A working point-of-sale counter needs four things: a receipt printer, a barcode scanner, a cash drawer and software to tie them together. Everything else is optional. Buy in that order, because each piece is useful on its own while you build the rest.
The receipt printer
This is the part customers see and the part staff notice when it fails. Thermal printers dominate because there is no ribbon or ink to replace — the paper reacts to heat and the only consumable is the roll.
Specify three things:
- Paper width — 80mm is standard for retail and restaurants; 58mm suits compact counters and mobile use. Check what your existing rolls are before replacing a printer.
- Connection — USB for a single till, LAN when several stations share one printer, Bluetooth for tablet-based ordering.
- Cash drawer port — an RJ11 kick-out port lets the drawer open automatically when a sale completes.
The scanner
Choose a 2D imager rather than a 1D laser. The cost difference is now small and a 2D scanner reads QR codes and phone screens, which a laser cannot. Most operate as keyboard input, so no driver setup is involved.
The cash drawer
Drawers connect to the printer, not the computer — the printer sends a pulse to open it when a receipt prints. This surprises people setting up their first till.
Choose by note and coin layout rather than by size alone, and consider a heavy-duty drawer if it will be opened hundreds of times a day. The rails are what wear out.
The software
Software decides how the hardware behaves, so confirm compatibility before buying peripherals — particularly if you plan to use tablet-based software, which handles printers differently from desktop systems.
What to add later
- Label printer — for pricing shelf-edge labels and packaging.
- Barcode scale — for anything sold by weight.
- Customer display — shows the running total to the customer.
- Card printer — for loyalty or membership cards.
Common mistakes
Three come up repeatedly:
- Buying a printer without a drawer port, then discovering the drawer cannot be opened automatically.
- Mixing paper widths across a business, so rolls are not interchangeable between tills.
- Choosing a printer too light for the volume. A low-cost model will keep up in a boutique and fail in a restaurant printing kitchen and customer copies all evening.
Planning for growth
If a second till is likely within a year, buy a LAN printer now rather than USB. Retrofitting network printing later usually means replacing the printer you already bought.
See POS, Receipt & Label Printers and Receipt Printers for POS.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a normal printer for receipts?
Technically yes, practically no. Thermal receipt printers are far faster, quieter and cheaper to run.
Do thermal receipts fade?
Yes, over months, particularly in heat and sunlight. That is acceptable for receipts and unsuitable for permanent records.
How do I connect the drawer?
To the printer's RJ11 port, not the computer. The printer triggers it.
Related reading
Once the system is chosen, the printer is the part that decides how the counter actually feels to work at. Our sister store covers it in detail: setting up POS printers for a restaurant or shop, and choosing between 58 mm and 80 mm receipt paper — the one decision you cannot change later.