Receipts are essential for many reasons. They serve as means for monitoring sales and recording transactions. They also play an important role in financial documents, especially for audits. In addition, customers can easily return a product they've purchased when they have a receipt.

Despite the growth of online retail and digital receipts, many customers who shop at physical stores still prefer a paper receipt. Thermal receipt paper is the most popular kind, although there are many varieties of receipt papers.

Receipts can also vary in size. Knowing the right receipt size to use in your point of sale (POS) machine is very important. It's common to get the dimensions all wrong. And if you do, either your printout will be poor quality or the machine will not work at all.

Valuable information can easily be lost when the receipt size is too small. On the other hand, large receipts can be annoying to customers and cause paper waste.

Read on for some pointers to consider when it comes to selecting the right receipt paper size.

POS Devices

POS machines are used to generate receipts. They resemble a printer, but are smaller and more portable. Measurements of the receipts are based on the size of the POS machine. Getting it wrong by even a few millimeters can result in buying receipt papers that are useless with the machine.

POS machines are gradually evolving from manually operated machines to portable devices that also function as barcode readers. There are several types of POS systems, such as the traditional counter-based POS and mobile POS devices.

A mobile POS is a wireless device that resembles a tablet. This allows the salesperson to move about and make sales on the shop floor. The customer will not need to go to the cash register.

First, choose the right type of POS machine for your business. Then you will need to purchase the best receipt paper size to go with it.

Too Long or Too Wide?

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing receipt paper.

The first is the receipt roll width. The standard roll widths are 80mm, 57mm, and 76mm. If you choose the wrong width, your receipt paper will not fit into the printer. Measuring the roll width on a diagonal across the sheet is also important.

Next, consider the length of the receipt roll. The length informs us how many receipts you’ll get from a single roll. Length measurements range from 55m to 83m. A longer receipt roll can be more economical in the long run, but make sure it will fit in your machine.

Paper Thickness

Just like every office supply, there are variations in the quality of receipt papers. Experienced thermal printer users will tell you that the thicker the paper, the more durable it is.

The quality of a receipt paper is important when doing quality control. But thickness limits the number of receipts you can get from a single roll. This means you will have to frequently change the receipt roll in the printer. You’ll need to balance cost concerns with quality when choosing the best receipt paper for your business.

The thickness of a paper is measured with a micrometer.

The Diameter

The diameter of the receipt paper is measured from one end of the roll to the other end. The best way to measure the diameter of a receipt roll is to place it on a flat surface. This will prevent it from rolling away.

Getting the right diameter ensures your receipt roll will fit in your POS machine.

Most traditional counter-based POS printers require 80mm, 70mm, or 60mm receipt rolls. When using a smaller mobile POS printer, a diameter of 40mm or 30mm is likely to work.

The diameter of the roll directly corresponds to its total length. The bigger the diameter, the longer the receipt roll.

Inner and Outer Core Measurements.

Another significant part of choosing the right receipt roll to fit in your POS receipt printer is the roll core. Some POS machines have core handles or spindles that support the roll during the processing of receipts.

You will need to make sure your inner core size fits the spindle or pin holder. The most common standard core size is 12.7mm. It's also important that you measure the outer core size.

There are two different types of cores: the plastic core and the paper core. A lot of manufacturing companies are going green and choosing paper cores as a means of reducing their carbon footprints. Paper cores are made by adding and rolling layers of paper material with glue as the binding agent.

Dimensions for paper cores are slightly different from plastic cores. Most inner core diameters measure either 13mm, 16mm, or 25mm. The core has to be at least 3mm thick to maintain its strength.

For companies that are more cost sensitive, plastic core receipt paper rolls tend to be cheaper. They are also durable and smooth. Solid plastic cores most commonly measure around 13mm x 17mm, while honeycomb plastic cores most often measure around 13mm x 22mm. Other sizes are also available.

Choosing which type you want is a matter of budget and preference. However, many manufacturers are now also making coreless thermal paper rolls. These are now very popular among receipt paper users. They are also less expensive.

In Summary

Receipt papers are a crucial purchase for every business that operates a physical store. Receipts help you to keep track of purchases. They come in handy during audits and if you need to verify a credit card payment. They are also the most reliable way to verify a purchase if a customer wants to return a product.

But you must choose the right POS system and the right receipt paper size to fit in it. You’ll need to balance quality with cost, while ensuring you choose the appropriate size of paper.

In this article, we have discussed the width, length, and diameter of the various types of receipt rolls. We have also looked at the inner core and outer core measurements. All these can help you choose the right receipt paper size.

Whatever dimensions you go with, keep in mind that receipts are supposed to be simple and functional. There’s no need to complicate things. Unless you have a strong reason not to, stick to the standards of your industry. And always check the instructions on your POS machine before you buy your paper!