Printers
October 20, 2009

Lexmark T656DNE Black and White Laser Printer Sports Touch Screen

By Databazaar Blog

Printer News: Lexmark Trades Buttons for a Touch Screen on New T656DNE Laser Printer

DBZ-738-PN-Lexmark-T656dne-10-06-09-500

Buttons are out. Touch screens are in. Lexmark's new T656DNE, a high-volume monochrome laser printer, features a 7-inch color touch screen.

Once upon a time, you only touched your printer to turn it on, clear a paper jam, or insert paper. The Lexmark T656DNE's touch screen may strike some as more sizzle than steak, but if your printer sits in a public place such as a reception area, you can run a promotional slide show on the touch screen when it's not in use. From the touch screen you can also print previously uploaded forms, adjust the printer's settings, choose from among 18 languages, and access your own custom applications.

Beyond the touch screen, you'll find a fast and powerful printer that prints duplex up to 55 pages per minute and has a capacity of 4,300 pages with optional high-capacity feeders and trays. Without all the options, it holds 650 pages and weighs just 53 pounds. With specs like that, the predecessor T650 series can't touch the new T656DNE.

Specs that matter

Release Date:October 6, 2009
Notable Features:7 inch color touch screen, custom applications, gigabit Ethernet, fast printing speeds, large paper capacity, PC-free printing
Green Features:Energy Star, duplex printing saves paper, eco-settings, cartridge recycling program
Pages Per Minute:55
Resolution:1200 x 1200 dpi
Paper Trays:2 standard (additional trays optional)
Paper Capacity:650 (up to 4,300)
Interface:Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 (supports printing from USB drives
Compatibility:Windows and Macintosh
Dimensions:17.2 x 16.7 x 20.7 inches
Weight:53 pounds
Monthly Duty Cycle:35,000 pages
Warranty:1 year (extended warranty available)

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

October 19, 2009

Print From Anything to the HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One C309a

By Databazaar Blog

Printer News: HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One C309a Does Just About Everything, Including Printing

DBZ-626-PN500

Despite what you may have heard, paper still has a bright future. At least, that's what HP's Premium Fax All-in-One C309a would have you believe. For example, embedded QuickForm templates enable you to print fax cover sheets, calendars, checklists, etc. You can also copy, fax, or scan up to 50 sheets at a time.

With the HP Premium Fax All-in-One C309a, you can print from just about any device — via Ethernet, USB, or WiFi from Macs and PCs, via WiFi from your iPhone or iPod touch, via Bluetooth from your cell phone (including iPhone), via PictBridge from your digital camera, and via a memory card.

HP claims the Premium Fax All-in-One prints up to 33 pages per minute. Among its many high-end features, it offers duplex printing and a 2.4 inch LCD display. We always list the MSRP, but we have seen this printer for $199 from HP itself thanks to an instant rebate. You can spend the money you save on some paper, which we remind you has a bright future.

Specs that matter

Release Date:March 2, 2009
Notable Features:Duplex printing, fax, CDs/DVDs printing, iPhone and other PC-free printing, QuickForms, 50-page automatic document feeder, lab-quality photos
Green Features:Energy Star, duplex, 2-up, and 4-up printing saves paper, HP Smart Web Printing saves paper and ink, high-yield inkjet cartridges reduce packaging waste, HP Planet Partners recycling program
Pages Per Minute:33 (b/w), 32 (color)
Seconds Per Photo:17
Resolution:Enter
Paper Trays:2 (including dedicated photo paper tray)
Paper Capacity:175 sheets, 20 photo
Interface:USB 2.0, Ethernet, WiFi, PictBridge, Bluetooth (optional), Memory Cards
Compatibility:Windows and Macintosh
Dimensions:9.5 x 17.7 x 17.4 inches
Weight:24.3 pounds
Warranty:1 year

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

Article Filed Under: HP Intuix Printer News Printers
October 07, 2009

How to Take and Print Polaroids Using Your iPhone

By Databazaar Blog

PrinTip: Polaroid-Style Photos From Your iPhone in Two Steps (Shaking Optional)

