Are you using the Right Receipt Printer for your POS Needs?

Despite the overwhelming popularity of digitalisation, receipt printing remains a crucial aspect of many businesses, specifically the retail and hospitality industries. Some customers hesitate to share their email addresses or contact details at retail stores; and hence, prefer physical receipts over e-invoices. The final step of concluding a transaction within a retail set-up is printing a receipt. These payment slips contain purchase-related information like product name, date and time of purchase, SKU number, price, and more. Receipts act as proof of transaction and help maintain transparency with the customers on the other hand; these slips help customers return/exchange any purchased product conveniently. To print these payment receipts, point-of-sale (POS) systems use a hardware component known as a receipt printer. There are two most popular receipt printers in today’s world- thermal receipt printers and impact/dot matrix receipt printers.

The concept of issuing receipts against transactions is not new. Earlier receipts used to be handwritten, which were prone to doctoring and inaccuracy. But, with the advent of printing technology, receipt printing became convenient, accurate, affordable, and most importantly, it cannot be doctored. Most point-of-sale (POS) bundles come with receipt printers that save you from the hassle of integrating the device with the rest of your point-of-sale (POS) hardware components and the point-of-sale (POS) software. However, if you are planning on purchasing your receipt printer separately, you need to consider a few pointers to ensure that you are using the right device.

In this blog, we have enlisted some of the factors that you need to keep in mind while purchasing your receipt printer to ensure that you are using the right device for your point of sale (POS) needs.

Receipt printers: Types

Are you a new retail business owner?

If yes, then you would be aware of the fact that retail businesses can be both rewarding and challenging at the same time. Simply having a systematically laid out business plan will not suffice. You need to equip yourself with modern tools and technologies to facilitate seamless business operations. Point of sale (POS) systems are the perfect solution to manage overall business operations in a retail setup.

Receipt printers as the name implies are electronic devices that are used to print payment slips against the transaction. They are an integral component of a point of sale (POS) system, for example, Epson TM-T82III Ethernet/USB or Star TSP143III USB Thermal Receipt Printer. These devices are capable of providing quick and accurate printing with low downtime and can support the seamless functioning of a point of sale (POS) system.

Did you know that “the global POS receipt printer market is predicted to reach $6.6 billion in terms of revenue generation by 2023”?

Types of Receipt Printers

Receipt printers work on different printing technology and have the ability to withstand environmental conditions. Primarily, there are two types of receipt printers-

·      Thermal Receipt Printers: Thermal printers function on thermal printing technology and are the most popular commercial printing technology used in different industries. These printers function on heat mechanism. When the heated printhead impacts the heat-sensitive (chemically-treated) paper, it produces prints in the form of texts and numbers. Thermal printers these days are capable of creating coloured prints. Since thermal printers do not require ink ribbons or toners, the maintenance costs of these devices are low. But, the durability of the prints produced by thermal printers is low, which is the biggest drawback of thermal printing. Since thermal papers are heat-sensitive, exposure to excessive heat and light can damage the print. Besides, the printing paper darkens over time, making the print unreadable.

·         Dot Matrix Receipt Printer: Impact/dot matrix printers are the oldest and most popular types of printers that work on technology like that of typewriters. These printers are not used for commercial usage since they offer low-resolution prints but are yet used for receipt printing. The printhead of impact printers comes with a series of pins lined on the printhead that moves back and forth on the paper rolls to create prints. When the printhead impacts the ribbon, it produces prints, hence the name dot matrix printers. Ideally, the printheads of these printers come with 9 to 24 pins; the higher the number of prints, the better the print resolution and clarity. Usually, impact printers print in black and red colours, depending on the ribbon’s colour and the number of pins, and are capable of producing graphics too other than just numbers and text. Dot matrix printers are inexpensive and the prints do not get affected by temperature variations. Hence, most kitchen receipt printers are impact/dot matrix printers.

Bestselling Receipt Printers in Australia

·         Epson TM-T82III Ethernet/USB

·         Epson TM-T82III Serial/USB PSU

·         Star TSP143III USB Thermal Receipt Printer

·         Epson TM-M30II Thermal Receipt Printer

·         Epson TM-T82i Intelligent Thermal Receipt Printer

Let us now discuss the factors to consider while purchasing a receipt printer to determine if you are using the right device for your business.

Factors to Consider While Purchasing a Receipt Printer

Other than deciding on the type of receipt printer, consider

·         Receipt Quality: While purchasing any device, considering the product performance is crucial. Hence, while purchasing a receipt printer, make sure you check the receipt quality as different types of printers provide different print quality. Also, consider your customer base and business requirements while purchasing your device. If you require basic receipt quality and low-quality images won’t impact your business, then you can opt for a dot matrix receipt printer. But, for sharper and high-resolution prints, thermal receipt printers are the right choice for you.

 

·         Connectivity and Compatibility: While purchasing a receipt printer, you should also ensure that it is compatible with the rest of the point of sale (POS) hardware components and your operating system. This would help you offer a seamless shopping experience to your customers.

·         Dimensions: For any brick-and-mortar store, aesthetics is a crucial factor. Once you determine the place where you would keep your receipt printer, check the dimensions of the device. Usually, receipt printers are placed on the checkout counters at retail stores. You would not want a device that would take up a lot of space on your checkout counter.

·         Receipt Customisation: Receipts are an excellent marketing tool as you can customise the printing papers with your company’s logo, email address, contact details, and more. Therefore, ensure that the printer you pick allows you to use such customisations to entice and engage more customers.

·         Printing Speed: Waiting in long queues at checkout counters is vexing for customers. Even for the sales assistant, slow print speed is troublesome. Make sure that the printer you pick offers fast printing speed so that your customers do not have to wait in long queues for checkout.

·         Roll Speed: For a receipt printer to provide fast printing, you need to ensure that it offers a convenient and quick roll change where all you need to do is, drop a new roll into the printer. This would expedite the checkout process and provide your customers with a convenient shopping experience.

·     Power Consumption: Nowadays, most businesses opt for mobile receipt printers that can checkout customers from any location within the store. These devices are mostly battery-operated. Since the batteries can drain out after extensive usage, you need to charge them from time to time which consumes electricity. At the same time, traditional printers function on electricity. Therefore, make sure the printer you choose consumes less power which would minimise your overall operational costs.

·  Budget: Just like any commodity, considering the budget is the most essential and unavoidable factor. The receipt printer you pick should not only meet your business requirements but should also be within your pre-set budget. Thermal receipt printers have low maintenance costs but their upfront costs are high. On the contrary, the upfront cost of dot matrix receipt printers is low but since they involve moving parts, their maintenance cost is comparatively high.

Wrapping Up,

Now that we have discussed the different factors that one should consider while purchasing a receipt printer, it should be easy for you to choose the right device to complement your point of sale (POS) system.

If you are looking for bestselling receipt printers, POS Sales Australia is your solution. We are a leading online reseller of premium point-of-sale (POS) hardware, consumables, and accessories, all available at reasonable prices. Browse through our extensive inventory and make your purchase as per your requirement.

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