My Account
Impact & Dot Matrix Receipt Printers — For Kitchens, Outdoor & Harsh Environments
Impact receipt printers (also called dot matrix printers) use a pin-struck ink ribbon to print, rather than heat. This makes them the right choice wherever thermal printing fails — commercial kitchens, outdoor kiosks, and any environment exposed to heat, steam, or direct sunlight. POS Plaza stocks impact printers from Epson and Star Micronics, the two dominant brands in Australian restaurant and hospitality installations.
Why use an impact printer instead of a thermal printer?
Thermal receipt printers are quieter and faster, but they have one critical weakness: heat. Thermal paper darkens or fades when exposed to temperatures above approximately 70°C, direct sunlight, or steam. A commercial kitchen easily exceeds these conditions. Impact printers produce prints using physical impact and ink, which are completely unaffected by temperature — making them the industry standard for kitchen order printing worldwide.
Use an impact printer when:
- Printing kitchen orders in a restaurant, café, or food court
- The printer is located near cooking equipment, steam, or a dishwasher
- The printer will be used outdoors or in a sun-exposed kiosk
- You need two-ply (duplicate) receipts — one for the customer, one for records
Which impact printer models does POS Plaza stock?
- Epson TM-U220B — the most widely installed kitchen printer in Australian restaurants. Auto-cutter, Ethernet and serial/USB connection options. Prints on 76mm paper rolls. Reliable and well-supported by all major POS software.
- Epson TM-U220D — tear-bar model (no auto-cutter), suitable for environments where a cut ticket isn't required.
- Star SP700 — Ethernet kitchen printer, compact form factor, reliable in high-temperature environments. Popular in cafés and smaller restaurant kitchens.
Do impact printers need ink?
Yes — impact printers use an ink ribbon (also called an ink cassette or ink cartridge). The ribbon needs to be replaced periodically, typically after printing hundreds of thousands of characters. Replacement ribbons are inexpensive and available from POS Plaza. Unlike inkjet ink, the ribbons do not dry out if the printer sits idle.
What paper do impact printers use?
Impact receipt printers typically use 76mm wide paper rolls (standard for Epson TM-U220 and Star SP700). Paper is available in single-ply (one layer) and two-ply (duplicate copy) formats. For kitchen use, single-ply is the standard — the cook reads the order and the ticket is discarded. Two-ply is used where a duplicate needs to be retained for records or the customer.
Are impact printers compatible with Australian POS software?
Yes. The Epson TM-U220 and Star SP700 are supported by all major Australian POS platforms including Square, Kounta (Lightspeed Restaurant), TouchBistro, Impos, H&L, and most Windows-based hospitality systems. They connect via Ethernet for network-based kitchen printing, which allows multiple front-of-house terminals to send orders to the same kitchen printer.
Frequently asked questions — impact & dot matrix printers
Q: How loud are impact receipt printers?
A: Noticeably louder than thermal printers. Impact printers produce a characteristic mechanical sound when printing — similar to an older typewriter. In a busy commercial kitchen with extraction fans and cooking noise, this is rarely an issue. For quiet front-of-house environments (fine dining, reception), a thermal printer is a better choice.
Q: Can I use a thermal printer in a restaurant kitchen?
A: Not recommended. Heat and steam in commercial kitchens cause thermal paper to fade or go completely black, making orders unreadable. Impact printers are the correct choice for any kitchen printing application.
Q: Can an impact printer print in colour?
A: Standard impact printers print in black only. Two-colour ribbons (black and red) are available for some models, which can be used to highlight urgent orders or allergen flags. Contact us to check availability for your specific model.
Q: How do impact printers connect to a POS system?
A: Most restaurant kitchen setups use Ethernet. The kitchen printer connects to your local network and your POS software sends print jobs to it by IP address. This allows any POS terminal in the venue to print to the kitchen printer simultaneously.