A thermal printer is the quickest way to hand a customer a clean, printed bill. There is no ink or ribbon to replace: the printer heats special paper, and the heated spots turn dark. Setting one up is usually a ten-minute job, but small choices such as paper width, connection type and print mode decide whether your receipts come out crisp or garbled. This guide covers the whole process for an Indian shop, from choosing the printer to fixing the most common problems.
58mm or 80mm: choosing the paper width
Thermal rolls come in two common widths. The printer can only use part of that width, so what matters is the printable area and how many characters fit on a line.
| Feature | 58mm roll | 80mm roll |
|---|---|---|
| Approximate printable width | 48mm | 72mm |
| Characters per line (default font) | About 32 | About 42 to 48 |
| Typical printer size | Small, often portable | Desktop, larger roll |
| Good for | Tea stalls, small kiranas, mobile billing, salons | Supermarkets, restaurants, pharmacies, busy counters |
| Bill layout | Item, qty and amount; HSN fits on a second line | Room for HSN, MRP, rate and amount columns |
If you print GST bills with an HSN column and a tax breakup table, 80mm makes them easier to read. If space at the counter is tight or you bill on the move, 58mm is perfectly workable. Whatever you buy, make sure the paper width set in your billing app matches the roll in the printer.
Choosing a connection type
Most receipt printers support one or more of these connections. Pick the one that matches the device you bill on.
Bluetooth
Best for billing on an Android phone or tablet, and for portable printers. There are two kinds:
- Bluetooth Classic: the common type on receipt printers. Usually paired once in Android settings.
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE): used by some newer and portable printers. It is found by scanning from the app rather than by pairing in system settings.
Keep the printer within a few metres of the phone, and avoid connecting the same printer to two phones at once.
USB
On a Windows PC, USB is the most reliable option. On Android, a USB printer can be connected with a USB OTG cable or adapter, which is handy for a fixed counter with a tablet. Android will ask whether to allow the app to access the USB device; tap Allow.
Wi-Fi or LAN (network)
Network printers connect to your shop router by Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi and receive print jobs on TCP port 9100. They are a good choice when several devices share one printer, for example two billing counters, or a kitchen printer that receives order tickets.
Give the printer a fixed address so it does not change after a router restart. Either set a static IP on the printer, or (simpler) create a DHCP reservation for the printer in your router settings. Most network printers print a self-test page showing their current IP address when you hold the feed button while switching them on.
Windows installed printers
On a Windows PC, the usual route is to install the printer’s Windows driver from the manufacturer, confirm a Windows test page prints, and then choose that printer in your billing software. This works for USB, network and even some Bluetooth printers, because Windows handles the connection.
Browser or system print
If you bill in a web browser, you can also print through the browser’s print dialog, or through the phone’s print service on Android. This is the most universal option, and it is the right one for printing A4 or A5 invoices on a regular office printer.
Setting up on Android
- Load the paper. Open the cover, drop the roll in so the paper comes off the top towards you (check the diagram inside the cover), pull a little out and close the cover.
- Switch on the printer and, for Bluetooth Classic, pair it in Android Settings > Connected devices > Pair new device. The PIN is often 0000 or 1234; check your printer’s manual.
- Grant permissions. On Android 12 and newer the app asks for the Nearby devices permission to find and connect to Bluetooth printers. On Android 11 and older, Android requires location permission for Bluetooth scanning. In both cases the permission is used only to discover printers, not to track where you are.
- Add the printer in the app. In PaisaBill, go to Settings > Printers, tap add printer, choose the connection type (Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, USB or Wi-Fi/LAN), and select your printer. For network printers you can scan your local network or enter the IP address.
- Set the paper width to 58mm or 80mm to match your roll.
- Run a test print. If it looks right, you are ready to bill.
Setting up on Windows
- Install the printer driver from the manufacturer and connect the printer by USB or network.
- Open Windows Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer, and print a Windows test page.
- In the PaisaBill Windows app, go to Settings > Printers, add printer, and pick it from the list of installed Windows printers. A network printer on port 9100 can also be added directly by IP address.
- Set the paper width and run a test print.
With a printer set up on Windows, you can bill entirely from the keyboard. PaisaBill uses F12 or Ctrl+P to print, so a busy counter never needs the mouse. See billing software for Windows for the full shortcut list.
Image mode versus text mode
Receipt printers speak a command language called ESC/POS. There are two ways to send a bill to them, and the choice matters for Indian shops.
| Feature | Image (raster) mode | Text mode |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | The receipt is drawn as a picture and printed dot by dot | Plain characters are sent and the printer uses its built-in font |
| Rupee symbol | Prints correctly | Often missing or shows a wrong character |
| QR codes (such as UPI) | Prints | Usually not printed |
| Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and other scripts | Prints | Usually not supported |
| Speed | Slightly slower on older printers | Fastest |
PaisaBill offers both modes per printer. Use image mode if your bills show the ₹ symbol, a UPI QR code or any Indian language text. Use text mode only if your printer cannot handle images or you want the fastest possible plain receipt.
Troubleshooting common problems
The paper comes out blank. The roll is almost certainly upside down. Thermal paper is coated on one side. Scratch it with a fingernail: the side that darkens must face the print head. Turn the roll over and try again.
The print is garbled or full of random symbols. The printer is getting commands it does not understand. Switch the printer to image mode in the app, check that you selected the right printer, and confirm there is no second app or device connected to it at the same time.
The right edge of the bill is cut off. The paper width in the app is set wider than the roll. Set 58mm for a 58mm roll.
The bill is narrow with a wide empty margin. The opposite problem: the app is set to 58mm but the printer uses an 80mm roll.
Bluetooth printer not found. Check that the printer is switched on and not connected to another phone, that Bluetooth and the required permission are allowed, and try both Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE when adding it. Restarting the printer often helps.
Network printer stops working after a day. The router gave it a new IP address. Set a DHCP reservation or static IP, then add the printer again.
Faint print. The paper may be old or low quality, or the print head may need cleaning. Wipe the head gently with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton bud when the printer is switched off and cool.
Bills fading over time. Thermal paper darkens or fades with heat, sunlight and some chemicals. Store rolls in a cool, dry, dark place, and advise customers not to keep bills in hot wallets or vehicles if they need them later. For records you must keep, save a PDF copy.
Choosing receipt designs
Once the printer works, choose how the bill looks. PaisaBill has 15 thermal receipt templates (Classic, Restaurant, Retail/Kirana, QR first, Big font and more), 3 kitchen order ticket layouts for restaurants, and 6 A4 or A5 invoice designs that you can save as PDF and share from your phone or PC. You can show or hide columns such as HSN, MRP and rate, and add your UPI ID so every bill prints a UPI QR with the exact amount and bill number.
For what a GST bill must contain, read the GST invoice format guide and how to make a GST invoice. For more on printing from the app, see thermal printer billing, the Android billing app and the full features list.
Get started
PaisaBill is free and works with Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi and Windows printers. Download PaisaBill, connect your printer under Settings > Printers, and print your first bill today.