We recently covered three methods for creating and printing Polaroid-style photos — two using your Mac or PC and one using a ZINK-based gadget. But those of you with an iPhone asked us if there's "an app for that." With 85,000 apps on Apple's App Store, did you have any doubt? There's even an app for finding nearby public restrooms, but I digress.DBZ-802-PT

Nick Campbell's Shake it Photo sells for 99 cents. Snap a photo through Shake it Photo, and then shake your iPhone to watch your Polaroid-style photo come to life (you don't have to shake your iPhone but shaking it makes the photo "develop" faster). You can also process existing photos.

After using Shake it Photo, you can transfer photos to your Mac or PC, and then print them, but where's the fun in that?

If you use an HP printer, install HP's free HP iPrint Photo for iPhone. Using this app, you can print photos from your iPhone to any WiFi-enabled HP printer.

If you own a non-HP inkjet printer (Canon, Epson, Lexmark, etc.), use a third-party printing app such as EuroSmartz's Print or Microtech's ePrint (each costs $2.99).

Now that we solved this problem for you, how about an app for doing the laundry? We're still researching that one.

About PrinTips
Sometimes useful, sometimes fun, and always interesting, PrinTips enable you to get more out of your ink jet or laser printer. That said, we don't profess to have a monopoly on printer tips so if you have anything to add, please do so below.

October 07, 2009

Canon PIXMA MP990 Plus Twenty One More Printer Reviews

By Databazaar Blog

Review Roundup: Xerox Phaser 6125, Oki MB290, HP 3015d, Samsung ML-2855ND, Canon PIXMA MX320, Canon PIXMA MP560, Canon PIXMA MP990, HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web, Kodak ESP-7, Lexmark Interact S605, Lexmark Interpret S405, Lexmark Platinum Pro905, Lexmark Prestige Pro805, Lexmark Prevail Pro705, Lexmark Prospect Pro205, Canon Selphy CP790, Canon PIXMA iX7000, HP Officejet 7000, HP Deskjet D1660, Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera

DBZ-734-RR-500

Canon is like the quiet, unassuming kid in the back of the class who shocks everyone when he gets admitted to Harvard. Canon quietly (it never sends us press releases) cranks out crowd-pleasing inkjet printers. The Canon PIXMA MP990 has pleased the press as well, earning an Editors' Choice Award from Computer Shopper and, as a result, bragging rights as our Review Roundup winner this week.

Color Laser Printers

Xerox Phaser 6125

"This is a great little colour laser printer that produces worthwhile black and colour documents, though you may need to tweak settings for satisfactory photo prints. Print speeds hold up well, though are some way short of the specified figures. " — IT Reviews

Monochrome Multifunction Printers

Oki MB290

"Cash-strapped small businesses should find the Oki MP290 useful as a general-purpose mono fax, printer and copier. The fax and messaging functions are particularly versatile. However, with respect to printing speed and copying quality, you get what you pay for." — Alistair Dabbs, Register Hardware

Monochrome Laser Printers

HP 3015d

"We get to see a lot of printers, but there is still a great deal about the HP LaserJet P3015d to make it stand out from the crowd. It is a solid performer, actually achieving the speed rating quoted by the manufacturer (astonishing, really) and offering a clutch of extra features that will go down well with workgroups, such as automatic duplex printing, PIN-protected stored print jobs, easy-to-use drivers and 'walk-up' USB printing of PDF documents." — Alistair Dabbs, Register Dabbs

Samsung ML-2855ND

"This is a good, general-purpose mono laser printer, with useful features, such as its built-in duplex print. It's compact and still produces pages at well over 20ppm in real office conditions. Print quality for office documentation is fine and running costs fall in the middle of the pack." — Simon Williams, TrustedReviews

Inkjet Multifunction Printers

Canon PIXMA MX320

"Canon's PIXMA MX320 is at the low end of the company's range of SOHO all-in-one printers.… This is a serviceable home office all-in-one, with a useful general-purpose front panel USB socket, reasonable speed and the addition of both an ADF and fax facilities. While not intended as a photo printer, it produces excellent photos and fair plain paper prints and copies. Overall it's very good value." — IT Reviews

