What is Receipt Printer?

A receipt printer is a type of small printer typically used at points of sale (POS) to print customer receipts, transaction records, or other small documents. You’ll find them in places like retail stores, restaurants, and gas stations.

 

Common Types of Receipt Printers:

• Thermal Printers

  • Use heat to print on special thermal paper (no ink needed).

  • Fast, quiet, and commonly used in modern businesses.

  • Example: most receipts from grocery stores or ATMs.

• Dot Matrix (Impact) Printers

  • Use pins and ink ribbons to strike the paper and print.

  • Slower and noisier but good for multi-copy printing (carbon copies).

• Inkjet Printers (rare for receipts)

  • Use ink cartridges to spray ink on the paper.

  • Better for color printing, but not commonly used for simple receipts due to cost and maintenance.

 

Key Features of a Best Receipt Printers

• Compact size – fits on counters.

• Paper roll – uses rolls of receipt paper instead of sheets.

• Connectivity – connects via USB, Ethernet, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi.

• Cutter – some have automatic paper cutters.

 

How to pick the right receipt printer for your business?

1. What kind of business are you using it for?

(e.g. retail shop, café, food truck, pharmacy, etc.)

2. How do you want to connect it?

• USB (direct to a computer)

• Bluetooth (wireless to phones/tablets)

• Wi-Fi/Ethernet (network-connected)

• Serial/Parallel (older systems or POS setups)

3. What device are you using it with?

(e.g. Windows PC, Mac, iPad, Android tablet, POS system like Square or Shopify)

4. Do you need any special features?

• Automatic cutter?

• Support for printing logos or QR codes?

• Cash drawer connection?