Print a receipt

Types of receipt printers

A receipt printer is a compact printer that prints receipts on thin paper called thermal paper. It's commonly used in retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses to provide customers with printed purchase confirmations. There's more than one type of receipt printer, and the right one for a business depends on its size and other operations.

• Thermal receipt printers: These printers work with heat-sensitive paper and print characters and images by selectively heating the paper. The pin or head of the printing mechanism doesn't touch the paper roll. The print gets crisped on the paper, thanks to the head moving over the line of text that gets printed. Thermal printers are easy to operate and usually have a faster printing speed. They also make less noise when printing.
• Impact receipt printers: Also known as dot-matrix printers, these impact printers work with multi-part stationery and use a print head. The head then strikes an inked ribbon to create an imprint on the paper. Impact printers are great for businesses that need to print on multipart paper. This type of printer is also suitable for printing in carbonized forms, which thermal printers cannot do.
• Laser receipt printers: A laser printer uses a laser beam to produce sharp text and graphics on the receipt. These printers are quite fast. However, they are only ideal for printing on plain paper. Using thermal paper can damage the printer. Businesses that need large-volume printing in crisp quality often invest in laser receipt printers.

Function and Features

There are several ways to print a receipt. Each type of printer has features that affect how it works and the quality of the printed receipt. The following table summarizes the key features of each printer along with the printers' functions.

• Thermal Receipt Printers

  This printer uses heat-sensitive paper that changes color when exposed to a heated print head. The head prints the characters and graphics in the receipt. These printers are fast, quiet, and only use one ribbon. However, the printed text can fade when exposed to sunlight or heat. Faded text may be difficult to read.

• Inkjet Receipt Printers

  An inkjet printer blasts tiny dots of indelible ink onto the paper to create the receipt. These receipt printers can print in color. The printing is also quiet, and the printed text does not fade. However, inkjet printers are slower than thermal printers. The ink can smudge when wet, and the cost of printing is higher because of the ink cartridges.

• Impact/Dot Matrix Printers

  Impact printers use a print head with a number of pins mounted on a single actuator. The head strikes an inked ribbon against a paper covered with a carbon copy die to form the receipt. Impact printers can print on multi-part forms, and the printout can be used immediately. The printers are also noisy and slow, but their cost is lower than the other printers.

• Connectivity

  Some receipt printers connect to a point of sale system using a serial or parallel cable. These models are simple and reliable but may need more physical ports for adding more printers. Recent receipt printers connect via USB. USB cables provide faster data transfer, and the printer can be used with multiple devices. Networked printers can also connect through Bluetooth and wireless connections. Wireless connections allow printing from mobile devices, laptops and tablets.

• Paper Width

  The width of the paper can vary. Some receipt printers use 80mm or 58mm wide thermal paper while others use 40mm paper. The paper's width depends on the type of printer and the receipt's content. Printers that use 80mm paper may also use 80x80 mm for certain tasks.

• Compact Design

  Compact printers take up less space on the counter and are more portable. They are useful for mobile printing and businesses with limited space.

Use of Receipt Printers

In various industries and business settings, thermal receipt printers have become indispensable tools for generating printed receipts, which are an important part of everyday transactions. Receipt printing has a wide range of applications, which include:

• Retail Sector:

  The retail industry extensively uses receipt printers, where they print out receipts for customer purchases, which serve as proof of payment and also give valuable details about the goods that have been purchased, such as the price, return policy, and date of purchase. The receipts can also be used for accounting and inventory management.

• Hospitality Industry:

  The hospitality business, including restaurants and hotels, makes use of receipt printers to issue receipts for client payments. In some cases, the printer can also be used to print invoices for business clients who are members of the hotel loyalty program. For diners, they can have detailed receipts showing a breakdown of the meal, tax, tip, and payment method.

• Transport Sector:

  Transport businesses, such as those that run taxis and bus services, use receipt printers to give their passengers printed receipts for ticket payments or to serve as proof of payment for the business travel that is undertaken.

