THE NEWS IN PRINT

Ever wondered about those quick printers found in every store or restaurants? The print receipts are narrow but lengthy and the printing time is almost instantaneous. The technology behind those printers is the thermal printing technology which doesn't involve any impact or ink in the process. It works its magic on a special printing thermal paper which is usually in the form of a roll. The printers that are usually seen in stores and restaurants go by a fancy name; Point of Sale (POS) printers.

According to Arthur Scott, only 5% of the POS printers in 1993 were thermal but in the year 2007, it's up to 34%.

Here are some reasons as analyzed by the author for the rising demand in thermal POS printers:

- Speed. Thermal printing is up to seven times faster then impact printing.
- Moves the check out line quicker.
- May eliminate the need for two ply paper since the printer can print a second receipt while the customer is signing the first.
- Faster transactions lead to better customer service.
- Faster print speeds allow large volume restaurants to reduce the number of servers/cashiers used, saving payroll costs.
- Most POS software can buffer the entire transaction and print the customer receipt at the end of the sale with all products organized with discounts. Impact printers would take too long to print out that information at the end of a sale.

Speed is great and so is the zero noise level. But, the only concern many (including I) have experienced is the prodigiously small shelf life of these prints. It tends to fade away when exposed to direct sunlight or when folded; especially when folded and stored in (pant) pockets. I am used to pulling out clean receipts out of my pant pockets with absolutely no writing on them.

I have a neutral admiration for thermal technology when used commercially as discussed in this article. It might be a hindrance for some who prefer to store receipts for almost a life time. Yet, for the present generation where time means money, it's an asset to keep.