For most retail businesses, a receipt printer is an essential item. Along with related items such as barcode scanners. With so many printers being available, it can be very difficult to choose the correct one. It is essential to do research before choosing a printer. Specifically, you need to know how the printer is going to be used. You also need to know the type of receipts to be printed. This ensures that you have the perfect printer for your needs.

There are three main type of receipt printer:

• Thermal Printers: Thermal printers are very popular for businesses. They are easy to use, economical and efficient. They are the quickest printers. This means that they are a popular choice in busy environments. E.g.  supermarkets where queues can be large. They are cheap to run because they don’t use inks and ribbon. Instead, they use thermal technology. This is where heat is applied to paper. This reacts with a chemical and produces text and graphics.
• Impact Printers: Impact printers are similar to how typewriters operate. Text is marked upon paper when striked by a character through an inked ribbon. Alternatively, some printers contain ink embedded micro capsules. These burst on impact, creating a character on paper. Despite not needing ribbons, these printers can be noisy and slower than their thermal counterparts. They were once popular in offices. However, they are now being replaced by faster thermal printers. Impact printers are still used in restaurants. This is because thermal printers do not function well under the heat.
• Inkjet Receipt Printers: Inkjet printers use inks to produce high quality printing. They are mainly used by creative organisations to produce colourful graphics. However, they aren’t suitable for retail. This is because they print slowly. Also, the changing of multiple inks is not economical.

There are a number of receipt printers available on the market. Epson is a popular brand. In particular, the TMT88IV is a popular choice. It suits the needs of fast paced business environments. The TMT88IV hosts a number of advantages. These include quick printing, quiet operation, quick change of receipt roll, and auto cutting of receipts. This printer is able to print text and graphics. It prints as quickly as 8” per second. This printer is available in a wireless option. This is particularly popular for hospitality environments.