Technology: Office Space, The Sequel

These days more of us are working at home--but few of us spend enough time thinking about how to set up shop. We're tucking desktop computers under kitchen tables, plopping printers on folding chairs and stuffing cable modems anywhere they fit. Since we're spending more hours working than sleeping, having the right equipment is crucial. Here are some tips on how to make your home office both comfortable and productive.

For printing at home or on the go, the 1HP Deskjet C8112A 450cbi ($349; hp.com) offers photo-quality color printing. To stay in touch with colleagues and clients, the 2 Sharp UX-CC500 Communications Center ($350; sharpusa.com) has our number. This device incorporates a 2.4GHz cordless phone, an answering machine with four mailboxes and plain-paper fax and copier. Taking up even less desktop real estate is the 3 Viewsonic VP191s ($799; viewsonic.com), which offers a sizable 1280 x 1040 resolution. Should you ever step outside the office, you'll need to take only one gadget with you: the 4 Hitachi SH-G1000 PCS Phone ($649; hitachi.com), which combines a mobile phone with a Pocket PC organizer, along with a digital camera, and even includes a built-in keyboard. You can eliminate some of the clutter on your desk with the 5 Logitech Cordless MX Duo ($99.99; logitech.com), thanks to its wireless keyboard and mouse, while Microsoft successfully reinvents the mouse wheel with its own Wireless Optical Desktop Pro ($105 includes keyboard, not pictured; microsoft.com/hard ware), which has a tilting mouse wheel for side-scrolling of Web pages and other documents.

A massive tower PC might be great for gaming, but unless you're online trying to exterminate the competition in Battlefield 1942, consider the 6 Dell Dimension 4600C ($1,099 with a 15-inch flat-panel monitor; dell.com). This computer doesn't cut corners, with basic models featuring a speedy 2.6GHz processor, a pair of PC card slots, eight USB ports and even a FireWire port--perfect for iPod lovers who don't want to go Mac.

And wouldn't it be nice to make your office disappear at the end of your workday? Look no farther than the 7 Rio Grande Entertainment Center ($675; pier1.com), and don't let the name fool you. This elegant pine-and-wrought-iron unit has a sliding shelf for your keyboard and an adjustable shelf for your monitor.

If you need to make copies in addition to printing, the 8 Brother MFC-8820DN ($649.99; brother.com) wins our praise. In the past we haven't been terribly impressed by combo machines, but this one has two-sided printing and features a 50-sheet multipurpose tray. Brother also makes the 9 P-touch Electronic Labeling System ($129.99), which can print labels containing graphics, photos, logos and bar codes.

The 10 Mobilex Designs CartWheel Digit 500 ($249.95; mobelexdesigns.com) is a mobile desk that's sturdy enough to support a PC and printer. And last but certainly not least, you can maintain good posture with the help of the 11 Steelcase Cachet chair ($300; steelcase.com), which comes as a five-wheeled rolling chair and a four-legged stackable version so you and your clients can get down to business.