Quick printer guide

Last-minute gift ideas

Looking for the best printer for photos? Need crisp, clear documents? Or maybe you just need an all-around performer? No matter the question, we have all the advice you need here with our quick guide to buying the right printer.

Just for photos

Epson Stylus Photo R340 ( , February 2006 )

If you want to print pictures at home, Epson’s Stylus Photo R340 prints the best color photos in its class. It has a 2.4-inch LCD preview screen to help you print directly from your camera or camera’s memory card. It can also print directly onto ink-jet-printable CD and DVD media.

Canon Pixma iP6600D ( , January 2006 )

The Canon Pixma iP6600D’s six inks print great-looking photos with or without the help of your Mac. It sets itself apart from the pack by offering a large, color LCD and built-in automatic duplexing.

Epson PictureMate Deluxe Photo Viewer Edition ( , September 2005 )

You can’t ask for a better, more convenient portable ink-jet printer than the PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition. Its speed and image quality are great, but the new 2.4-inch LCD and the optional rechargeable battery make this little printer shine.

Sharp documents

Konica Minolta Magicolor 2450 ( , October 2005 )

The Magicolor 2450 (pictured right), with its bright, accurate colors, PostScript 3 capability, and reasonable price, is a good bet for people who need a small workgroup, network color laser.

Xerox Phaser 8500DN ( , December 2005 )

The Phaser 8500DN is a great office printer—it’s fast, and its management tools make it feel more like a full-featured medium workgroup printer than an economy color laser.

Brother HL-5170DNLT ( , February 2005 )

For those who want to see things in black and white, the Brother HL-5170DNLT’s is a great network monochrome laser and its built-in duplexing capability, and extra paper tray make it a great value.

General purpose

HP DeskJet 6840 ( , April 2005 )

The Deskjet 6840 (pictured below left) from HP is a super general-purpose inkjet with a few tricks up its sleeve. It features 2 USB ports, one for connecting to your Mac and the other can connect directly to PictBridge enabled digital cameras. It can also join your office or home network via built-in wired and wireless Ethernet .

HP Deskjet 5940 ( , February 2006 )

The Deskjet 5940 is a good all-around performer, with excellent text-printing capabilities and very good photo quality, this printer is a good fit if you’re looking for an affordable, general-purpose color ink-jet.

Epson Stylus C88 ( , February 2006 )

The Epson Stylus Color C88 is a good choice for those looking for an inexpensive general purpose ink-jet printer with water- and smudge-resistant prints. It does a very good job of printing text and graphics on plain paper.