Choosing the right type of thermal paper for a point of sale system is as important as the choice of system itself.

In many retail and commercial applications, the printed documents need to last a long time (eg invoices, proof of payment, proof of delivery etc) and hence the choice of thermal paper is particularly important.

The best people to talk to about thermal paper options are the printer manufacturers as they can match your equipment to your needs – but in the interim, here are a few pointers to get you going :-

Thickness (durability)

This is usually measured in inches and is often referred to as the ‘caliper’ of the paper, with common thicknesses being .0024” and .0033”.  The thickness of the paper will determine how durable it is – and it should be noted that the thicker the material, the less paper per thermal roll.  As an example, you can get 80 x 80 thermal rolls, or 80 x 80 thermal paper.

Brightness

This measures how ‘white’ the thermal paper is and is important for showing a good contrast between the printed image or text and the paper.

Recommended base weight

There are different weights of thermal paper, measured in grams per square metre, and the supplier of the point of sale system will be able to recommend the correct weight for your application and equipment (eg what to use with a Zebra printer).

Ability to withstand heat and moisture.

Because thermal papers contain chemicals, they are affected by temperature extremes as well as moisture – so if your documents will be exposed to heat, humidity or moisture, you should choose a material that is specially formulated to withstand these conditions.

Construction of the thermal paper

For point of sale systems, you will need to choose thermal paper with a good tear strength for durability.

There are many different elements to consider when choosing thermal paper- so if you’re unsure whether your application is best suited to 80 x 80 thermal rolls or thermal paper 110mm x 50mm, then you should talk to the supplier of your pos equipment as they’ll  have all the answers.