This compact dot matrix printer has been especially designed for the strenuous conditions in restaurants and large kitchens. Resistant to humidity and dirt, the TM-U230 guarantees perfect hygiene. The casing is covered by an anitbacterial protective layer and is liquid-re­pellent. Through its flat, smooth surface and the modern design it can be given a wipe effortlessly.

Even oil or dressing splashes are easily removed due to the special protective layer. Humidity that seeps into (e.g. through the paper slot), simply runs off via an internal channel system towards the outside, so that the machanism or the electronics of the printer are not being damaged. There is no danger of dirt piling up or bacteria settling on the equipment. The TM-U230 guarantees thereby to meet all standards of hygiene, which is imperative in the area of gastronomy.

With its small size of 26×17×17 cm (HxWxD) it can be installed either in horizontal or vertical position or attached to the wall by means of the optional wall fixation. The integrated buzzer makes sure that every new voucher is being noticed by the kitchen staff. The printer produces two-colour vouchers in black and red. Important infor­mation and divergent details like additional garnishings or diabetic food are thereby brought out and not to be overseen. The TM-U230 produces 76 mm wide vouchers and disposes of an automatic paper cutter, by means of which the printer issues the ready for use record to the kitchen staff.

The TM-U230 disposes of an easy paper handling. Especially those who work in kitchen areas appreciate the paper roll replacement by only one hand. An optionally integrated USB or Ethernet interface allows the TM-U230 to be connected to every network.

TSP800 wide form thermal printers with a number of enhanced features makes them attractive alternatives to dot matrix and laser printers traditionally used in hospitality applications such as lodging establishments, retail stores, and restaurants.

TSP800 wide form thermal printers with a number of enhanced features makes them attractive alternatives to dot matrix and laser printers traditionally used in hospitality applications such as lodging establishments, retail stores, and restaurants. The TSP800 has an extremely small footprint as well as utilizes advanced thermal technology that eliminates messy printer or toner cartridges and results in extremely quiet operation.

Because of their thermal design, the TSP800 printers have a fast print speed of 150mm/sec. Print time is further reduced by the TSP800’s logo store capability which also adds professionalism to a receipt. This print speed is complemented by no warm-up time, which means customer check out is dramatically expedited, increasing customer satisfaction. A Raster Driver with reduction feature that allows information from a standard 8.5×11 (inch) page to fit on 4.4-inch receipt is designed into the TSP800.

The SP700 is a clamshell kitchen printer, designed spill proof and heat resistant to work in environments where heat and humidity can erode the type on kitchen orders.

The SP700 features crisp two-color clear type for easy viewing, clamshell design for easy paper loading and an embedded power supply for space efficiency. Its high speed, reliability and compact footprint provides a value-driven solution. The SP700 is a printer made of a proven technology (Impact Dot matrix) with all the tools that allow you to use it with the latest PC hardware and still use legacy POS software.

The SP700 comes complete, right out of the box, with free, feature - packed software included on CD:

• Ability to add graphics (logos, coupons)
• Invert Printing (with or without driver)
• Ethernet connection set up utility
• Printer memory Set tup Utility
• Virtual serialPort (USB or Ethernet)

Ultra High Speed, High Reliability, Direct Thermal Barcode, Label, Receipt and Ticket Printer

The TSP700II is the premiere direct thermal printer of the Star line-up. This printer is fully packed with features and performance that is unmatched in a receipt and specialty printer.

With the TSP700II documents can be printed at blinding speed. Use Star’s Raster driver for Windows™ and receipts will come alive with valuable features like automatic logo printing to add your company logo to the top of every receipt without having to modify existing point-of-sale software.

The TSP700II handles the standard 80 mm wide direct thermal media, but also has the ability to handle wider 82.5 mm paper and narrower 58 mm papers without the need for added accessories.

The TSP650 features the best of both worlds by coupling the comfort of legacy products with the speed and connection options demanded today in hospitality environments.

