Any Point-of-sale (POS) installation that you come across is bound to be comprised of a number of electronic components. You will find barcode scanners, cash registers, receipt printers, and other devices all connected to each other to form the POS system. A manager will want to gather data from these devices to their computer for daily analysis. Today we will look a little more closely at the POS printer.
Contents
- What is a POS printer
- Remote POS printer access software solution
- How to set up hardware connections for a remote POS printer
- Conclusions
What is a POS printer
The printer is a critical component of most POS systems. A POS receipt printer is used in retail establishments to create customer receipts and credit card transaction slips. These types of printers are also employed to print orders in a restaurant’s kitchen or bar.
The most common types of receipt printers fall into three categories: thermal printers, dot matrix printers, and inkjet printers.
Thermal printers are the most common type of printer used in POS systems. They are more expensive than dot-matrix printers and usually cost between $300 to $500. Thermal printers are favored due to the quality of printing, speed, and reduced noise during operation. This makes them perfect for use in a shop or restaurant. The printer functions by using a special thermal paper that is coated to be sensitive to heat. Direct contact between the paper and the heat-generating printer head create the receipt.
Dot-matrix printers are the most economical choice in a POS printer. Also called impact printers, the operating costs are negligible, consisting of simply replacing paper and ribbons. Characters are printed with an ink ribbon which interacts with a print head that has small pins mounted on it. Series of dots are transferred to the paper forming letters and numbers.
Inkjet printers are the most expensive option as the replacement ink cartridges are costly. These printers work by their printheads shooting tiny drops of ink onto the paper. They are great if you need exceptional quality for color logos, customer coupons or other specialized printing requirements.
Managers of POS systems need to be able to access a remote receipt printer. POS systems that are cloud-based can handle this, but what other options do you have? There are two possibilities for you to consider. You can use additional hardware configurations or redirection software.
Remote POS printer access software solution
Eltima Software had developed an application that enables you to access and control a remote printer from your local computer.