Canon PIXMA MP560

"The Canon PIXMA MP560 Wireless Photo All-in-One printer definitely lives up to its predecessor, the MP620. The photo quality is excellent, Canon has improved the wireless setup, and it is full of great features including Canon's Easy Scroll Wheel, a front side PictBridge/USB port, and two way paper feeding." — Sarah Meyer, PrinterComparison.com

Canon PIXMA MP990

"This all-in-one is a significant improvement over previous PIXMAs, shining where it really counts: excellent text and image quality. It is perfect for SOHO users who demand quality and speed." — Sally Wiener Grotta & Daniel Grotta, Computer Shopper

HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web | Read Our Take

"Aside from the never-ending name, the HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web All-in-One Printer looks good and prints high-quality photos at competitive speeds. We also appreciate the effort put into the downloadable applications for the interactive touch screen, but the innovation is offset by a hefty price tag. Unless Web connectivity and touch screens are a top priority, we recommend checking out HP's other multifunction printers, which still offer high performance but at a much lower cost." — Justin Yu, CNET

Kodak ESP-7 | Read Our Take

"In fact, because of the problems we had, we cannot recommend this printer. Who wants to buy a new printer only to spend hours with technical support to get it working properly? Yet, we feel that Kodak is a printer manufacturer to watch very carefully. Kodak's first digital cameras came up short, but after several generations, we found them to be greatly improved. If Kodak can work through their problems with these printers, we feel they could create exceptional printers." — Sandy Berger, Hardware Secrets

Lexmark Interact S605

"This all-in-one turns out documents and photos at respectable speeds and offers some fresh ideas, but don't mistake it for a photo printer. It's meant purely for small-business and personal-document printing." — Jonathan Rougeot, Computer Shopper

Lexmark Interpret S405

"This is the first of Lexmark's new range of inkjet all-in-ones we've examined and in general improvements are impressive. While ink costs are still too high, the extra economy of individual ink cartridges, where you don't have to throw a tri-colour cartridge away when one ink is exhausted, is some compensation. Speeds are good and print quality is improved, getting closer to Canon and HP standards." — Simon Williams, TrustedReviews

Lexmark Platinum Pro905

"This innovative, inexpensive-to-operate all-in-one incorporates some next-generation printer functions, but it's marred by confusing paper handling." — Sally Wiener Grotta and Daniel Grotta, Computer Shopper

Lexmark Platinum Pro 905

"The Lexmark Platinum Pro905 is a fully capable all-in-one business device, but its touch screen might throw a wrench in your workflow. The Smart Solutions widgets add virtual customization to the control panel, but we wish Lexmark had retained a few hard buttons as well." — Justin Yu, CNET

Lexmark Prestige Pro805

"Overall, we liked the Prestige. The attractive, relatively small (9.83 x 18.31 x 15.42-inch) printer proved itself as a performer capable of handling its maximum duty cycle of 10,000 pages per month. And with registration of the product, Lexmark extends the one-year warranty to five years." — Brian Sheinberg, ChannelWeb

Lexmark Prevail Pro705

"For your extra money, compared with the Interpret, you get an extended warranty, high-capacity cartridges as standard, a full-colour LCD, a slow but useful duplex mode and more convenient paper handling. Print quality and running costs are no different from the cheaper series, but the Prevail Pro705 is still a reasonable all-in-one for SOHO office work." — Simon Williams, TrustedReviews

Lexmark Prospect Pro205

"Great for small businesses who need an all-in-one printer without loads of frills, this entry-priced model earns good marks for its ease-of-use features and five-year warranty, despite a few print and paper-feed stumbles." — David English, Computer Shopper

Inkjet Photo Printers

Canon Selphy CP790 | Read Our Take

"Though a competent photo printer, the Selphy CP790 is not a good value. The unit and prints are expensive, and the software bundle is meager." — Susan Gilnert, Computer Shopper

