Shopping Guide: Multi-Function Printers

I865

$150 (219€)

The i865 replaces the i850. The design has been revised, the engine speeded up noticeably (23 ppm in black, 16 ppm in color), a USB socket for PictBridge direct printing has appeared on the front and the BCI3e color cartridges have been replaced by the BCI6 version. It has also a fifth separate cartridge, a new paper analysis sensor (at last!), a new dedicated 10 x 15 cm paper loader, and the possibility of printing on blank CDs. So, although it's no better than the i560 and i850, it's more practical.

I950

$250 (379€)

This printer is excessively pricey in Europe, though affordable in the United States. The i950 is surprisingly inexpensive on a per page basis and produces excellent print in office applications, much better than the earlier model, the S900. The colors and graphics are bright, the flat areas of color are smooth and all the characters are perfectly legible. The photographs are definitely superb, it's hard to distinguish the prints from those made by film cameras. Professionals in the field of image reproduction will prefer it to the i560 and i850 due to its improved color shading. Those of the i950 are progressive, while the i560 and i850 may sometimes reproduce shades as uniform color. NB: it is likely to gradually disappear from the shelves, to be replaced by the new i965.

MPC200 (EU) / F20 (US)

$150 (199€)

The MPC 200 is an MPC 190 to which a memory card reader has been added on the front to make direct prints from digital photos. Inside, the engine is almost identical to that of the S330, a mid range printer from the point of view of quality, cost per page, and speed. The price is due to go down soon with the introduction of the MPC 470, the equivalent which is based on a i455, and thus with slightly improved photo quality.