from supported digital cameras without the need to first transfer images to your PC. Should you archive and then burn off your images to disc, the iP5000 even supports CD and DVD surface printing for easy labelling and even easier finding later. Given that it's $50 cheaper than everything else's price and packs a punch in both quality and features, this is definitely one to check out if you are looking to set up your own home photo lab.