Hackensack, NJ.,- July 19, 2011 – Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI), the world’s leading independent evaluator of document imaging hardware and software, today announced its prestigious Summer 2011 “Pick” winners honoring the top-performing solutions evaluated in BLI's lab during the previous six months. BLI editors selected Samsung CounThru 2 Professional as “Outstanding Managed Print Services Solution” from among the MPS tools tested in the period.

“With hardware sales and margins under pressure in the challenging economic climate, managed print services has been a lifeline for many equipment dealers,” said BLI Senior Product Editor Jamie Bsales. “One challenge when implementing an MPS practice is to find an affordable, easy to use remote tool to monitor customers’ devices and manage their fleets. Samsung CounThru 2 Pro allows Samsung dealers to monitor both Samsung and third-party devices, while also delivering print management abilities to customers looking to control output costs.”

In BLI’s lab tests, Samsung CounThru 2 Professional proved to be an impressive print management tool ideal for resellers looking to track and report on output device status, usage and costs for devices under an MPS contract at client sites. It can also help reduce hardcopy costs by allowing companies to set usage limits and permissions by user or department. CounThru also tracks consumables levels to calculate yields and estimated life remaining. Dealers can set rules-based notification thresholds for proactive supplies management and quick problem resolution.

Unlike other print management tools from device OEMs that BLI has evaluated, CounThru 2 Professional offers more complete reporting on third-party MFPs and printers at a client site, making it more useful to dealers whose clients have mixed fleets. And while all of the MPS solutions BLI has evaluated deliver the same basic meter capture and reporting, error reporting and supplies reporting, Samsung CounThru 2 stands out for its additional advanced functionality, such as the ability to track scan and fax pages, plus the ability to track not just usage by device but also usage by user or department.

“We are honored that Buyers Lab has selected CounThru 2 Pro as a ‘Pick’ award winner for Summer 2011,” said Samsung’s Ron Nevo, senior product manager – solutions marketing. “Our goal is to develop tools that help our customers to reduce their printing cost, to improve the performance of their printing environment and decrease the time spent managing it. This award shows that we are on the right track to achieving this goal and we remain committed to delivering innovative and proven printing solutions to the market.”

About Buyers Laboratory
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Buyers Lab has been the leading independent office-equipment testing lab and business consumer advocate. In addition to publishing the industry’s most comprehensive and accurate test reports on office document imaging solutions (www.buyerslab.com/solutions) and devices (www.buyerslab.com), the company has been the leading source for extensive databases of specifications and pricing on solutions, copiers, printers, fax machines and multifunctional products. The company’s databases cover almost 15,000 products and have a long-standing reputation for being the industry’s most trustworthy and complete source for global competitive intelligence. They are available to BLI subscribers online via the company's bliQ and bliQ Solutions Center competitive information services. These encyclopedic resources also provide quick and easy access to BLI's First Look Reports, Field Test Reports, Lab Test Reports, Solutions Reports, and BLI-produced articles.

Twice a year with its “Pick” awards, BLI gives special recognition to the hardware and software products that provided the most outstanding performances in BLI’s unique evaluations. Software solutions undergo an in-depth hands-on review that focuses on key attributes for a solution’s target market and compares how well the product stacks up against leading competitors. “Pick” winners rise above the competition in key areas such as value, feature set, ease of use, ease of administration, hardware compatibility, software integration, security and support. Software solutions earn an overall rating based on a five-star scale, and “Pick” contenders are culled from those that earn the highest ratings. Consequently, a BLI “Pick” is a hard-earned award that buyers and IT directors can trust to better guide them in their acquisition decisions.

In addition to the testing of office equipment for its subscribers, Buyers Lab provides consulting services to buyers and a vast array of confidential for-hire private testing services that include document imaging device beta and pre-launch testing, performance certification testing, consumables testing (such as toner, ink and photoconductors), software and solutions and print media testing (including virgin and recycled papers).

For more information on Buyers Laboratory, please call (201) 488-0404, visit www.buyerslab.com or www.buyerslab.com/solutions, or e-mail info@buyerslab.com.