Canon's inkjet printers are the most versatile

The best general-purpose inkjet printers can tackle any number of jobs --from letters and lists to maps and photos -- in a reasonable amount of time and without consuming massive amounts of ink. The newest addition to Canon's inkjet photo printer lineup, the Canon Pixma iP4700 (*Est. $100) excels at whatever task it is put to, scoring high marks in early reviews. While many photo-centric printers fall short on text quality, Canon's iP4000 series can handle photos and text with aplomb.

If you're less concerned about text and more interested in printing great-looking photos, the Epson Stylus Photo 1400 (*Est. $275) takes top honors in photo output quality. Reviews note the high level of detail, wide color gamut and vibrant accurate colors. It has an LCD preview screen and can print directly onto CDs and DVDs; the Canon iP4700 has neither of these features.

HP offers a number of affordable inkjets, including the HP Photosmart D7560 (*Est. $150), which also has an LCD screen and can print directly from memory cards. For more of our top picks, check out our newly updated inkjet printer report.