Everything you should know before buying a bill printing machine

Introduction 

There could’ve been no better time to be a retail consumer than today. The Indian retail sector is expected to grow to a whopping INR 74,500 crores by 2024, and everyone’s scrambling to get a bigger share in it. The stiff competition is leading to improved customer experiences at every point in the buyer’s journey.  

Right from the moment a customer steps into the store, you, the business owner, can’t leave a stone unturned to provide them with the smoothest buying experience possible. One critical point in this journey is the billing.  

Nobody wants to wait in painstakingly long queues. In fact, as many as 75% businesses reported losing customers because of long waiting times. Minimizing billing time is a no-brainer for every retailer. But the question is how to go about it.  

A sophisticated bill printing machine is the answer to all your billing woes. Whether it’s a thermal receipt printer, e-cash register, or a touch POS system, your choice of peripheral will have a lasting impact on the business.  

And since choosing either of these can be an overwhelming process, we are here to help you out. In this article, you’ll get to know all the factors you should consider when buying a bill printing machine. So let’s get started.  

Things to consider when buying a bill printing machine 

1. Dimensions 

Real estate is expensive and every square inch of space is precious. Retailers with shops in prime city centers pay high rents and need to optimize the space usage for best customer experiences. Similarly, small shop owners also don’t want an unnecessarily bulky bill printing machine occupying most of their counter space.  

Assess how much space you can easily free up for the billing machine and then proceed to match a machine to your needs. Regular printing machines usually take up more space than a regular thermal receipt printer. However, if your operations involve a lot of movement of the billing machine itself, then you might want to consider a mobile printer. They can be as compact as 115mm*84mm*38mm. (Buy now)  

2. Ease of set-up 

You already have a lot going and don’t have enough time to spare on a complex set-up process. Bill printing machines come with varying degrees of functionalities and features, and therefore, some take more effort to set-up than others.  

Thermal receipt printers are going to be the easiest to configure whereas e-cash registers and touch POS systems will take slightly more effort because of better features. However, the ease of set-up will also depend on the manufacturer. We, at TVS Electronics, manufacture peripherals with end users in mind and all our bill printing machines are a breeze to set-up.  

3. Speed 

If you have a store with high foot traffic then you definitely want a billing machine that rolls out bills swiftly. Additionally, you also want its interface to facilitate faster bill generation with simple processes for the counter manager. Lastly minor operations like replacing the rolls or replacing the cartridge (if applicable) should not take long, as well.  

Small and portable bill printing machines will give you a print speed of around 70mm/sec whereas a quality thermal receipt printer can print upto speeds of 220mm/sec. Naturally, the price of the peripheral goes up along with the print speed. So, be wise when choosing the printing speed of the machine.  

4. Maintenance 

Regular maintenance is critical to smooth business operations. Bill printing machines also require maintenance from time to time. If your billing machine is a POS system, then that maintenance might be in the form of a software update. And if it’s an e-cash register then there might be a need for mechanical as well as software maintenance.  

Make sure you gather all the information about the bill printing machine’s maintenance. You should know how much it is going to cost you, what’s going to be the frequency of maintenance, and how much time it will take. TVS e-cash registers, for instance, are among the easiest-to-maintain billing machines available in the market.  

Additionally, you can also budget for a comprehensive AMC plan from the manufacturer to make life much easier. It’ll not only take care of regular maintenance but also keep you covered from unpredictable breakdowns, if any.  

5. Print quality 

This might be a bit surprising for you, but yes, the print quality matters a lot. Customers don’t want to deal with bills in which they need to squint their eyes to make out the details of the bill. Instead, they want quality prints with clear contrast and readable font size.  

This might be a bit surprising for you, but yes, the print quality matters a lot. Customers don’t want to deal with bills in which they need to squint their eyes to make out the details of the bill. Instead, they want quality prints with clear contrast and readable font size.  

Thermal receipt printers from TVS Electronics maintain high standards of print quality throughout the product range. With dpi (dots per inch) rating ranging from 180 to 203, you can expect premium print quality even in the case of portable receipt printers  

6. Accessibility  

Be it a simple thermal receipt printer, e-cash register, or a POS system, you always want options of being able to connect it to other peripherals for smoother operations. For instance, you’d prefer having the option of ethernet/WiFi connectivity along with a reasonable number of USB ports.  

Similarly, you require even more accessibility ports when using an e-cash register or a POS system. The ports can be used to connect barcode scanners, card swiping machines, and so on. Perform careful inspection of the kind and quantity of ports you’ll require in the bill printing machine, and then proceed accordingly.  

7. Inventory compatibility  

Finally, if you are investing in an advanced bill printing mechanism, it’s better to opt for additional features. One such very useful feature is the compatibility of the billing machine with the inventory.  

Such an integration would automate much of your operations and free your workforce for more critical tasks. For instance, you’ll be able to send out replenishment requests once the stored units fall below a certain level with notifications from the billing machine.  

Conclusion 

Based on your specific needs, a lot goes into buying a bill printing machine. You need to identify the right kind of machine and then further identify the perfect variant for your store. However, starting with a reliable manufacturer can relieve you of a lot of stress.  

TVS Electronics has been helping businesses, small and big alike, with technological interventions to beat the competition. Our range of thermal receipt printers is the perfect place for you to start in your hunt for a bill printing machine. (Buy now)  

No matter how complex or basic your requirements are, we have a perfect product for all your needs. Checkout our range of products and feel free to reach out in case you have any queries.