What is the difference between thermal and impact printing?
The difference lies in the consumable. A thermal printer uses only the roll of heat-sensitive paper and has no inking part to replace, so it is fast, quiet and simple to maintain. An impact printer also uses an inked ribbon, prints more slowly and makes more noise. On the other hand, it lays ink on ordinary paper, which does not react to heat.
| Criterion | Direct thermal | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Consumable | Heat-sensitive paper only | Ordinary paper plus an inked ribbon |
| Speed and noise | Fast and quiet | Slower and noisier |
| Behaviour in heat | Paper greys and text fades | The printed text does not fade in heat |
| Routine maintenance | Cleaning the print head | Cleaning plus ribbon replacement |
At the counter, these differences favour thermal printing: the receipt goes straight to the customer, and speed matters during peak hours. The choice mostly comes up for order tickets printed in the kitchen, close to the grills and the steam.
Why does heat matter so much in a kitchen?
Thermal paper reacts to heat, since the heat of the print head is what produces the print. Placed above a griddle or in the path of steam, it greys, the contrast drops and the order ticket becomes hard to read. A roll stored next to a fryer is damaged before it is even loaded. In these cases the paper is working normally; the problem is where it has been placed.
Thermal printing therefore still works in a kitchen. A thermal printer mounted away from steam, on a wall that stays cool, and fed from properly stored rolls performs well, and it is the most common setup. Before the installation, identify the heat and steam sources with the client, then choose the exact mounting spot together.
Definition and procedure:
Which printer does the G4POS catalogue offer?
The G4POS catalogue includes one receipt printer, the MG80: direct thermal printing, 80 mm paper, a print speed of 260 mm/s, ESC/POS emulation and serial, USB and Ethernet interfaces. For a project that requires an impact printer, check availability with G4POS before you put it in a quote, and keep that confirmation in the client file.
How do you present the choice to the client?
Talk about location and consumables. The operator mainly wants to know how often someone will have to look after the unit and what they will have to reorder. Turn each characteristic into a concrete consequence for their team, and write it into the quote. These points set the client’s expectations and serve as a reference during the installation.