Thermal printers are now the most popular selection of receipt printer since they are the most reliable and simple to use as they cannot require any ink or ribbons. The technology relies upon chemically treated paper that's sensitive to heat. The printer heats the paper via holes in the print head to generate text and graphics. Thermal printers may also be regarded since the fastest type of receipt printer printing around 250mm second making them very suitable to fast turnover environments such as supermarkets and high street retail.

The main one downside to thermal receipts, as a result of technology, is which they fade in sunlight and can turn black and unreadable if afflicted by heat. Thermal receipts are therefore unreliable for businesses that want their receipts to 3D Printer readable for long amounts of time due to regulations. Dual colour may be obtained by some models at the larger end of the marketplace with special paper but the outcome can be disappointing and the technology is rarely used at present.

This sort of printer generally requires a bow which holds the ink such as for instance a typewriter and uses a direct effect mechanism that stamps the characters through the ribbon onto the paper. Some printing devices can utilise paper which contain mcrocapsules of ink embedded into them that burst upon impact and therefore do not require ribbons. Impact printers are easy identifiable since they are considerably noisier that other types of printer and are generally considerably slower than thermal printers. Impact printers are commonly the type that provides models with a two and three ply paper or a second roll for audit purposes. Lately and generally in most environments this type of printer has been superseded by thermal printers because of the speed and lack of a need for consumables other than paper.

In certain markets impact printers remain dominant as in the banking and gaming industries. Impact printers also tend to be used in restaurant kitchens as thermal receipts are easily erased by heat. Some industries such as for instance banking and gaming have regulations regarding certain types of receipts and in regards to the period of time receipts are required to remain readable. Ink based receipts last considerably more than thermal receipts and is therefore utilized by these industries as standard. It's worth noting that ribbons come in different colours such as purple, black, red and dual red/black with the latter ribbon being used to highlight certain transactions types such as for example refunds in red.

Inkjet printers are regarded as the successor to impact printers as in addition they use ink nevertheless they give you a superior printing quality. Most inkjet printers allow printing via ink cartridges in two colours with normally a mixture of black, green, red and blue. Businesses spend a great deal of time and resources on brand recognition and using colour is a favorite method of doing this. The technology may also be put to great use by printing colourful advertising or promotions on the receipt thus generating return visits from the customers.

The truth is the take up of inkjet receipt printers has been minimal. This really is considered to be as a result of number of reasons, firstly it is perceived that the changing of ink at the till point is tricky and frustrating and secondly the speed of which these printers operate is recognized as too slow for major retailers to adopt. Inkjet receipt printers do however offer the same longer lasting receipts as impact printers making them suitable for most business types.

This market is well serviced by numerous manufacturers with a wealth of preference and price range. Just like many markets there's an enormous influx of far eastern models at rock bottom prices. As with many issues that you acquire, you obtain everything you purchase and it's worth noting that with the major manufacturers you tend to have better products that go longer and receive better support if something goes wrong. Remember if your receipt printer stops working you will find it very difficult to trade. The typical rule is the bigger turnover your business achieves the greater the receipt printer you must invest in.