Impact and thermal printers
Docket printers are either impact (dot matrix) or thermal.
Thermal docket printers offer extremely fast and near silent operation. They are most suitable in a retail environment. The main drawback to thermal printers is that the dockets have a tendency to fade, particularly in hot and moist environments. For this reason Impact printers are generally more suited to kitchen environments.
Thermal docket printers use thermal till rolls, which are impregnated with a chemical substance which produces the text on printing. Impact printers use plain paper till rolls with an ink ribbon, which needs to be frequently replaced. Both thermal and impact printers are available in single or two colour options. Certain printers allow the store's logo to be loaded into the printer's memory. Specific manufacturer's software is required for this purpose.
Barcode label printing
Depending on your requirements, you may need to print your own barcode labels. these can be printed either on A4 sheets of labels on a laser printer, or on a dedicated label printer, such as the Zebra, which prints labels individually on bulk rolls of labels. (Printing barcode labels on an InkJet printer is not really suitable, as the ink can smudge when handled, which will render it unreadable by the barcode scanner)
If barcode label volumes are relatively low, a laser printer will be sufficient. However for higher volumes, it becomes more economical to print on rolls of labels on a label printer.
Laser printers
In a point-of-sale environment, you will need to print reports, which would require an A4 printer. Inkjet printers are inexpensive, but the cost of consumables is often overlooked. The cost of laser printers has dropped to the extent that they are now economically viable even for the smallest of businesses. The laser printer can double up as both your report printer and label printer.
Label printers
Label printers are available in two sizes catering for label sizes up to 2"and 4" widths. For high volumes, the 4" printer is recommended, as this is a far more robust unit. Within each size you have the option of Thermal Transfer, or Direct Thermal printing.
Thermal transfer requires an ink resin ribbon which transfers the image directly onto the label. Thermal Transfer need only be used where high quality printing is required. Direct Thermal printing uses thermal labels, and requires no ribbon.