Thermal Receipts vs Dot Matrix in 5 Steps

Thermal receipt printers have become the norm in most situations. Considering that Dot Matrix printers cost less to buy, there must be a reason for this. It is rare today to find Dot Matrix printers still in use, so why are thermal printers worth the extra expenditure?

1.      Speed

Speed is a key element in business operation. When serving a customer, you need to be swift and efficient. This will improve the customer perception of the store and generally increase efficiency of service and profit generation. Dot Matrix printers are capable of printing only around 3 lines per second. Thermal paper rolls, however, can be churned out at a rate of around 20 lines per second. This speed increase is of obvious benefit to all involved and makes the extra costs worthwhile.

2.      Quality

The print-quality a thermal receipt paper roll printer can achieve is far higher than that of a Dot Matrix printer. The reason is in the name, Dot Matrix. Dot Matrix printers work by impacting small hammer heads onto the paper where it needs to be marked. If you look very closely at a dot matrix receipt you will notice that each of the individual characters is made up of a large number of dots. Each of these dots is created individually so the printing process takes a long time to complete and is of a relatively low quality.

3.      Logo printing

You should aim to ensure that everything which leaves your store has your logo on it. Your receipts present a huge area of opportunity for this. Dot Matrix printers do not have the capability of creating a high-quality image on a receipt. In contrast to this, the system for printing logos on thermal printers is as simple as could be. The logo can be easily uploaded and stored in the RAM of the printer so that it prints flawlessly every time.

4.      Reliability

The reliability of any item can be determined as the mean time between services. This can either be measured as a number of transactions or as a number of lines printed. Whichever way you look at it, a thermal roll printer is more reliable. There are fewer moving parts to get damaged in a thermal printer. Instead of using easily breakable hammers to print, the thermal roll printer uses a cylindrical surface which is heated to print the desired images and characters. Dot Matrix machines are durable but they are overshadowed by thermal roll printers.

5.      Cost of ownership and operation

The costs of the different printers are very different. A Dot Matrix printer will cost around half that of a thermal roll printer. If, however, we consider all of the costs, including ribbons, maintenance and operation, the cost swings largely in favour of the thermal roll printer. The extra downtime and greater costs of ribbon replacement in the Dot Matrix printer make it the more expensive option in the long run.