Large Format Inkjet Photo Printers

Canon PIXMA iX7000

"This large-format inkjet is excellent for cost-sensitive small businesses and home offices. Top-notch results with plain paper, plus auto-duplex printing, make it one of the most versatile single-function inkjets you can buy." — David English, Computer Shopper

HP Officejet 7000

"We didn't think we'd be saying this about an HP printer, but it really does look as if the company has taken its eye off the ball.… it doesn't do what it should and really can't be recommended." — Simon Williams, TrustedReviews

HP Officejet 7000

"At its best, the Officejet 7000 produces high-quality output on plain paper — and does so cheaply. Its features restrict it to use by small workgroups or home offices, however." — Susan Silvius, PC World

Inkjet Printers

HP Deskjet D1660

"This is a pretty good printer for the money. It's very easy to use and in most ways just gets on with the job. Facilities are basic, but it's reasonably quick for its class and produces high quality output. Print costs are on the high side, but are likely to drop and will always be a bit higher when the asking price is low. If money is tight, the Deskjet D1660 is a good place to spend it." — Simon Williams, TrustedReviews

ZINK-Based Photo Printers

Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera

"That said, the output from the built-in printer was a vast improvement over what we saw from the standalone ZINK printers from Polaroid and Dell. None of the colors were noticeably off, and the printer did a reasonably good job with skin tones in particular." — M. David Stone, PC Magazine

About Review Roundup
Every week, we scour the Web for the most helpful reviews, organize them by printer type, and provide you with a salient quote and a link for further reading. We also link to our own summaries when available. When shopping for a printer, start with Review Roundup.

October 05, 2009

How Can I Print My Own Postcards?

By Kara Hiltz

PrinTip: Give Your Family and Friends a More Personal Look at Your Trip

DBZ-603-PT-500

Yesterday, the Nashua Telegraph reported on the world's first postcard, sent in Austria in 1869. Postcards may seem old-fashioned in the age of email and MMS. But admit it — you still love sending postcards from your travels to show off your family friends what you've seen.

Our friends at Photojojo offer three strategies for creating postcards from your printed digital photos.

  1. If you have access to a printer (or wait until you return home), use a peel-and-stick postcard backing from the2buds vintage postcard shop that you can attach to the back of your photo.

  2. Take advantage of online services that send postcards using a custom photo that you upload. This method comes in handy when you don't have a photo printer with you on vacation. Check out the USPS postcard service (Photojojo's recommendation), or Zoom and Go. For email postcards (no postage required), try Postalz.

  3. Go old-school — hand-write a message and address on the back of your photo and affix your stamp. Apparently, the USPS will deliver anything that looks like a postcard even if it's not a real postcard.

With these postcard tools, you can show off and tell like never before.

About PrinTips
Sometimes useful, sometimes fun, and always interesting, PrinTips enable you to get more out of your ink jet or laser printer. That said, we don't profess to have a monopoly on printer tips so if you have anything to add, please do so below.

Article Filed Under: Printers PrinTips Software
September 23, 2009

Canon PIXMA MP490 Inkjet Printer Focuses on Print Quality

By Databazaar Blog

Printer News: Canon Cuts Some Corners With the PIXMA MP490 But You May Not Care

DBZ-718-PN-500

If you build it, they won't necessary come, but if you build it and sell it cheap, you've got a fighting chance even during the Great Recession. That's the philosophy behind Canon's new PIXMA MP490 Photo All-in-One inkjet printer.

The PIXMA MP490 cranks out lab-quality 4x6 inch photos in about 43 seconds using four inks (it can print photos as large as 8x10 inches). Unlike pricier printers, Canon has cut some corners. For example, the LCD screen measures just 1.8 inches, and there's no WiFi, duplex printing, or fax capability. However, the PIXMA MP490 offers some advanced features such as a nearly instantaneous warmup, automatic recognition of scanned items, and professional color copies.

Clearly, Canon gave some thought to what a certain class of consumers want and what they don't care about. If you just want to print high-quality photos from one computer and have a copier and scanner handy just in case, the PIXMA MP490 may suit you.

