Thermal vs Dot Matrix Receipts: A Cost Breakdown for F&B
Thermal printers don't need ink but paper costs more. Dot matrix is cheap to run but slow. Here's the full breakdown.
Thermal: Fast and Silent
Starting around $20 for basic models, $50-100 for reliable ones (prices vary). Speed around 200-300mm/sec — receipt in 1-2 seconds. Nearly silent. No ink — prints using heat. Weakness: receipts fade after a few months.
Dot Matrix: Cheap Running, Slow
Higher upfront ($100-200 range). Slow (3-5 seconds per receipt), noisy. Needs ribbon cartridges. The one advantage: can print carbon copies — relevant if you need physical duplicates.
Estimated Monthly Cost
For roughly 200 transactions/day: thermal needs about 30-40 paper rolls per month; dot matrix needs paper plus ribbon. Thermal paper costs more, but the difference is relatively small compared to the time saved from faster printing.
Recommendation
For modern F&B, thermal is usually the more practical choice: faster, quieter (matters for cafe ambiance), can print logos, and doubles as a kitchen ticket printer. Dot matrix still makes sense if you specifically need carbon-copy receipts.