In Point-of-sales Industry there are two types of printers – thermal and dot-matrix. These are unknown to most of us. So, what is the difference between thermal printing and dot-matrix printing? What is the special need of this in Retail POS system? Let’s have a look into the difference between these two printer types, their advantages, disadvantages.
Thermal Printers: this is the most common choice for the retail and fast-moving business stores that operating under normal circumstances. In thermal POS printer, printing is done by burning paper with the hot printing head.
Here are the advantages of Thermal printers: Faster printing than laser
- Quieter than laser
- High resolution
- No need to change the toner or ink except the paper roll
Here are the disadvantages of Thermal printers:
- Thermal paper is sensitive to heat. So if the printer is near a warm place or area, your paper will turn in black and the receipt will be illegible
- Only available in black colour printing
- Special thermal paper is costly than the regular paper
Dot-matrix printers: these are also POS printer, mostly used where the point-of-sales is high and heat environments or multiple copies of receipts are required with every print. These are normally used at the restaurant where multiple copies are required.
Here are the advantages of Dot-matrix printers:
- No problem with Hot/cold temperatures for this type of printing
- Affordable ink-ribbons
- Affordable plain – the paper is easily available
- Easy print on two-ply paper
- Two-colour option available
Here are the disadvantages of Dot-matrix printers:
- Slow in printing
- Loud and noisy
- Low resolution
- Need to change the ink-ribbon
There is the common application of Posiflex POS System, where both applications are utilized. Normally, restaurants, hotels etc use thermal printer POS system in front desk and Dot-matrix in kitchen.
Now, you got to know how the POS printer system works. The Receipt printer is the integral part POS system and of the food industry too. Here are steps to determine how to choose the best POS receipt printer for your business:
- What are your business requirements for the printer?
This is the most important question to be considered while buying any POS receipt printer. It totally depends on what you need in terms of quality, colour, speed and machine handling. Here are normally, three types of printers available in the market- thermal, Impact and Ink jet printers. Narrow down your search by selecting the best suitable printer for your business. Here are a few points to be noted:
- Compact design – space saving
- Rugged design for heavy handling and use
- Easy installation and integration
- Able to reduce the cable clutter
- Quick printing ability or speed
At Peddletech, we offer a wide range of receipt printer – Thermal printers and Bluetooth receipt printers from Rugtek, Bixolon, Posiflex and Retail POS
- Budget- The second most important point
Now that you have decided which receipt printer to buy, you need to concentrate on the pricing too. It would be the best way to determine how much you want to spend on buying this system. Depending on your requirement of receipt printer, you can buy the appropriate one. If you have less paper printing work then, you can go for the minimal ink-jet one. If want the high quality work then it is best to buy Thermal printer
- Next question comes- is the receipt printer compatible with your POS system?
Yes, it important to also check whether the new receipt printer is compatible with your existing POS system. It is recommended to buy the receipt printer of the same company of POS system you have.Let us know what you are looking for in a receipt printer. We, Peddletech is well-known POS terminal provider in India. Give us a call on +91-8806951951 or let us know your requirement at response@peddletech.com. Our experts will get in touch with you for the POS terminal price in India.
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