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Integrating a printer - build or buy?

I need to integrate a printer (receipt printer) in an outdoor terminal. Does anyone have any experiance in using OEM modules (printermechanisms) for this? There are basically 3 alternatives:

  1. Take a printer mechanism and build from scratch
  2. Buy some module like a panel mounted one and integrate it
  3. Buy and use a regular POS printer (but that will be a separate unit) The price difference can be significant, and ready made POS printers are not cheap (0-0 at least). The question is, how much pain is it to source, integrate and build the printer component from scratch. Getting to a target of sub 0 would be nice.

Comments?

Thanks

Reply to
ElderUberGeek
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I think a key question is how many do you need? What else can you do instead of developing this printer?

--
Best Regards,
Ulf Samuelsson
ulf@a-t-m-e-l.com
This message is intended to be my own personal view and it
may or may not be shared by my employer Atmel Nordic AB
Reply to
Ulf Samuelsson

Totally depends on how many you're going to build.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

Yes. I agree it depends on the volumes. I guess my question is really more about the level of effort involved and the practicality of building from scratch.

Jim Stewart wrote:

Reply to
ElderUberGeek

(top posting fixed)

I have done this with both thermal and impact mechanisms, it was fairly straightforward. Your main problem may be mechanical, like paper roll holders, access to change paper or ribbon, environmental sealing etc (you said outdoor).

The actual mechanisms can be had for ~$30 in smallish quantities (10-100). The extra electronics is not expensive provided power is already available. Suggest you use thermal rather than impact unless you have very good reason not to.

--

John Devereux
Reply to
John Devereux

Hi John, thanks for the reply. Yes, the requirement is for plain paper and not thermal.

Which mechanisms did you have good experiance with?

If I understand correctly, you have to get the mechanism separatly and the control board separatly (i.e. every mechanism needs a control board). Of course there is the PS and then issues of mechanical design as you mentioned. Still, I would say that for a BOM of even ~$100 it is worth it (especially if the enclosure holds other equipment like keypad and display).

By the way, I am looking for an ActiveX for controlling such printers. Any ideas?

John Devereux wrote:

Reply to
ElderUberGeek

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