The TSP650 boasts valuable features like low cost and high performance combined with the ability to work effectively in any environment. Out of the box, the TSP650 can easily be configured in Star Line or ESC/POS™ emulation mode and features a wide variety of interface options including USB and Ethernet due to its plug-in modules. New vertical mount stand and splash proof cover options help make it one of the most reliable POS printers in the world.

The TSP650 ships with Installation CD (Printer Driver / Manuals), setup guide, wall mount bracket, vertical mount pads, 58mm paper guide, power switch cover and start-up paper roll. With its “drop in and print” paper loading, small footprint and reliable guillotine cutter, the TSP650 is a welcomed addition to POS systems.

In addition, the TSP650 comes with Star’s 3-year Limited Warranty, plus optional Extended Services Agreement Policies (Extend-A-Star and Swap-A-Star).

The TSP650 is ideal for retail establishments and restaurants.

Why is this? For the most part thermal receipt printers cost more to buy. The paper for thermal receipt printers is higher than dot matrix printers.

Here are 5 reasons why a thermal receipt printer is superior to a dot matrix receipt printer.

1. Speed

Thermal printers print at an incredible rate when compared to dot matrix printers. The average dot matrix printer will print around 3 lines per second. Thermal printers average in excess of 20 lines per second.

2. Print Quality

Thermal receipt printers have a much better image and print quality than dot matrix receipt printers. The name “dot matrix” helps explain the major difference between the two very different technologies.

The dot matrix or impact printer creates characters by impacting a ribbon with up to 8 small wires that are aligned vertically in a dot head. As the dot head travels horizontally across the ribbon/paper these dots impact like small hammers making the impression on the ribbon and then the paper. Look closely at a receipt printed by a dot matrix printer and you will see these very small dots that make up the characters.

These dots simply do not have the quality of image that a thermal receipt printer does.

3. Logo Images

Dot matrix receipt printers go not have the ability to print a quality logo image on the receipt. Thermal receipt printers not only have this ability the image does have some very fine detail and is easy to download to the printer to be stored in the printer’s RAM.

4. Reliability

MTBF stands for Mean Time Between Failure. This is the standard for measuring the average time between failure for any device. In the case of printers it is either the average number of lines printed before a failure occurs or the average feet of paper that can be printed before a failure occurs.

In either case, the thermal receipt printers win across the board.

There are some thermal receipt printers that are better than others, but dot matrix printers simply do not have the staying power of a thermal printer.

This is due to fewer moving parts on a thermal printer and the fact that dot heads break due to the dot pins snagging on ribbons or are damaged when coins are dropped into the printer mechanism.

Thermal receipt printers do not have these extra moving parts as the paper is pulled across a stationary heat mechanism that heats the thermal paper to make the characters and images.

5. Cost of Ownership

This goes beyond simply the cost of supplies. This analysis should also include downtime and the cost of repairs.

Thermal paper does cost more than dot matrix paper. However, the added cost of ribbons for the dot matrix printer sends the cost of ownership for supplies higher for the dot matrix receipt printer.

When you add in the cost of repairs and the more frequent repairs for the dot matrix receipt printers the cost of ownership clearly swings in favor of thermal receipt printers.

My POS Administrator 

www.MyPosPrinter.com 
www.MyPosTerminal.com

Edison, NJ (October 2007) - Star Micronics is pleased to announce the release of the SP700, a clamshell restaurant kitchen printer, designed spill proof and heat resistant to work in restaurant environments where heat and humidity can erode the type on kitchen orders. 

