Point of Sale Receipt Printers

There are a variety of important considerations when selecting a receipt printer for your point of sale needs. Read our guide below.

Receipt Printer Types:

Direct thermal receipt printers are popular due to their faster/quieter operation, and they do not require ink ribbon consumables. Thermal printers use heat to create an image on heat sensitive receipt paper. Impact receipt printers (also known as Dot Matrix) is only recommended in heat-intensive environments (e.g restaurant kitchens) or when duplicate or two colour printed receipts are required.

Receipt Printer Connections:

The most popular interfaces for connecting your printer to your PC is via USB or Ethernet. Serial & parallel interfaces are also available but are not as common. It is crucial to select a printer with an interface that matches your current devices. Portable receipt printers are available and print receipts using Bluetooth or wireless technology.

Receipt Printer Features:

Most receipt printers are available with an auto cutter for delivering the paper receipt. As some model only offer a tear bar you will need to determine the importance of choosing a model that includes an auto cutter for easy removal of receipts.

Other important features to consider with receipt printers are print speed & quality which will influence the price range of the required machine.

The most important factor when choosing your receipt printer is that some point of sale software applications only work with specific receipt printer drivers so it is advisable to check with the software manufacturer to determine the compatibility of a receipt printer.