The 20 Most Interesting Printers of 2007 (So Far)

You might think that in a category as mature as printers, it would be hard to find a lot of interesting products in this years crop. If so, you havent been paying close attention.

In some cases the interesting part is simply the price (how does $

At $499.99 direct, the CM1015 color laser AIO (all in one) is affordable for even a home or home office. It wont win any awards for speed, but it delivers crisp text and laser quality graphics and photos, plus copying and scanning.

HP claims the ink-jet based L7680 is a match for color laser AIOs that cost almost twice the $399.99 direct price. In truth, the text and graphics quality dont quite live up to laser standards. But the L7680 delivers laser class speed along with cop

The printer-only equivalent of the L7680, the K5400dtn, offers color laser-class speed and not-quite laser-class text and graphics. But the price is well below laser territory, at $249.99 direct, complete with a duplexer for printing on both sides of

One of the few color laser printers thats a good fit as a workhorse printer in a small office, the 6180N combines reasonably fast speed, high quality text and graphics, and better than usual paper handling for just $499.

Both small and capable, the MF4150 is a decidedly personal AIO — a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine for just $250 street price. Built around a fast monochrome laser print engine, it includes a duplexer to print on both sides of a page and an

The $280 (street) X9350 is one of the few ink-jet AIOs designed for a dual role in the home and home office, with equal emphasis on photos and office-centric features like copying and faxing.

In addition to serving as a printer, scanner and stand-alone copier and fax machine, the $399 (street) monochrome laser-based MF4690 can scan directly to a USB key, scan and send e-mail without a computer, and forward faxes to an e-mail address — all

For serious amateur photographers, the Pro9000 lowers the entry price for top quality photo printing to $499.99 (direct). Built around an ink system with eight ink colors, it can print superb output suitable for framing on a variety of fine art papers

The Pro9500 is one step up in Canons line from the Pro9000, but its a totally different beast, with 10 pigment inks, including gray and a second black ink for noticeably better looking monochrome output. The pigment inks also promise better longevity

Given a price that would start at $23,530 if you bought it outright, the floor-standing HP CM8060 is strictly for large companies. It earns mention here because of its speed: a true 70 to 71 ppm (pages per minute) maximum, with an average 60 ppm for monoc

Kodak made a big splash when it introduced its new AIOs — including the 5300 — with the claim that they would save up to 50 percent on ink. A close look at the claim suggests it may be too optimistic, but the running cost qualifies as rela

Historically, HP hasnt been a contender for photo printers aimed at the serious amateur or professional on a budget. The B9180 changes that, with a $699.99 direct price and the ability to print top quality photos on an assortment of HP fine art pape

At $699 direct, the X502n isnt the least expensive color laser AIO for a small or home office, but its one of the best, with fast print speed, high quality output and the ability to print, scan and work as a stand-alone fax machine, copier and e-mail

The C5280 is a reasonably capable AIO, especially considering the $149.99 direct price. But what earns it a place on this list is that it prints directly on printable optical discs. Epsons been offering this on some printers for years. Now that HPs d

Some small print jobs — like 200 one-page flyers — can cost less to print on a color laser than to farm them out to a print shop. Others cost more. With the CP3505n, a Web-based tool lets you estimate how much each job will cost. Compare the estimate to

Speed may not be everything when to comes to printers, but it can be really impressive. Consider the Xerox Phaser 6360DN color laser printer. Rated at 42 ppm for both monochrome and color, the 6360DN is faster in real-world tests than most printers

The 1320c isnt the first color laser printer selling for $300 (OK, $299.99 direct), but it is one of the best to date, with both reasonably fast speed and reasonably high-quality output. And did we mention the price?

The A826 is something new: a $249 (direct) dedicated small format photo printer modeled after a photo kiosk, complete with a 7-inch color LCD touch-screen. Its not yet shipping at this writing, but however good or bad it turns out to be, HP deserves cred

Epson says the C120 is the worlds fastest document ink-jet printer — quite a claim for a printer thats just $89.99 direct and also prints in color. Even if the claim is overstated, however, the approach is intriguing, with two black cartridges working

Memjet is a technology rather than a specific printer model, but given that it may redefine the printer market, this list wouldnt be complete without it. The technology was announced in March by

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