Roll Help Guide
It is important that you buy the correct size and paper type of roll to fit your equipment, you should always consult the manufacturers manual that came with your machine to obtain the correct roll dimensions for your machine. Should you not have the manufacturers printer manual handy then you can simply use our easy to use search facilities on the website, all you will need is the make and model number of your machine / equipment.
How to measure your paper roll.
All our rolls are measured Width x Diameter x Core. If there is no plastic or cardboard core these are known as coreless rolls & typically will have a centre hole of approximately 8mm diameter.
Always ensure you obtain the correct roll width as rolls that are too wide or too large a diameter will not work in your machine and could cause damage to your equipment.
What Paper type do I need?
There are 3 main types of paper used for paper roll products, namely:
1. Thermal Paper
2. Plain ‘A’ Grade Paper
3. Carbonless Paper
Below is a brief explanation of each paper type and how to identify them:
Thermal Paper
This paper type is used in thermal printers
Thermal paper has a smooth shiny surface and has a special heat sensitive coating which reacts to the heated thermal print head in the printer which in turns produces the print image you see on the receipt. A simple way of checking of the paper roll you have is indeed thermal run your finger nail across the surface and if produces a black line then it is thermal, if it produces no image then the roll probably is plain paper.
Thermal paper rolls should be stored away from any heat sources and direct sunlight for optimum performance and increased shelf life.
Remember only thermal paper rolls can be used in thermal printers.
‘A’ Grade Plain Paper
This paper type is the most common of paper type that is used to produce plain paper rolls however they can also be produced from a variety of paper grades.
Printing is on this type of roll performed using ink Ribbons / Ink Rollers which are applied onto the paper inside the machine.
A Grade paper guarantees the best performance in your Cash Register, Till or Kitchen Printer and maximise the print quality available.
Unlike Thermal Rolls, A Grade paper is not affected in the same way by heat and direct sunlight, but we would still recommend these products are stored in a similar way to guarantee performance and length of life.
Carbonless Paper
This paper type is often called NCR paper and is frequently confused with self-contained paper rolls this paper type is very similar & is primarily used for rolls needing two or three ply paper. It is coated with a special formulation of micro capsules that are applied to either the front or back of the paper or in the case of three ply rolls the second copy is coated on both sides.
To achieve an image on the top copy there must be a ribbon in the printer mechanism.
Carbonless Rolls come in 2 ply and 3 ply options and have a variety of colour options. This type of roll is commonly used in kitchen printers where they will present in a high heat, high moisture environment, a place Thermal Rolls would simply not perform.
Core Size
In some printers a spindle or driver is inserted into the core to feed the paper forward. In this instance the core size is critical as the printer will not work with the wrong size core. In many other tills and credit card terminals the roll simply sits in a cradle or well as it is known and whilst the core is not important to the performance of the printer it does mean that the use of unnecessarily large cores results in less paper.
Some smaller sized rolls are in fact coreless and are commonly used in the newest portable credit card printer terminals.
Hopefully this help guide has been of assistance in selecting the correct paper roll for your equipment, however, should you still have any questions or are experiencing any difficulties in changing your roll do not hesitate to contact us for friendly and expert advice and support.
Call Free on 0800 032 1046