Graphics Capabilities, TWO-COLOR Printing

02/02

RSR V P O S - V I R T U A L P O S

traditional check conversion; aver- age check processing time is reduced from 12 days to four days.

In general, hardware vendors are responding to louder cries for elec- tronic receipt capture and storage capabilities. “Merchants want a more efficient way than paper to maintain and retrieve receipts,” states George Devitt, senior vice pres- ident and chief marketing officer of Hypercom, which supplies credit authorization terminals. Hypercom has developed epicReceipts database software for uploading receipt data to a secure server. Information may also be downloaded to receipt print-

ers for printing onto paper should the need arise. Both Transact Technologies, Ithaca and Citizen- CBM America report work on adding electronic journaling features to their printer lines.

GRAPHICS CAPABILITIES

Demand for printers that can gener- ate color receipts, either with or with- out graphic embellishments, is also heating up. Gregg Gallagher, execu- tive vice president, Citizen-CBM America, attributes this trend to retailers’ growing recognition of the key role better-looking receipts can play in communicating with con-

Star Micronics’

Volume of

Transactions

(billions)POS	15	2001		15
(billions)POS
at
at	10
transactionsof	10	8.3
		8.3
	5		Debit	Credit	Checks
Number			Card	Card
			Card	Card
	0
	0

Type of Transaction

Note: Despite the rapid growth in both debit and credit card transactions, checks are still the largest non-cash form of payment used at POS.

TSP600 thermal

printer

sumers. At press time, Gallagher’s company was preparing to introduce the CBM1000 Type II printer, which will feature two-color thermal print- ing capability.

“Merchants see the use of color printing and images on receipts and combination receipt/coupons as an effective way to not only build their brand image, but to cultivate

repeat business,” concurs Christophe Naasz, technical sales manager, Star Micronics. Star Micronics’ new TSP600 Series ther- mal printers, promoted as low- cost, high-speed units offering dual color printing support, print 25 or 33 lines per second at a resolution of 203 dpi they company says. LogoStore software allows for inter- nal graphics and coupon storage.

TWO-COLOR PRINTING

Two other recent introductions to the vendor’s line—the TSP700 Series and the TSP800 Series—permit two-color printing at a rate of 60 and 50 lines per second, respectively. The TSP700s can store multiple logos or

Source: Federal Reserve, 2001, U.S. Snapshot and Extrapolation Study