Lab

Inkjet printers

The humble inkjet printer is now so advanced that you simply can't afford not to own one. Gone are the days of clunky, cumbersome beasts taking an age to spit out a page; these days they're incredibly cheap to buy, cheaper than ever to run, and can effortlessly produce photo prints that wouldn't look out of place in a packet you'd just brought home from Boots.

The main reason for this high quality is the continuing efforts of the big manufacturers to constantly improve their inks, papers and print engines. Don't believe us? Our winner this month can produce a standard 6x4-inch photo print of the very highest quality in 49 seconds, and the most economical printer here will give you a photo for just 29p.

That may not seem particularly cheap when compared to the high street, or to online printers such as www.photobox.com or www.bonusprint.co.uk, but don't underestimate the sheer convenience involved.

Picture the scene: it's a sunny day and the whole family is together, smiling, laughing... The kids have temporarily stopped maiming each other, it's a rare beautiful moment, so you take an impromptu snap. The memory card pops straight into the printer and Granny, cousin Bob and Auntie Sheila each have a perfect copy of their own to cherish in minutes. Still prefer to pop down to the high street or wait three days for your online order to arrive?

Now that you're convinced, the seven printers we have on test this month include something for everyone. They start from just £46 for those who just want something cheap for the odd print here and there, right up to £105 for the very latest in user-friendly touch-screen technology. We have models that print directly to CDs, others with duplex units that print double-sided sheets automatically, and plenty of memory card slots for those instant PC-free prints.

But we know it's not just the cost of buying a printer that affects your decision: a lot of people are rightly wary of being stung by expensive cartridges once the first set of inks (sometimes supplied in lower-capacity tanks) runs out. To this end, we looked extensively at the running costs of each printer, fitting the maker's standard cartridges and printing until they ran dry to allow us to work out exactly how much you'll be paying for each photo.

Whatever you want most from a printer, be it flawless one-off photos or endless stacks of documents, you'll be certain to find something here that flies your kite.