Selecting the Right Receipt Printer For Your Business

So you need a receipt printer but are baffled by the different types and models out there? This article takes you through the different types and explains which type is suitable for which environments making your decision easy and informed.

There are 3 main types of receipt printer

Thermal receipt printer

Thermal printers are now the most popular choice of receipt printer as they are often the most reliable and easy to use as they do not require any ink or ribbons. The technology relies upon chemically treated paper that is sensitive to heat. The printer heats the paper via holes in the print head to create text and graphics. Thermal printers are also regarded as the fastest type of receipt printer printing up to 250mm second making them very suitable to fast turnover environments such as supermarkets and high street retail.

The one downside to thermal receipts, due to the technology, is that they fade in sunlight and can turn black and unreadable if subjected to heat. Thermal receipts are therefore unreliable for businesses that require their receipts to remain readable for long periods of time due to regulations. Dual colour can be obtained by some models at the higher end of the market with special paper but the results can be disappointing and the technology is rarely used at present.

Thermal receipt printers are generally recommended for high turnover/ general retail and hospitality front of house.

Impact printers

This type of printer generally requires a ribbon which holds the ink like a typewriter and uses an impact mechanism that stamps the characters through the ribbon onto the paper. Some printing devices can utilise paper that contain mcrocapsules of ink embedded into them that burst upon impact and therefore do not require ribbons. Impact printers are easy identifiable as they are considerably noisier that other types of printer and are generally considerably slower than thermal printers. Impact printers are commonly the type that offers models with a two and three ply paper or a second roll for audit purposes. In recent years and in most environments this type of printer has been superseded by thermal printers due to their speed and lack of a need for consumables other than paper.

In certain markets impact printers remain dominant as in the banking and gaming industries. Impact printers also tend to be used in restaurant kitchens as thermal receipts are easily erased by heat. Some industries such as banking and gaming have regulations regarding certain types of receipts and about the length of time receipts are required to remain readable. Ink based receipts last considerably longer than thermal receipts and is therefore used by these industries as standard. It is worth noting that ribbons come in different colours such as purple, black, red and dual red/black with the latter ribbon being used to highlight certain transactions types such as refunds in red.

Impact receipt printers are recommended for kitchens, banking, gaming, and low turnover retail and hospitality environments.

Inkjet receipt printers.

Inkjet printers are regarded as the successor to impact printers as they also use ink but they offer a superior printing quality. Most inkjet printers allow printing via ink cartridges in two colours with normally a mix of black, green, red and blue. Businesses spend a great deal of time and resources on brand recognition and using colour is a popular way of doing this. The technology can also be put to great use by printing colourful advertising or promotions on the receipt thus generating return visits from the customers.

In reality the take up of inkjet receipt printers has been minimal. This is thought to be due to a couple of reasons, firstly it is perceived that the changing of ink at the till point is tricky and time consuming and secondly the speed at which these printers operate is considered too slow for major retailers to adopt. Inkjet receipt printers do however offer the same longer lasting receipts as impact printers making them suitable for most business types.

Inkjet receipt printers are recommended for low turnover retail, banks and gaming industry.

Manufacturers. So what brand should I go for?

This market is well serviced by numerous manufacturers with a wealth of choice and price range. As with many markets there is a huge influx of far eastern models at rock bottom prices. As with most things that you purchase, you get what you pay for and it is worth noting that with the major manufacturers you tend to get better products that last longer and receive better support if something goes wrong. Remember if your receipt printer stops working you will find it very difficult to trade. The general rule is the higher turnover your business achieves the better the receipt printer you should invest in.

Anything else?

Remember that the receipt printer you choose has to work with the software and hardware that you are going be using. Firstly check with the software supplier which brands and models the software supports. Also check that the printer you intend to buy has drivers for the operating system that you are going to be using. Lastly, ensure the printer has the right interface for the hardware that you are going to be using. These are usually serial (RS232), USB, parallel or Ethernet but rising up the ranks are wireless and Bluetooth.

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Broken Point of Sale Receipt Printers - Repair or Replace?

