Aimed squarely at micro and small offices, the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One ($299.99 direct) is more directly competitive with low-end color laser MFPs like the HP LaserJet Pro 100 Color MFP M175nw ($349.99 direct, 3 stars) than with inkjets.

Fast; High-quality output; Duplexes; Duplexing automatic document feeder; Legal-size flatbed; Prints through cloud

A little larger than most inkjet MFPs

This high-volume workhorse is fast, has great print quality, and keeps ink costs in check. It has just about every productivity and convenience feature small offices need in an all-in-one in its price range.

Exceptional print; copy; and scan quality; Fast performance; Automatic-duplexing ADF; Inexpensive ink

Odd-colored chassis; No slot for specialty media

In a world filled with cheap but underpowered inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs), using the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus is a pleasant departure.

Legal-size scanner platen; Very

Pale graphics on plain paper at

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus is a multifunction printer that performs almost as fast as a laser printer--and with excellent quality. While it is fairly big, the built-in wireless allows it to be located away from your desk, and otherwise, it's hard to find fault.

When you think of a printer, Hewlett Packard or HP is definitely one of the first names to strike your mind. HP has come a long way in catering to all our printing needs in terms of both inkjet and laser printers.

T here are two versions of the OfficeJet Pro 8600 , so check that you are getting the model you want before buying. The standard 8600 model costs £229, but we opted for the £270 8600 Plus.

Very fast performance for text and colour documents; excellent black-and-white prints; low running costs

Photo output often seemed dark

HP has something of a delicate balancing act to achieve, as it sells both laser and inkjet all-in-ones for small business use. In pitching the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus, the company points out that it costs less than half as much to run as a typical laser and it's also, or course, around half the...

Much cheaper than colour laser; Easy wireless connection; Max 25,000 page monthly duty cycle

No multipurpose tray; USB socket not PictBridge compatible; Slower than specified

In our last all-in-one Labs, the HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus strolled away with the top award thanks to its combination of a quality scanner, great document prints and very low running costs.

HP has succeeded again in building a classy, fast and reliable all-in-one imaging device for the business market, but I wouldn't end my recommendation at the office door. With its spread of convenient connectivity features and cloud printing that includes ePrint and AirPrint compatibility, the...

Prints professional-quality photos and documents quickly; Versatile connectivity options; Robust features like an auto-duplexer and cloud printing

The touchscreen requires aggressive finger presses to actuate the display functions; and there's no way to calibrate its sensitivity

In a world filled with cheap but underpowered inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs), using the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus is a pleasant departure. One of the most competent MFPs for the price (US$300 as of 12/05/2011), it lacks nothing in its features, is solidly constructed, fully supports...

Fast; Cheap ink; Solid construction

Non-LCD controls are slow