This article is going to look at four printers, two lasers and two inkjet, which offer great value for money. Not all of these printers are necessarily the best in their category in absolute terms but when price is taken into consideration they are real bargains.



Low price almost inevitably means some corners have had to be cut but the important thing to consider is which corners have been cut. For example the Canon Pixma iP1800 only has manual alignment, which means you have to realign the head every time you change a cartridge but this is far better than compromising on speed or output quality.

In a similar vein the Dell Color Laser Printer 1320C only has a 250-sheet paper tray but this shouldn't be a problem for personal use or a small office.

The HP Color LaserJet CM1015 MFP doesn't have am automatic document feeder or a fax modem but if you can do without these features it will give you laser quality text and graphics for roughly the same price as a high-end inkjet all in one printer.

Ultimately you need to know what you are giving up for the price saving. If the printer does not have features you need then it is not a bargain no matter what the price but if you can live without certain features then it is worth considering. The following printers all offer great value for money:

The Canon Pixma iP1800 inkjet is ideal for the home or a small office. It is small and reasonably quick at printing and the quality of prints is good, especially photos.

The Canon Pixma Pro9000 is aimed at serious photographers and is based around an eight-colour ink system. The quality of photo prints is exceptional and is one of the least expensive options for printing high quality photos on a variety of papers.

The Dell Color Laser Printer 1320C is suitable for the home office and small office and offers a great combination of speed and quality for the price. Graphics are particularly good and photos are fine for most business tasks. Text may not be brilliant but is more than good enough for most needs.

The HP Color LaserJet CM1015 MFP is aimed at the home and small office and can print, scan, copy and e-mail. It is not very quick at printing but the quality is excellent with well-formed text characters, good graphics and photos that are more than good enough for general office use.