Every other part of the tech industry has improved dramatically. I complain about modern stuff quite a bit, but I do not have to restart my computer multiple times per day and most stuff usually works. Printers? Modern printers seem to work about half the time, they’re slow to start printing, sometimes they don’t work at all, and ink has gotten more expensive over time. Old impact printers STILL WORK without error every time you ask them to. Most prints are text, so what the heck?
Search quality, in particular, has taken a huge hit over the past ten years.
...It's absolutely insane to me that the exact search operator (" ") no longer works. Google automatically assumes that it always knows what I'm looking for better than I do.
This is why I tend to split the difference and go with a SOHO printer, that is a step up from consumer-grade but doesn't break the bank. Currently it's an HP M1536dnf, which had great amazing Linux support, and still going strong after almost 12 years: no maintenance, and only a light surface dusting once in a while.
Unfortunately, the end is in sight for this device: my Chromebook doesn't support scanning on it. I've already permanently mothballed its POTS FAX feature, because I disconnected my landline. So when my Windows 10 machine dies, I won't have any scanning capability. Do I still need that flatbed/ADF scanning when I can just use my smartphone camera? Hmm.
I have been using black and white Brother MFC printers since mid 2000s and I have never had an issue other than replacing toner and drum units, which I buy from Staples.
