The Best Receipt Printers for Square, Shopify and Vend in Australia

Picking a receipt printer sounds simple until you start shopping. Suddenly you are reading about USB, LAN, Bluetooth, thermal, 58mm, 80mm, and a dozen model numbers that all look the same. The good news is that the choice gets a lot easier once you start from one question: what software are you running your till on?

Square, Shopify and Vend each play nicely with a short list of printers. Get the connection type right for your software and your device, and the rest falls into place. Here is how to choose, in plain English.

First, match the printer to how you connect

Almost every modern shop uses a thermal receipt printer. Thermal means no ink and no ribbons, just a roll of heat-sensitive paper, which keeps running costs low. So the real decision is not really about the printer brand. It is about how the printer talks to your till.

There are three common ways to connect:

• USB. A direct cable to a computer. Cheap and reliable, best when your till is a Windows or Mac computer sitting right next to the printer.
• LAN (Ethernet). The printer plugs into your network with a network cable. This is the go-to for iPad setups, because the iPad and the printer talk over Wi-Fi and the network rather than a cable. It is steady and it lets more than one device share the printer.
• Bluetooth. The printer pairs wirelessly with a tablet or phone. Handy for market stalls, pop-ups and mobile selling where you cannot run a network cable.

As a rule of thumb: computer till, choose USB. iPad or tablet till, choose LAN. Selling on the move, choose Bluetooth.

Best receipt printer for Square

If you run Square on an iPad, a LAN (Ethernet) printer is the safe choice. Square's stand and register setups expect a network printer, and an 80mm thermal printer from Epson or Star Micronics covers it. If you sell at markets or from a phone, a Bluetooth model is the better pick.

The simplest path is to start from our Square compatible hardware page, where the printer, cash drawer and scanner are already matched to work together.

Best receipt printer for Shopify

Shopify POS is popular on iPads, and the Star TSP143III is the printer most people reach for. It comes in LAN, Bluetooth and USB versions, so you can pick the one that suits your counter. For a fixed iPad till, go LAN. For a roaming setup, go Bluetooth.

You will find ready-matched options on our Shopify compatible hardware page.

Best receipt printer for Vend

Vend (now part of Lightspeed) runs on both iPads and computers, and it works well with LAN printers from Epson and Star. On an iPad till, a network printer such as an Epson TM series (Epson TM-T82IV receipt printer) or a Star model keeps things stable and lets your drawer open through the printer. On a computer till, a USB Epson is a tidy, low-cost option.

See matched kit on our Vend compatible hardware page.

A quick comparison

Your setup	Best connection	Good choice
iPad till (Square, Shopify, Vend)	LAN (Ethernet)	Epson TM-T82IV, Star TSP143III LAN
Computer till (Windows/Mac)	USB	Epson TM-T82IV USB
Market stall or mobile	Bluetooth	Star TSP143III Bluetooth
Busy venue, high volume	LAN (Ethernet)	Epson TM-T88VII

A few things people forget

Paper size. Most shops use 80mm rolls. Some small mobile printers use 58mm. Check the roll size before you buy a box of the wrong paper. Stock up on thermal paper rolls while you are at it.

The cash drawer. On most setups the drawer plugs into the printer, not the till, and pops open when a receipt prints. So your printer and cash drawer need to suit each other. Buying them as a set saves the guesswork.

Always check the current list. Square, Shopify and Vend update their supported hardware from time to time. If you want to be certain a model is supported before you buy, give us a call on 1300 115 808 and we will confirm it for you.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special printer for Square or Shopify?
You need a printer that connects the right way for your device. On an iPad, that usually means a LAN (Ethernet) printer. The brand matters less than the connection type and making sure the model is on your software's supported list.

Can one printer work with Square, Shopify and Vend?
Often yes. A standard 80mm LAN thermal printer from Epson or Star is supported across all three. That is handy if you think you might switch software later.

USB or LAN, which is better?
Neither is better overall. USB is simplest for a computer till sitting next to the printer. LAN is better for iPads and for sharing one printer across a few devices.

Will a thermal printer fade?
Thermal receipts can fade over months in heat or sunlight, which is normal for every thermal printer. For most retail and hospitality receipts that is not an issue. If you need long-life copies, keep a digital record.

How much should I spend?
A good thermal receipt printer usually lands in the low-to-mid hundreds. The bigger cost difference comes from the connection type and speed, not the brand. Browse current prices on our receipt printers page.

Still not sure? Just ask

Tell us your software and your device and we will point you to the right printer in a minute. Call 1300 115 808 or email sales@posplaza.com.au. We ship Australia-wide and keep local stock, so you are not waiting weeks to start trading.