Summary

All-in-One inkjet printer best for home users and students
MSRP: $99.99

Manufacturer

Product Page
PIXMA MP490

Supplies

Specs that matter

Release Date:July 7, 2009
Notable Features:LCD Screen, borderless photo printing, auto photo fix, PC-free printing, copying and scanning
Green Features:Energy Star, QuickStart, 4-in-1 and 2-in-1 printing saves paper, RoHS compliant, hardware recycling program
Pages Per Minute:8 (b/w), 4 (color)
Seconds Per Photo:43 (4x6 inch)
Resolution:4800 x 1200
Paper Trays:1
Interface:USB 2.0, Memory Cards
Compatibility:Windows and Macintosh
Dimensions:17.5 x 13.1 x 6.1 inches
Weight:13 pounds
Warranty:1 year

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

September 08, 2009

How Can I Create and Print Polaroid-Style Photos?

By Databazaar Blog

PrinTip: Three Options for Creating and Printing Polaroid-Style Photos

Some technologies die only to resurface again and retake the world by storm. Take Polaroids for example. Even kids who have never even shaken a Polaroid photo to life know about them. They've gone from mainstream to nowheresville to hipster accessory. Fortunately, if you want to print some Polaroids, you need not hunt for an antique on eBay or overpay for one at Urban Outfitters. Instead, you can choose from three print-it-yourself options, none of which require shaking.

The Difficult, High-Quality Method: Use Hongkiat.com's Tutorial

Design blog Hongkiat's tutorial, Create A Polaroid Effect Of Your Photo, requires a copy of Photoshop and contains nine steps. If you're comfortable with layers, opacity, the Lasso Tool, and other Photoshopisms, you'll end up with a high-quality file suitable for printing. Otherwise, keep reading.

The Easy, Low-Quality Method: Use RollipDBZ-730-PT-Rollip500

Several Web sites enable you to upload a photo, add a caption, and create a Polaroid-like image. We used a photo taken at Yankee Stadium on August 21, 2009 to test three services — Rollip, Instantizer.com, and SnazzySpace.com.

We liked Rollip the best for several reasons. It enables you to select from several effects Polaroid users would recognize such as soft focus, dark, and overexposure. Rollip also offers a choice of fonts for the caption and provides a download link when it finishes processing your request. You can see our Rollip photo at the top right of this article

Instantizer.com offers a rotation effect that we found useless because it rotates both the photo and the frame instead of just the photo. Also, the font it uses is hard to read (see our Instantizer.com sample below our Rollip photo). SnazzySpace.com is designed to create Polaroids for Facebook and other social networks. Unfortunately, they're too small for printing.

Those of you who prefer software may want to try Poladroid, currently a free download for Mac and Windows. We didn't try it, but apparently Justin Timberlake likes it (we're guessing he uses a Mac).DBZ-730-PT-Instant500

The Expensive, High-Quality Method: Buy a ZINK-Based Printer or Camera

As you may recall from our previous coverage, ZINK developed a zero-ink printing technology in an effort to bring the Polaroid experience into the digital age and at much higher quality. ZINK doesn't make any products, but instead licenses its technology.

Currently, you can purchase ZINK-based products from Dell, Takara TOMY, and Polaroid (not the old Polaroid, but a new company that bought the name). If you want a ZINK-based printer, look at the Dell Wasabi PZ310, Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer (read our coverage), and Sony Picture Station DPP-FP67 (read our coverage). If you prefer a camera like the Polaroids of old, check out the the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera, which also functions as a printer. The printers range from $50 to $120 (shop around); the camera sells for about $200.

Just think — if Polaroids can make a comeback, how about eight track tapes? Then again, maybe some technologies have died for good.

About PrinTips
Sometimes useful, sometimes fun, and always interesting, PrinTips enable you to get more out of your ink jet or laser printer. That said, we don't profess to have a monopoly on printer tips so if you have anything to add, please do so below.