Prices of computer hardware continues to drop in price and increase in features and functions. This is to the advantage of the consumer. However, many consumers do not take full advantage of this situation.

Point of sale equipment that is computer based follows this pattern of drops in price and increase in features. An entire industry flourishes behind a cloak of mystery regarding point of sale hardware, software and systems. In large part, business owners continue to pour money into the pockets of dealers who continue to overcharge for repair and replacement parts, including printers.

POS Printer Repair - What you get

Let's take a look at what most people do with a broken printer. They will attempt to repair the printer through their local dealer.

A call is placed to the dealer who will ask questions of the business owner to determine if the printer is truly broken or if the problem could be a software, cable or power issue. Yes, there are truly repair calls that are solved by properly plugging the printer power supply into the electrical outlet.

If the printer is determined to be broken a technician will come to pick it up. If there is a prior agreement with the dealer a temporary loaner printer may be substituted while the repairs are done.

Many dealers have now gone to a flat-fee for printer repairs. They will charge this fee plus parts to repair the printer. Parts are charged at full list price and will range as high as $125 - $150. Charges higher than that are generally not charged as they exceed the cost of a new printer.

In total, the charge to repair a POS printer should never exceed $300 as you could get a new printer for that amount. However, a repaired printer will not carry forward the full warranty like a new printer will. You will probably only have a 30 - 90 day warranty on the repairs. That means if this same printer goes down again in 91 days you are going to have to do this all over again.

POS Printer Replacement - What you get if a dealer does it

Replacing a POS printer is much simpler and quicker than repairing. This is largely due to the fact that most dealers do not repair the printer themselves. They actually send the printer to a repair depot to be serviced remotely and then returned. This repair process can take weeks and in the worst cases a month or more.

Replacement printers are often kept in stock by local dealers. If not, they can obtain a replacement printer from one of their vendors in a day or two. However, be prepared to pay full price with a dealer margin in excess of 40%. This could easily drive the replacement cost of a POS printer to the $500 mark.

At least with a new replacement printer you will start the clock on a new warranty period. The problem with this is how much of this new warranty is passed to you by the dealer. I am sorry to say that a great many dealers will pass 1 year of the 3 years of warranty offered by the manufacturer.

POS Printer Replacement - What you get if you do it

Let's take a look at what you get if you source the replacement printer via the Internet. You may be shocked at how easy it is and how much you get for less money.

First, you get the same printer that you get from the dealer. You may even get the printer from the same warehouse that the dealer buys from.

Next, you pay far less because you are eliminating the dealer margin. In some cases this is in excess of 40%.

Finally, you get the full manufacturer warranty. In the case of POS printers this is usually 3 years or more. What this means is that you will contact the printer manufacturer who will then direct you to the nearest warranty repair center who will repair the printer and bill the manufacturer.

Want to know the really funny part of this? In a great many cases you will find that the dealer you were doing business with is the printer warranty repair center. Remember how they only passed a year of the 3 year manufacturer warranty? That means that they charge their customers to repair the printer and still get the warranty paid for by the printer manufacturer.

DIY is easier than you think

It no longer takes certification, special training or a college degree to change out a POS printer. A 12-year old can do it without a screw driver. Then why can't you? Only because you have not tried.

The next time you pass by your point of sale system take a look at the printer. Look at the cables in the back. There are probably a maximum of 3 cables that plug into the same connectors on the replacement printer. Each cable has a different connector and will only fit the identical plug on the replacement printer. No tools required and no training is necessary.

You wouldn't call an electrician to replace a light bulb in a lamp and you should not call a technician to replace a POS printer.

Nathan Lewis has earned a solid reputation helping small to medium sized businesses expand their reach through niche market websites such as My POS Printer. New receipt printers from Epson Receipt Printers and Star Micronics Receipt Printers.

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How to Buy POS Receipt Printer?

There are many models of printers in the market to look for. The most common are the dot matrix or also known as impact printers, thermal printers and multi-functional printers. However, before you decide to buy a printer for your POS system, you must consider the software requirements, hardware compatibility, device drivers, and option of receipt cutting feature in the printer, cable interfaces, environmental restrictions and added benefits.

