In order to have a complete Point of Sale system you should, not only have the computer, cash register, display and scanner, you must also have a printer on which to print out orders, summaries and even receipts or dockets.

There are several kinds of printers available in the market and these come in varying shapes and sizes. There are standard printers which can sit comfortably on your desk; larger and more complicated printers that need to occupy a room of its own; and there are smaller, more compact printers that can fit in one’s back pocket. However, no matter how big or small printers are, these can be categorized into two groups: Thermal Transfer Printer and Direct Thermal Printers.

Thermal Transfer (TT) printers work by having the printhead emit heat onto the ribbon. The ink on the ribbon is then transferred to the print media (paper). Direct Thermal (DT) printing, on the other hand, eliminates the use of the ribbon, and the printhead prints directly on the label or print media.

Before you rack your brains trying to determine which specific printer brand you want to buy, you must first determine evaluate our business as the printer you select must be able to meet your demands and requirements. You must pick a device that would be compatible with the nature of your business, can handle the volume of your clients, where your printer will be located, its functions and can withstand whatever temperature prevails in your establishment. These may sound strange but these factors do matter.

In some cases, an establishment may require several printers for a single POS system. In restaurants, for example, a single restaurant may need at least 2 kinds of printers: one located at the kitchen, to alert the kitchen staff of orders that need to be prepared; and another one at the cashier, for her to print out bills and receipts. In some cases, food attendants have handheld devices which are able to print out dockets. You cannot have the same kind of printer for all stations. A Direct Thermal printer may suffice in the cashier’s station and with the handheld wireless device held by attendants, but will not be appropriate in the printer located in the kitchen. The heat inside the kitchen may affect the clarity of the printed document. For this purpose, a Thermal Transfer printer such as a dot matrix printer would be more appropriate.