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Receipt printer or label printer: which do you need?
Printers 1 min read
Both print thermally, but they solve different problems — and the wrong choice costs you media and time.
by POS Kosova · Reviewed on
The short answer
For checkout receipts — a receipt printer: continuous paper and an auto-cutter. For prices, product barcodes and shipping — a label printer: separated adhesive labels tracked by a sensor. The media is not interchangeable.
The comparison in one table
| Receipt printer | Label printer | |
|---|---|---|
| Media | Continuous thermal paper roll (80 or 58 mm) | Separated adhesive labels |
| Cutting | Auto-cutter | Sensor that finds where each label starts |
| Method | Direct thermal (or impact in kitchens) | Direct thermal or thermal transfer with a ribbon |
| Print lifetime | Weeks to months | With a ribbon, years |
Scenarios
- A shop or restaurant checkout: a receipt printer — see receipt printers, e.g. the Bixolon SRP-350plusV.
- Kitchen: the SRP-275III impact printer prints in two colours and uses no thermal paper.
- Price tags, barcodes, shipping: see label printers.
- In the field: mobile printers such as the SPP-R200III print receipts and labels.
Mistakes we see most often
- Product labels printed on receipt paper and taped on — they fade and fall off.
- A direct-thermal label printer for labels that must last years — that needs thermal transfer.
- A no-name printer for a busy checkout: in our experience its head lasts about 25 km of paper; Bixolon heads are rated for at least 75 km (SRP-350plusV: 200 km).
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