08/10/2021
Things to consider when buying a Receipt Printer for your Business.
Clients often come to us asking for recommendations on what type of Receipt Printer they should buy for their business. Whether you are a one-man shop or a multi-shop operation, here are a couple tips that we consider before advising our clients:
Environment – Where will the printer be operating? By far, thermal printers are the most popular type of receipt printer on the market. They work by transferring heat onto a specially treated paper (instead of ink) to generate a print. In a hot, humid or caustic environment, the paper may prematurely turn black, reducing the effectiveness of the device. You may be better off with a traditional impact printer in this environment.
Speed – How fast do you need it to be? If your business experiences heavy traffic, then having customers standing in line waiting for a receipt does not add to the shopping experience. The speed here not only includes how quickly it prints, but also how quickly it can be reloaded. Anything over 20 seconds can become an issue for a waiting customer. Thermal printers tend to be a lot faster at generating receipts and reloading than the traditional impact printer.
Devices – What devices would the printer have to interact with? Some retail systems can operate on a Mac, Android/Linux or Windows operating system. A good printer should be able to connect to any system via Wi-Fi, Apple MiFi, or Bluetooth. Age is also an issue, please ensure that the age difference between the two systems is minimal. Older technologies may have issues connecting to and operating with the newer technologies. So while it may work, you may be able to optimally use all the features. Make sure to buy the printer that best interacts with the current systems and devices that you are using.
Costs – What's the true cost of using this? The wireless versions of these printers tend to cost more than the wired versions. Also, always factor in the cost of consumables when considering the cost of ownership. The device may be cheap but is the paper / ink / ribbon costly and/or available? Who supplies the consumables locally, or is it something that I will have to continuously import? These questions carry a cost to them and should be answered before committing to a printer.
Here are some popular Amazon thermal receipt printers to be considered in your decision making (Please Note that the links used are Amazon Associate links):
LOSRECAL Thermal Receipt Printer - https://amzn.to/3zZhz8B
Epson tM-T88VI T Thermal Receipt Printer - https://amzn.to/3m3exuZ
Star Micronics TSP143III USB Thermal Receipt Printer - https://amzn.to/3maIQA1
Epson LQ-590II 24-pin Dot Matrix Printer - https://amzn.to/3kLA2AN
View our original article: https://pqsys.com/things-to-consider-when-buying-a-receipt-printer-for-your-business/