(FORTUNE Small Business) – Desktop Publishing

EPSON PERFECTION 1650, $179 I don't want to say this scanner is slow (How slow is it?), but using it feels like driving from Santa Monica to downtown L.A. at 5:30 P.M. on a Wednesday. At least you're idling in a Lexus ES 300: Picture and color scans are fantastic, especially at this price. The included software smartly recognizes a text document and sends it right to your word processor. Perfect for making old brochures new again. www.epson.com

NIKON COOLPIX 885, $599.95 Lightweight, speedy, and with a never-ending battery, this is the Allen Iverson of digital cameras. Weighing in at a tiny seven ounces, it's full of higher-end options for expert photographers, like settings for different lighting. In auto mode, it still gives such ultrasharp images that even the Nets could take a winning shot. Tiny cameras have tiny screens, though, so prepare to squint while previewing your pics. www.nikonusa.com

HEWLETT-PACKARD COLOR INKJET cp1160, $399 Tired of putting your neighborhood printer's kids through college? Publish your company's materials yourself without a hitch using the cp1160, which delivers incredibly sharp, high-resolution two-sided printing. Tweaking output controls is easy if you need to. But buy the optional paper tray ($79), or you'll end up refilling the much-too-small 150-page paper tray again and again. www.hp.com

PAPER IN, PAPER OUT

Desktopsupplies.com: In rock-paper-scissors, nothing beats rock, right? I don't think so. Find virtually any paper you need, as well as envelopes, laminate, and inkjet color cartridges for less than you would pay at your local store.

Kinkos.com: You have everything you need for your big presentation...except copies of the presentation. Panic? No need. Upload your files to Kinkos.com and the outlet closest to you will print 'em, bind 'em, and deliver 'em within four hours.

What's Next?

Smarter programs (like Digital Harbor's PiiE, expected in January) that offer easier control over the elements on a page, so that if you move one, the rest adjust accordingly instead of requiring you to move each piece by hand.

Your [DTP] Friends And Neighbors Online Small sites offering big help.

--PrintingForLess.com: Andy and his crew are great and guarantee results. The site's cost calculator immediately tells you the total price of even the most complicated job. Our four-fold, four-color brochures couldn't have looked better.

--Designer-Info.com: Tom's the guy to see when your software has you stumped. His site features in-depth reviews of any graphics programs you can think of, step-by-step tutorials to help you use them, and a dashing headshot of himself at the bottom of every page.

--Ideabook.com: If you're suffering from writer's block or just learning about the industry, knock on Chuck's door. He's there for you with publishing templates, clip art, and articles on such topics as how to cleverly fill in a flier's extra white space. Sorry, no cocoa.