All-in-One Printers: Top Picks

This excellent laser all-in-one from Brother can be networked via a wired or wireless (802.11 b/g) network. Setting that up was easier than I thought it would be, and the printer, scan, copy, and fax functions can all be accessed remotely. Sure, it's a monochrome printer; but if you have a networked home office and your printing needs tend to be Office documents (and, perhaps, you have a dedicated photo printer for your other print jobs), then this Brother all-in-one might be just what you're looking for. At about $300, it's priced the same as a top-of-the-line inkjet printer, but the crispness of the prints makes it superior to those machines.

This Epson WorkForce 600 got extremely high marks for its ease of use and thoughtful small touches, such as the tiltable control panel. The "microbusinesses" that are the intended market will find it an excellent tool, since quality is high and it's fairly fast. However, since the ink tanks seem to drain fairly fast as well, make sure you either use the "draft" printing for less-important prints or keep a few extra tanks on hand. For the price, a great value.

The Pixma MP610 does a fine job at scanning and printing photos as well as documents with graphics, though it was at times frustratingly difficult to use. It offers some real conveniences, like the very handy scroll wheel and the extra-large tilt LCD screen. While printing quality was fast and an overall positive experience, trying to edit photos on the machine itself was unnecessarily frustrating. Still, it's a Pixma, and for the price, you can still do your photo editing on the computer.

I really enjoyed playing with this versatile printer. It was easy to set up (including the wireless networking), its large and tiltable LCD made photo editing a snap while the touchscreen keeps the machine button-free, and the print quality--particularly for photos--was outstanding. A duplexer (available as an option) would be welcome, and there were some glitches in getting all the bells and whistles to work across the network, but overall this is a best buy.

Dell wisely understands that the people who purchase all-in-one printers (particularly small/home businesses) are likely to have networked computers, and thus wireless or Ethernet connectivity is a key requirement. This printer does a fine job with all the basics and the wireless and other networking features help boost it above the competition. It warms up fast, is easy to set up, and has an automatic document feeder. A duplexer would be nice--there's one available as an option--and the awkwardly placed paper-exit tray could be a bit tougher, but those are minor quibbles.

With built-in wireless, this handy all-in-one is perfect for a small (or even not-so-small) office. It's roughly the size of a vintage microwave, and it doesn't handle duplex printing, but it can print up to 11x17, something that a lot of other printers can't do. Small-office managers will appreciate the security features that can help prevent printer abuse, and they'll certainly appreciate the ease in which the wireless feature can be set up. Keep in mind, though, that print times can sometimes suffer when printing wirelessly compared to printing via a USB cable.

The HP Officejet J4680 is a decent, and very small, all-in-one printer. Set up for wireless networking was a breeze, and that's not always the case with wireless printers. It has a relatively small footprint, though it lacks a versatile LCD screen. With only two print cartridges it may not be first choice for heavy-duty or serious photo printing, but otherwise this is a handy, useful, and compact office tool.

An outstanding, low-end all-in-one printer from Canon--what else needs to be said? For about $100, it has all the features you could want (fax, scanner, copier), plus the quality and dependability that makes Canon a good choice. Sure, the LCD is a bit small and the printer can't work across a network, but nevertheless, this is certainly a best buy.

You'll pay twice as much for this Canon Pixma all-in-one as for the Pixma MX330. So what do you get for the extra dough? A lot. Wireless / wired network printing. A built-in duplexer. Up to 9600 x 2400 dpi color printing. Truly outstanding colors. Is it worth it? While the cost of replacing five tanks can be huge, the quality is so good that I'd pay the extra money, since I tend to print a lot. If your printing tasks are few, and particularly if you don't print in color often, I'd go with something cheaper, since replacing five ink tanks gets pricey.