Labs

If these labs were based entirely on looks then the Canon Pixma MP600R would win hands down. With all the flaps closed it's difficult to tell what lies beneath the shiny silver-and-black plastic box. The Pixma is well-built too, with a solid feel to match the eye candy. Canon hasn't only spent time making this all-in-one pretty either because it's also well specified. Wireless and wired networking, built-in card reader and five separate ink tanks - all are hidden within.

If speed is important to you, then the Canon should be at the top of your shopping list. In five of our 10 speed tests the Canon came out on top. The highlights include 24 seconds for a 6 x 4in photo, three seconds for a page of draft text

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and one minute and six seconds for 10 pages of text in normal. In the other five speed measurements the Canon was no more than 15 seconds behind the winner. Yet it was by far the quietest unit on test.

It's no good being first though, if the quality isn't good. In fact, there's nothing to worry about in this department. Text is crisp and solid in both draft and best modes, while colour and grey-scale copies are accurate. Although the output was not the best of the bunch, it came second only to the prints that, after much head-scratching and deliberation, we finally rated as the best.

As is often the case with Canon printers, it's the photo quality that really impresses. Even at the speed that the prints emerge from the MP600R, the detail across the board is truly impressive. Skin tones had a healthy and natural glow - and subtle shades in images retained their hue. The scan was also fast but detail was a touch coarse.

The Canon looks the part, is well built and incredibly speedy. Its output is excellent as well. In every assessment the Canon was in the running for best quality print. Where it lost out, which wasn't often, was down to minor deficiencies.

The Canon MP600R is a fantastic all-in-one - it's well specified, speedy and what it delivers doesn't disappoint.