The SP700 features crisp two-color clear type for easy viewing, clamshell design for easy paper loading and an embedded power supply for space efficiency. Its high speed, reliability and compact footprint provides a value-driven solution. The SP700 is a printer made of a proven technology (Impact Dot Matrix) with all the tools that allow you to use it with the latest PC hardware and still use legacy POS software. The SP700 restaurant kitchen printer has the features needed in restuarant kitchens, which include:  

• 2 color Dot Matrix Printing (make emphasis on special orders with red printing)
• Clamshell Design (simple and quick paper loading)
• Embedded Power Supply (no need for additional space for power supply)
• Raised Printer Bottom Seating (printer won’t sit flush to wet surfaces)
• Paper Window (visual confirmation of paper supply in printer)
• High Speed Printing (over 4.5LPS - don’t wait for that kitchen order!)
• Serial and Ethernet Interface Connections
• Driver and futurePRNT CD in Box (quick up and running time)
• 1 year free Swap-A-Star Extended WarrantyThe SP700 comes complete, right out of the box, with free, feature - packed software included on CD:
• Ability to add graphics (logos, coupons)
• Invert Printing (with or without driver)
• Ethernet connection set up utility
• Printer memory Set up Utility
• Virtual Serial Port (USB or Ethernet)

“The release of the SP700 renews Star Micronics’ commitment to the hospitality industry. With the printer’s high-speed, clamshell design, optional external buzzer and graphics capability all coupled with futurePRNT software, the SP700 becomes the ideal solution for restaurants when thermal technology is not an option,” said Michael Hanson, vice president of Star Micronics America. 

The advantages of such a printer are evident for applications such as retail, bar, restaurants, dry cleaners and convenience stores. This impact printer is provided with all standard operating system drivers (Windows™, Linux™ and Mac™) and specialty drivers such as OPOS™ and JPOS™. 

Effective immediately, resellers who purchase a SP700 and register the printer online at http://www.starmicronics.com/reg/warranties.htm, by December 31, 2007, will be eligible to receive Star’s SWAP-A-STAR service agreement free of charge for one year. The SWAP-A-STAR service program replaces a malfunctioning printer by the next business day. This program is normally sold at the time any Star printer is purchased from authorized distributors. 

Don’t keep you restuarant kitchen bare and cold - heat it up with the Star Micronics SP700 restaurant kitchen printer today! 

About Star Micronics

Star Micronics America, Inc., is a subsidiary of Star Micronics Company Ltd., a world-leading producer of small printers, audio components, high-precision machine tools and precision parts. For more information, contact Star Micronics America, Inc., at 800-STAR-OEM x107; fax: (732) 623-5590. Details of the company are available at www.starmicronics.com

What costs only a fraction of a penny to produce and can go with every customer as they depart your business?  The answer is a printed cash register receipt. 

What can you print on that cash register receipt to bring back customers?  The answer is only limited to your imagination and a piece of paper. 

Receipt Header

This is the portion of the receipt above and below the main body.  In general, this is 3 lines above and 3 lines below the main body that can be programmed to display a variety of messages.  Most often the header contains the name, address and phone number of your business.  This is important to identifying your business but you can get creative.  Maybe you can find room to add a bit of ad copy, your tag line or company motto.  “U Save More at Our Store” or some clever tag line. 

Use bold print to bring emphasis to your message.  But remember that you can only get half the letters on the row when you double the size of the letters.  Also, regular size font not only gets you more letters it can be emphasized by placing it between rows of double sized fonts.

The best possible scenario is that your point of sale software and printer allow you to use a logo in your header.  Using a professionally designed logo can add a lot to your customer receipt and free up the printed lines of your header for more marketing messages.  If you can have a logo on your receipt be sure to increase the marketing message on your customer receipts. 

Receipt Footer

Here you have a lot more options, all depending upon your point of sale software.  Generally, you have between 3 and 6 lines of footer messages that can be programmed.  This allows you a great deal of flexibility in getting a message to your customers. 

Here is where you can advertise your business. 

1. Announce upcoming events
2. Offer discounts on return visits
3. Offer discounts on portions of your menu (10% off appetizer on next visit)
4. Advertise special discount times such as Happy Hour or Early Birds
5. Receipt good for $5 off next visit

Like I said, this is only limited to your imagination and about 6 lines of print. 