Article Filed Under: Dell Printers PrinTips Software Sony
September 08, 2009

How Apple Can Help You Increase Your Hard Drive Space

By Databazaar Blog

PrinTip: Snow Leopard Saves Hard Drive Space by Not Installing Printer Drivers But There's a Potential Problem

DBZ-729-DR-500

First, we kill all the printer drivers …

If you sit in front of your computer while upgrading to a new operating system, you'll see thousands of file names flash across your screen. You may wonder whether you really need all those files. Apparently, you don't.

Released on August 28th at a price of $29, Apple's new operating system, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, enables you to reclaim gigabytes of hard drive space thanks to a smarter installer that omits many files you don't need — most notably, printer drivers.

Originally reported by AppleInsider on February 9, 2009, and since confirmed by reviewers such as David Pogue, Snow Leopard does not pre-install hundreds of printer drivers on the theory that most people don't use hundreds of different printers. It also assumes that most people are connected to the Internet all the time. Thus, when you use a printer for the first time, Snow Leopard downloads and installs the appropriate printer driver on the fly.

Pogue reclaimed 7 GB of data from his hard drive. Good for him, but what happens if you're not connected to the Internet when you need to use a printer for the first time? You're out of luck. If you work at the NSA or otherwise lack constant Internet access, you can select Customize when installing Snow Leopard and install all the pre-loaded printer drivers.

Apple's Help Topic article HT3669 discusses printer drivers in Snow Leopard, and its Help Topic article HT3771 offers a printing tutorial for Snow Leopard. Also, you may find our list of Printer Driver links helpful. Good luck with your upgrade.

About PrinTips
Sometimes useful, sometimes fun, and always interesting, PrinTips enable you to get more out of your ink jet or laser printer. That said, we don't profess to have a monopoly on printer tips so if you have anything to add, please do so below.

Article Filed Under: Printers PrinTips Software
August 27, 2009

Epson Artisan 810 Aims to Please Gadget Hounds and Families Alike

By Databazaar Blog

Printer News: Epson Artisan 810 All-in-One Inkjet Printer Replaces the Artisan 800

DBZ-726-PN-500

Epson showed us its Artisan 800 in July 2008 in a faux living room complete with a comfy black leather sofa. The only item missing was a yuppie — he was probably at the office working late.

Perhaps because of the recession or perhaps because the Artisan is now an established brand, Epson didn't build a living room around the new Artisan 810 this time around. Instead, Epson just had it sitting on a table in a hotel lounge.

But we're actually more excited about the 810 than the 800 because savvy consumers (like you) often resist buying "Rev A" models. Instead, they wait to buy the second generation.

So what's new? We suspect Epson made improvements under the hood, but specs-wise not much has changed. You can print from your iPhone/iPod Touch, charge USB devices thanks to the new port on front, take advantage of more built-in printing projects, and fax documents from your computer (Windows only). Unfortunately, the 810 lacks automatic duplexing though you can add this functionality by purchasing a duplexer.

Specs that matter

Release Date:August 19, 2009
Notable Features:7.8 inch touch panel, 3.5 inch LCD screen, embedded photo correction and printing projects, borderless photo printing, CD/DVD printing, Ethernet and WiFi, USB charging, iPhone printing, two year warranty
Green Features:Energy Star, duplex printing saves paper (automatic duplexing is optional), individual ink cartridges mean you can replace only the color you need, estimated power consumption for one year is less than two dollars
Pages Per Minute:38 (9.5 at laser quality)
Seconds Per Photo:10
Resolution:5760 x 1440 dpi
Paper Trays:2
Paper Capacity:Main Paper Tray: 120 sheets, Photo Tray: 20 photo sheets
Interface:USB 2.0, WiFi, Ethernet, PictBridge, Memory Cards, Bluetooth (optional)
Compatibility:Windows and Macintosh
Dimensions:18.3 x 25.8 x 7.8 inches
Weight:23.1 pounds
Warranty:2 years

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

August 24, 2009

Brother DCP-9045CDN Plus 10 More Printer Reviews

By Databazaar Blog

Review Roundup: Brother DCP-9045CDN, Samsung CLX-6210FX, Samsung CLX-6240FX, Lexmark X204n, HP CP1515n, Lexmark C734dn, Canon Pixma IP4700, Epson Workforce 600, HP Officejet 6500, Lexmark X7675

DBZ-727-RR500

Thank goodness for the British. They gave us the Beatles and Top Gear, and they also review a lot more printers than American publications. This week's Review Roundup winner comes courtesy of British technology publication Trusted Reviews, which recommends the Brother DCP-9045CDN (see photo above).

