In the printer category, the results of this year’s study looked oddly familiar. That’s because the reliability numbers for consumer printers were almost unchanged from last year. For instance, in the new survey 7.0 percent of printer users reported severe problems with their machines, a statistical dead beat with last year’s 7.2 percent. The year-to-year data for individual printer manufacturers in our survey looks similar, too. Canon again sparkled, with better-than-average ratings on seven criteria (last year Canon earned above-average marks on eight measures). For its part, Brother took some impressive strides upward, nabbing four better-than-average marks (up from just one the year before) and supplanting Samsung at number two.
This year, Samsung finished in a virtual tie with Epson, as both brands collected two better-than-average ratings. (Last year Samsung carded two above-average marks, and Epson one). Notably, Samsung received the highest rating in the survey for ease of use, besting even Canon. Dell also made some laudable strides this year, transforming last year’s two below-average ratings into average ones across the board.
Kodak, however, experienced a downturn: Though owners of its printers felt good about Kodak’s tech support, they gave the printers poor marks for reliability. HP cemented its spot at the bottom of the chart with five below-average ratings, matching its performance in last year’s survey.
As in the past, however, HP’s poor reliability and service scores haven’t hurt its market share: Half of our respondents in the printer category remain HP customers happy or not.