Web Site Registration 

One of the best uses for the receipt footer that has come out recently is getting people to register on your web site.  This gives you a tremendous start on building your E-mail mailing list that is used to advertise your business.  Offer the visitor a reward of a coupon or discount for completing the registration. 

Have a nice web site built that has lots of pictures of happy customers at your business.  Advertise your menu if you are a restaurant and the latest arrivals if you are a retail store.

Customer Survey

Depending upon the point of sale software that you have you can have random customer surveys printed on the customer receipt.  These surveys are usually linked to a web site where the customer completes a short questionnaire about their visit to your business.  In return they get a coupon, discount or are registered for a drawing to be held on a future date.

You get to know how their visit was and another registration for your E-mail and direct mail mailings.

Change the Message

Don’t look at your customer receipt as something you are obligated to hand to them.  Look at it as if you are advertising to your customers and enticing them to come back.  Give them a reason to come back more often and watch your sales increase.

Many point of sale systems make it very easy to change the header and footer messages.  There are some that allow you to pre-program the message and automatically change it by day and time of day.  That means you can advertise specials on a daily and weekly basis, reminding your customers of upcoming events and specials that might interest them.

Be sure to train your customers to look at their receipt.  Have your cashiers or wait staff highlight the message by circling it or highlighting it with a market.  Get the word out.  Don’t just look at your receipt as an obligation and expense.  Look at the customer receipt as your marketing tool that is used to market to your best customers.  Those are the ones that just bought from you.

My POS

When you think of a kitchen video system (KVS) you think of color LCD monitors hanging from the ceiling displaying orders.  You think of how fast the orders are displayed vs. having them printed on remote kitchen printers.  You think of the increased speed of service and increased customer throughput.  You think of all of this and you are right.

What you might not think of is adding a printer to the system to help pack and fill the order.

Customers can be funny about their orders.  They want them right and they want them now.

All too often there is a communication problem between the customer and cashier.  Items are not ordered correctly and the kitchen has no way of making the corrections unless they know about it.  The kitchen is simply going to prepare what comes up on the screens and send the items out as displayed.

The customer is making sure that no items are missing and that everything is prepared according to the way they think they asked.  A printed receipt showing the entire order is a great way to calm their nerves and a great way for your packer to verify the order before it is presented to the customer.

Simply add an expediter printer to the system that prints the entire order for packing.  This simple addition will help greatly with your customer satisfaction as it gives the customer something to grasp onto.  Since you can’t hand them one of your monitors a printed receipt with their order on it will go a long way toward overall customer satisfaction.

Administrator 
www.MyPosPrinter.com
www.MyPosTerminal.com 

Without kitchen and bar printers the orders are not processed as smoothly as they should. Hand written checks are sometimes impossible to read and they must be hand carried to the kitchen or bar. Not only does this create confusion it opens the entire restaurant up for theft. As the tickets are hand written there is no way to confirm if they have been properly entered into the point of sale system.

The Solution

Point of sale software has the ability to have backup printers assigned and programmed into the system. This allows for setting up a backup procedure in the case of a printer problem.

Each printer in the system should have a backup printer designated. Receipt printers can be programmed to print on another terminal printer. Kitchen printers can be programmed to print on a different kitchen printer or on the terminal printer where the order was placed.

This pre-programming of backup printers is simple and something that needs to be done to prevent a problem from causing chaos later.

The Benefits

1. Backup printers allow for the smooth operation of the restaurant even when there are problems with the printers.
2. Having backup printers pre-programmed will allow the restaurant to continue operations until the problem printer is repaired or replaced.
3. Since Point of Sale software automatically recognizes when there is a problem with a printer it will display a notification on each terminal alerting management that there is a problem.
4. When the problem is resolved and the printer is back online the point of sale software recognizes this and returns print operations to the normal state.

Administrator

www.MyPosPrinter.com
www.MyPosTerminal.com