Color Laser Multifunction Printers

Brother DCP-9045CDN

"This is an impressive multifunction device, with many of the features needed in a modern office. It's useful to have the facility for duplex copy and scan, as well as print, though the copy speed is disappointing. Even so, the print quality and ease of use of the machine makes it a good choice for general-purpose document printing." — Simon Williams, TrustedReviews

Samsung CLX-6210FX | Read Our Take

"Samsung's colour laser multifunction is unnecessarily large, takes a while to warm up and is confusing to use. Though affordable, there are plenty of better quality alternatives." — James Hutchinson, PC World Australia

Samsung CLX-6240FX

"Samsung's CLX-6240FX multifunction printer is a vast improvement over cheaper models from the company, providing better print quality and speed. Some design flaws do remain, however, and the control panel is confusing for first-time users." — James Hutchinson, PC World Australia

Monochrome Multifunction Laser Printers

Lexmark X204n

"This is a good, general-purpose multifunction printer, with a fair turn of speed, but with some shortcomings in its copy quality and a driver glitch which needs sorting. It also costs noticeably more than some of its rivals to run, unless we see a drop in the consumable price as it becomes more widely available." — Simon Williams, TrustedReviews

Color Laser Printers

HP CP1515n

"The Color LaserJet CP1515n is a bit of a puzzle as it has a solid build quality, high-grade black text quality and competitive pricing alongside restrictive paper limits, low quality colour photo printing and noise and speed issues." — IT Reviews

Lexmark C734dn

"It perhaps won't be superlative print quality that draws you to the Lexmark C734dn (although both text and graphics are quite easy on the eye), but if your business needs a heavy-duty printer packed with a huge range of options and possessed of considerable versatility, the C734dn fulfils most of its functions with a good deal to spare." — Robin Morris, PC Advisor

Inkjet Multifunction Printers

Epson Workforce 600 | Read Our Take

"The only problems I saw? First, there's no two sided printing. Second, the screen is a little small to get a real sense of the image you're printing. The best part? Built-in scanning to memory card or USB key. This has been an absolute lifesaver and is one of my favorite features." — John Biggs, CrunchGear

HP Officejet 6500

HP says it has successfully reproduced all three of these problems and is working on ways to fix them.… Despite the problems I found, the Officejet 6500 Wireless is well worth considering. If HP had left these features out altogether, it would count as only a small oversight, so even though running into features that don't work can be frustrating, it's hard to count the problems all that heavily against the printer. — PCMag

HP Officejet 6500

"We loved its fast print speeds and automatic duplexing, and it also uses inexpensive high yield inks. On the minus side flesh tones looked a little orange on plain and HP papers, and its scanner is a little slow. The PC World test center gave it a score of 84 out of 100 which is very good." — Sarah Jacobsson, PC World

Lexmark X7675

"We think the Lexmark X7675 is a good printer for the home office environment and offer excellent functionality." — Carrie-Ann Skinner, PC Advisor

Inkjet Printers

Canon Pixma IP4700

"The Canon Pixma IP4700 really impressed us. It is a good quality inkjet printer that produces excellent results in a short amount of time. We also liked the fact that it was exceptionally quiet. If excellent prints are what you need and you aren't in the market for either copying or scanning features, this is the ideal printer." — Carrie-Ann Skinner, PC Advisor

About Review Roundup
Every week, we scour the Web for the most helpful reviews, organize them by printer type, and provide you with a salient quote and a link for further reading. We also link to our own summaries when available. When shopping for a printer, start with Review Roundup.

Subscription Center

Email

Library

Browse our Blog