• Healthcare Facilities:

  Apart from printing prescriptions, receipt printers are widely used in clinics and hospitals to generate printed receipts for patient payments. The receipts provide a detailed breakdown of the services rendered, which may include lab tests and consultation.

• Financial Institutions:

  Banking establishments use receipt printers to give clients official printed receipts for deposits, withdrawals, and other transactions, which serve as a record of the client's banking activity.

• Point-of-Sale Systems:

  Most modern point-of-sale systems are integrated with receipt printers for printing receipts for all customer transactions. Also, they can print summaries of daily sales for easy reconciliation.

• Invoicing:

  Businesses can give ghost invoices through receipt printers. This is common in industries that require distinct invoicing for tax purposes. The invoices may include the same details as a receipt, like the date, amount, and tax collected.

• Reminders:

  There are many appointments that people must keep in various businesses. Receipt printers can print reminder receipts that can be handed to clients as a reminder for an appointment. This prevents no-shows and helps better manage time.

How to choose receipt printer

Before purchasing a receipt printer in bulk, we recommend testing a small number of printers. This will allow businesses to confirm compatibility with existing systems and evaluate features, performance, and ease of use. It further gives buyers an opportunity to check customer service and maintenance support. If business testers are satisfied with the printer, buyers can go ahead and purchase them in bulk.

When buying in bulk, businesses may want to consider printers that can be expanded to meet changing business needs. For instance, they can begin by purchasing printers that only print and add on to those that can scan and email when the need arises. Printers with modular designs that allow businesses to add features are also a great choice.

Wholesale receipt printer buyers should also consider printers with lower paper jam rates. High paper jam rates could lead to receipt printing delays and customer dissatisfaction. Jam-prone printers may also lead to higher maintenance costs, thus eating into the bottom line.

When purchasing in bulk, buyers must take into account the printer's scalability, deliverability, and customizable potential. It's also prudent for buyers to consider long-term costs such as printer maintenance and ink replacement. Printers requiring proprietary ink cartridges can lead to high printing costs.

Buyers should also purchase printers that can be easily integrated into their existing POS systems. Printers requiring major system upgrades can lead to costly and time-consuming integrations. Printers with similar interfaces to those supported by the POS systems can be integrated quickly.

In addition, buyers must check the availability of the printer model. Low stock levels can make it hard for businesses to buy replacement printers in case the first model becomes obsolete. New models generally have better features and support extended periods.

If the printer model becomes obsolete, businesses may need to purchase another model of the same brand. This helps to ensure that the two printer models work together, especially if they use the same software and driver.

Printed receipts can help businesses with record keeping, so they need to keep the printed receipts securely. Receipt printers generally come with built-in systems that help businesses to store digital copies of the receipts. Businesses can also save receipts in a cloud-based storage system. This provides easy access to the stored receipts instead of hunting for paper receipts in filing cabinets.

For businesses with high printing volume, the cost per printed receipt becomes an important factor. Printers with separate ink and toner cartridges are usually more economical. This is because toner cartridges print more pages than ink cartridges.

Q & A

Q: Are thermal printers suitable for high-volume printing?

A: Yes, thermal printers are ideal for high-volume printing. They work fast and can print large numbers of receipts within a short time.

Q: What type of thermal printer uses a USB connection?

A: Both direct and infra-red thermal printers can use a USB connection to link with devices such as computers or smartphones to get printing jobs.

Q: Which type of thermal printer offers better print quality?

A: Consider buying a direct thermal printer. It produces sharp and smudge-proof prints. These printers are excellent for printing fine barcodes or detailed graphics.

Q: How long do thermal printers last?

A: The longevity of thermal printers varies depending on usage and model. Generally, they can last several years if used and maintained properly.

Q: Can thermal printers use Wi-Fi connections?

A: Yes, some thermal printers have Wi-Fi connectivity. They can receive printing jobs from devices connected to the same wireless network.