Some of the printers will work only with specific device drivers and software applications. You wouldn't want to buy a printer that has limited use in your business. Assuming that one of your receipt printer breaks down at one of the many POS systems you have, your printer must have the ability to fill in the place of the printer that broke down. The printer must also be compatible with the Operating System that you are currently using. It is a wise choice to opt for a printer that is compatible with multiple OS.

Even though most of the printers can work with Windows drivers, some printers will require OLE or OPOS drivers to print the receipts. Ask you dealer about the compatibility issues that you might have with the printers and your POS.

You can replace your existing printer with a printer from any brand. Most of them are manufactured in such a way to emulate most of the other brands. However, asking your dealer about the options to replace the existing printer will be good decision.

The receipt printer can connect to your POS system through a cable interface, which can be serial, parallel, USB or Ethernet connection. All the printers will support at least the basic type of interface, i.e. the serial and parallel interface. In some of the printers, the USB interface is an option. If you think a particular printer fits your requirements perfectly but doesn't have an interface that you are for, ask the dealer about adding an additional interface. They usually do it but at an extra cost.

Another feature to look for in the printer is the option of receipt cutting. There are two types of receipt cutting: partial and full. If you do not want a receipt cutter option in your printer, go for a manual receipt cutting option. If you run a huge business that has a streamline of customers at the checkouts, it is better to have an auto-receipt cutter option since it will save time. However, for places like a small grocery store or any other business establishments that do not have a heavy inflow of customers, you can opt for the manual receipt-cutting printer.

The printers come with the option of single color printing and 2-color printing. Printers with the option of two-color printing come with black and red color for printing purposes. Usually the logo of your company is printed in red and the remaining details of the transaction in black. You can use the red color to highlight any special deals, discounts and privileges received by the customer.

One thing you must bear in mind before purchasing the printer is the environment it will be used in. Will you use the printer in the kitchen, POS, hospital, temperature controlled settings etc. There are different printers that fit into the above categories. If you end up buying a printer that doesn't suit the environment, your printer will not work properly.

Ask these questions before you buy a printer: Do you need a printer with 2-color? Do you need auto receipt cutting option? Do you need a printer that can handle the printing of receipts, labels and barcodes? What is the speed of the printer you expect to have? Do you want your printer to accommodate huge printing rolls? Do you want a drop-in paper loading mechanism? Do you want a printer that can print 2-ply and three-ply receipts? Do you want to endorse checks and read MICR codes using your printer?

As you read the above questions, more questions will pop up. Make sure that you address all the questions with the dealer before making the purchase.

How many types of printers are there?

Basically there are 3 types of printers: Impact, Thermal and Multifunctional.

1. Impact Printers:

Impact printers are also known by the name of Dot-Matrix printers. These printers are not only less expensive but also flexible. They use pins and ribbons to print on the paper. The printers can print two-ply receipts, one for the customer and the other for the vendor. These printers are resistant to heat and make an ideal choice for use in the kitchen. The printer can print two colors - black and red. However, you must purchase the required ribbons to print the above said colors.

Where can Impact printers be used?

Kitchens, POS checkouts, manufacturing units that have too much heat, places that require 2-ply receipts printed in 2 colors.

2. Thermal Printers: Thermal receipt printers as the name suggests, use heat to print the image on the paper. They do not use ribbons and pins to print the images. You require special receipt paper to use with your Thermal printer. The paper has a special heat sensitive coating that is activated on coming in contact with the printer head. The printer does not require you to replace ribbons and are cost less to own and maintain. You can upload the logo directly to the firmware to increase the speed of printing. These printers must not be used at places like the kitchen or any other environment that is prone to heat.

3. Multifunctional printers:

These printers are used to carry out multiple functions apart from printing receipts. The multifunctional printers are used to endorse checks, read MICR codes, and print slips. These printers are more expensive than the previously mentioned ones due to their versatility. These printers can be used at checkouts to print receipts or in concurrence with POS set-ups.

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