Receipt printers cost between KES 3,500 and 16,000 in Kenya. The difference is not print quality - it is how they connect and how long they last.
A receipt printer is the least glamorous purchase you will make and one of the most annoying to get wrong. Almost all of them print acceptably. What separates them is connection type, build and paper.
80mm or 58mm?
80mm is the standard for restaurants. Wider receipts fit more items, are easier to read, and leave room for a tax QR code if you use eTIMS. 58mm printers are cheaper and fine for a small kiosk or a coffee counter, but you will outgrow them.
Connection: the decision that actually matters
USB - simple and reliable, but ties the printer to one device.
LAN or Ethernet - the best choice for a fixed kitchen or counter printer. Any device on the network can print to it, and it does not drop out.
Bluetooth - convenient for handhelds and mobile use, but it is the most common source of "the printer stopped working" calls in a busy restaurant. Fine as a secondary, risky as your main.
WiFi - flexible, but only as reliable as your network. Pair it with a decent router.
What to check before buying
- Print speed - matters at a busy counter, irrelevant in a quiet cafe
- Auto-cutter - worth having. Tearing receipts by hand gets old fast
- Paper availability - can you buy the roll locally, cheaply, today?
- Cash drawer port - if you want the drawer to open with the sale
- Heat tolerance - kitchen printers live in a hot, greasy environment
The running cost people forget
Thermal paper is an ongoing expense and prices vary a lot. Before you commit to a model, check what its roll size costs locally and how easily you can get it. A cheap printer that takes an unusual roll is not cheap.
eTIMS and receipts
If you issue eTIMS invoices, your receipt needs to carry the KRA reference and QR code clearly enough to scan. This is a good practical reason to choose 80mm and a printer with a decent cutter.
Related reading
Buy a printer that lasts
We supply 80mm thermal printers with the connection type that suits your setup, and we will tell you honestly when Bluetooth is the wrong choice. Browse receipt printers.
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