Review of Best Multi-Function Printers (under $250)

The Good

• A high spec all-in-one printer, solidly built for the professional user.
• The excellent LCD control panel is highly configurable, easy to navigate and impressively manages image editing.
• Very good print quality, especially on standard non-glossy paper.
• Highly impressive print, fax and scanning speeds. One of the fastest on the market for less than $250.
• Internal mechanisms are robust for workhorse printing needs and the MP830 can print on all types of media.
• The automatic document feeder is slick, churning out documents smoothly.
• Media card slots are responsive offering great plug and print functionality.
• Bundled software is helpful for

  scanning, photo printing and document management.

• Duplex printing makes it a viable alternative to its impressive sibling the Pixma MX700.
• A great all round performer with a price tag that offers excellent value for money. Almost the perfect home or small office multifunction printer. If only it were sharper and came with wireless connectivity.

The Bad

• The paper tray design can take some getting used to.
• There is some graininess on black ink projection, and color palette dilutes some tones on glossy paper.
• Is a bulky printer with a large footprint.

The Good

• Lovely neat design build, perfect for a desktop location, leaving a small footprint.
• Responsive and intuitive swivel touch screen display with an abundance of configurability.
• Installation is straight forward, including network connectivity. Advanced options for both wired and wireless job handling.
• Print quality is on a par with any multifunction I've seen, certainly at less than $1000.
• Memory card slots are responsive and produces like for like 'screen to print' quality.
• Scan quality is excellent, with zero interference or faded edges.
• Duel paper feeds and solid mechanisms offer great paper handling and reliability for considerable through-put.
• The photo editing feature is operable from software or touch screen, is very impressive and easy to tweak.
• 6 individual ink cartridges are easy to replace and provide consistent results over a long life.
• For home or small office based printing the wireless feature alone makes this a brilliant buy and that's not considering the great print quality and proportionate consumable costs the C8180 also delivers.

The Bad

• There is no fax facility or auto-document feeder on this model.
• Prints on the majority of media without fuss, but can take a while with graphics intensive output.
• The wireless connection is not the fastest and large print jobs can take a while. In fact it is consistently slower than other models in this range but its print quality more than makes up for this disadvantage.

The Good

• Resembles the Lexmark X9575 in design and functionality, being robust and functional but somewhat ‘clunky' looking and creating a large footprint.
• Simple yet effective control panel, easy to navigate but lacking some vibrancy and depth of features.
• Integrated wireless is easy to configure for use and works expediently.
• Superior print and scanning speeds.
• Excellent print quality that makes the printer well worth the price.

The Bad

• Ink cartridges are not the cheapest, and not the easiest to replace.
• Auto-duplexing does not come as standard, instead it is an optional add-on (which costs around $70).
• Feed mechanism for some media types such as card and envelopes struggles, being far from smooth in transition through the printer.

The Good

• Solid, ergonomic printer, robust and resilient for workhorse print requirements.
• Integrated wireless is simple to setup, configuration ‘wizards' are great for the novice user and connectivity speeds are above average although not that of the Dell or HP.
• The LED control panel is vibrant and very nice to use.
• Offers reasonable print and scanning speeds.
• Memory card reader is responsive and flexible for various standards.
• Considerably quieter than others in this range.
• This is no Canon Pixma for print quality but it does deliver clear textual prints and scans.
• A business oriented multifunction printer with all the features and trimmings a home or small office user would need.
• XL ink cartridges last a considerable length of time and it is certainly advisable to go with these because...

The Bad

• Standard inks are pricey and do not have the shelf life of those from HP or Canon.
• As with the HP Officejet J6480 print quality is slightly grainy, which is disappointing for an inkjet. But depth and vibrancy are improved with Lexmark photo paper.
• A little pricey for what it delivers.

The Good

• A solid workhorse all-in-one printer, considerable build quality, low maintenance.
• Integrated wireless is easy to configure and delivers impressive processing speeds.
• Supreme handling of all forms of media, feeding smoothly and without hindrance or jams.
• Solid automatic document feeder is reliable and input trays have extensive capacity.
• Automatic duplexing works a treat and is a very impressive add-on for such a low cost all-in-one.
• A brilliant unit for the price. May not have the dazzling print quality of a photo lab or the speed of a multi-dimensional laser but it is a superb home/small office printer - scanner - fax solution.
• Great set of software bundles helps get the most out of the printer, scanner and photo editing.

The Bad

• Bulky unit with a large footprint.
• Average speed of throughput, both printing and scanning.
• Print quality is slightly grainy, considering this is an inkjet. Does improve considerably with HP photo paper.
• LCD is marginally clear, can be difficult to read in some settings (i.e. direct sunlight).
• Inks slightly more expensive than others in this range, but not the price of the Lexmark or Dell.

The Good

• Simple yet very practical looking design. Nice white glossy look.
• LCD display is informative and vibrant. Clear visual indicators when requiring maintenance or new consumables.
• For such a low spec, low priced model the 5300 delivers surprising speed. Very impressive.
• Great print quality, excellent for snapshot/home photo printing, outstanding document printing.
• Supplied software is definitely worth a look, adds serious quality to your printing.
• Best in class for cost effective printing and long life consumables.
• Cost per print is very low and consumables are not overly expensive.
• Superb online support and technical documentation.
• For such a low price this is a superb all-in-one printer solution for the family or home office.

The Bad

• Built in media card slots are a nice touch but slow to respond
• Have seen a singular incident of a non-functional print head mechanism, but this is one out of nearly five hundred of this model I have seen in use.
• Power source protrudes from the unit adding to the overall footprint.
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