In today’s rapid-paced dining environment, coupled with high employee turnover, the efficiency and reliability of restaurant operations are more critical than ever. Leveraging the right printer technology can significantly streamline workflows, from the kitchen to the counter, enhancing both the staff and customer experience.
This guide explores the essential types of restaurant printers, covering back-of-house, front-of-house, and label printers to ensure seamless service and operation.
Kitchen Printers for Efficient Back-of-House Operations
In the heart of any bustling restaurant, the kitchen demands resilient and adaptable tools to match its vigorous pace. While impact printers have long been the stalwarts of back-of-house operations, modern advancements have made thermal printers equally indispensable. Engineered to endure the challenging kitchen environment, both types of printers ensure clear, quick order communication.
Thermal printers, with their specific features like splash resistance and insect-proof design, alongside traditional impact printers, which use bond paper known for its durability under heat and humidity, collectively offer comprehensive solutions that cater to the diverse needs of professional kitchens, enhancing efficiency and reducing order preparation errors.
Impact Printers: The Backbone of Kitchen Printing
Impact printers stand as the traditional choice for kitchens, where the physical impact of a printhead against an ink ribbon ensures orders are printed in a durable, dual-color format. Using bond paper, these printers produce orders that can withstand the harsh heat and humidity conditions in busy kitchens. Also, bond paper is typically multi-ply, a favorite in the industry, providing a practical solution for orders shared across multiple stations.
The distinct advantage of using two colors—black for the main order and red for modifiers—alongside the audible printout delivery on 2-ply bond paper makes impact printers invaluable for maintaining clear communication with kitchen staff. It all helps to minimize preparation errors, ensuring coordinated efforts and flawless dish preparation.
Thermal Printers: Embrace the Modern Kitchen
Thermal printers, with their advanced features tailored for modern professional kitchens, offer a compelling alternative to impact printers. These printers thrive in environments where direct heat and grease are minimized, providing high-quality printouts without the need for ink or ribbons. Attributes such as splash resistance, warning buzzers for incoming orders, and an insect-proof design make thermal printers irreplaceable in today’s kitchen setups.
As for having multiple tickets for the same order, thermal printers can print back-to-back copies of the same order at a rapid pace. This guarantees that every workstation receives its required orders for timely food preparation. In fact, many modern kitchens equip each station with a thermal printer, streamlining the entire process to ensure appetizers precede entrees and orders are sent out just as guests expect.
Coupled with electronic kitchen display systems (KDS), thermal printers integrate seamlessly into digital workflows, offering a cleaner, more efficient alternative to traditional printing methods and supporting the dynamic nature of back-of-house operations.
Here are Star’s recommendations for kitchen and back-of-house printers:
SP742 Impact Printer
mC-Print3 Thermal Printer
The mC-Print3 stands out as a versatile and sleek POS receipt printer, ideal for both front- and back-of-house environments that are heat controlled. Thanks to its compact size, splash-proof design, and robust connectivity options, like CloudPRNT Next and enhanced Bluetooth, this future-proof printer is adaptable to any POS system changes.
POS Receipt Printers for Front-of-House Excellence
In the front-of-house areas of restaurants, the selection of a POS receipt printer is crucial to creating lasting impressions and facilitating quick transactions. Thermal printers stand out as the preferred choice, offering rapid, high-quality printouts essential for fast-paced service environments. Equipped with features like wireless connectivity and cloud-based printing, these printers integrate seamlessly with various POS systems, catering to the evolving demands of restaurant operations.
The design of front-of-house printers plays a significant role in maintaining the aesthetic and functional harmony of restaurant settings. Thermal printers boast a sleek, compact design that minimizes space usage and operates quietly, preventing disruption in bustling dining areas.
Furthermore, these printers deliver exceptional resolution, enabling the production of detailed receipts, branded coupons, and promotional materials. This capability not only meets the essential requirement for clarity in customer receipts but also contributes to enhancing the dining experience and building customer loyalty through personalized touches.
mC-Print3 Thermal Printer
The Star Micronics mC-Print3 wins again. This compact and versatile 3-inch thermal printer excels in both front- and back-of-house settings. Its splash-proof design and multiple connectivity options, including CloudPRNT Next, make it an adaptable choice for any restaurant environment.
TSP143IV Thermal Printer
The TSP143IV series thermal printer offers a compact, future-proof solution with enhanced connectivity options like Android Open Accessory (AOA). It’s Cloud Ready for Star Cloud Services and has easy installation, ideal for modern mPOS or POS systems.
TSP143III Thermal Printer
mPOP® Multifunction System
Label Printers for Streamlined Order and Inventory Management
Accuracy and organization are paramount in a restaurant’s service, making label printing solutions invaluable. These printers facilitate the production of custom labels for food items, identifying special orders, allergy information, or takeout packages, thus ensuring correct order fulfillment.
Versatile label printers can handle a range of media types, from sticky labels for food packaging to die-cut labels for shelf labeling, enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of both kitchen and front-of-house operations.
TSP143IV SK Sticky Label Printer
The TSP143IV SK by Star Micronics sets a new standard for compact, eco-friendly thermal linerless label printing, offering advanced connectivity options like Wi-Fi and AOA, and efficient, residue-free labels for diverse business needs.
mC-Label3 Multimedia Printer
The Star Micronics mC-Label3 is a versatile multimedia printer that prints a wide range of labels and receipts, including both permanent and repositionable sticky linerless. It features cloud connectivity and innovative technologies like SteadyLAN and TetherLAN for enhanced printing convenience.
POS Printers for Restaurant Success
The choice of printing solutions within a restaurant significantly influences operational efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. Integrating the right mix of back-of-house, front-of-house, and label printers into your restaurant’s operations can lead to smoother service, better food management, and an overall enhanced dining experience.
As technology evolves, staying informed about the latest printing solutions and how they can benefit your restaurant is essential for staying competitive and meeting the high expectations of today’s diners.
Find Your Restaurant Printer Solution Today:
Original article written by Brianna Moriarty and published September 6, 2018.
