Desktop Personal Printers

The Bottom Line: The Samsung ML-1630 can't claim to be the best value among $200 mono laser printers--the competition offers faster print speeds and more features--but the ML-1630's aesthetic appeal is undeniable.

Specs: Personal printer - Laser - Monochrome, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Wired, 16 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB

The Bottom Line: The Dell 1320c is a decent choice for a small office or work group, but a little more cash will net you a faster printer with better print quality.

Specs: Personal printer - Laser - Color, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Wired, PC, USB

The Bottom Line: The Lexmark Z1300 isn't for everyone, but, for users who want to spend the bare minimum for occasional prints, it's quite a bargain.

Specs: Personal printer - Ink-jet - Color, 8.5 in x 17 in, Wired, 22 pages/min, 16 pages/min, 12 pages/min, 5 pages/min, PC, USB

The Bottom Line: This is a decent first laser printer for a student or a writer, and it would make a good companion to a photo inkjet or an all-in-one.

Specs: Personal printer - Laser - Monochrome, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 15 pages/min, PC, USB

Editors' Take: For those who like their prints large, the HP Deskjet 9800 makes medium-format, color inkjet prints up to 13 by 19 inches in size.

Specs: Personal printer - Ink-jet - Color, A3 plus (13 in x 16.65 in), Wired, 30 pages/min, 11 pages/min, 9 pages/min, 1.5 pages/min, 20 pages/min, 7.5 pages/min, 6 pages/min, 8.3 pages/min, 7 pages/min, 1.9 pages/min, 0.6 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB, Parallel

The Bottom Line: The Konica Minolta PagePro 1350W is a cheap and compact speed demon with good text quality, but don't expect it to print quality black-and-white photos.

Specs: Personal printer - Laser - Monochrome, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 21 pages/min, PC, USB, Parallel

The Bottom Line: It's worth spending more for better photo quality and slightly faster print speeds.

Specs: Personal printer - Ink-jet - Color, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 22 pages/min, 15 pages/min, 1.7 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB

The Bottom Line: Whatever savings you get with this printer will be no comfort when you check out its output. Canon's step-up model, the Pixma iP2000, produces better goods and is a far better deal.

Specs: Personal printer - Ink-jet - Color, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 18 pages/min, 13 pages/min, 1 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB

The Bottom Line: Nice graphics output, good photo printing, and decent speeds make this budget inkjet a bargain for a family or student.

Specs: Personal printer - Ink-jet - Color, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 20 pages/min, 14 pages/min, 1.2 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB

The Bottom Line: The i860 is the rare photo printer that quickly prints both text and high-quality photos. For photo-printing frills, however, look to the i900D.

Specs: Personal printer - Ink-jet - Color, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 23 pages/min, 16 pages/min, 0.8 min/page, PC, Mac