15 sexy printers (yes, printers)

HP's Envy 100 at its introduction late last year.

(Credit: bloginfor.com)

Let's face it, the printer category just isn't sexy.

In fact, some might argue that it's downright boring. After all, these are mostly utilitarian pieces of tech equipment that print documents and images to paper--or in the case of multifunction units, scan, fax, and copy--and hopefully do it well for not too much money per page. On top of that, most people have figured out that like the shaving industry, the money is in razor blades (ink), not the razor (printer), so manufacturers tend to make their printers as cost-effective as possible because they have to sell you them relatively inexpensively.

Gradually, however, that's changing, and companies are giving more thought to the design of their printers as they also add new features, including built-in LCD displays and Web connectivity.

With that in mind, here's a look at 15 models that are design standouts. You may not agree with our choices--or we may have missed a few--so feel free to add any picks to the comments section, and we may very well include them in a future update.