The short answer: most shops need a thermal receipt printer for customer receipts and, if they label products, a label printer for barcodes. The acronyms — ESC/POS, ZPL, TSPL — are just the “languages” printers use; what matters is that your POS supports your printer over the connection you have (USB, Bluetooth or network).
Receipt printers
- Thermal — the common choice: fast, quiet, no ink, uses heat-sensitive paper. Most receipt printers speak ESC/POS, a widely-supported standard.
- Impact — older, slower, uses a ribbon; still used in kitchens where heat or grease would fade thermal paper.
- Sunmi and all-in-one terminals — have the receipt printer built into the device, so there’s nothing to pair.
Label printers
If you barcode your own products, a label printer prints price and barcode labels. These often use ZPL or TSPL label languages. Match the label size to your products and make sure your POS can design and print the label you need.
How they connect
- USB — simple, reliable for a fixed counter.
- Bluetooth — good for phones, tablets and mobile selling.
- Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) — share one printer across devices or send to a back-office/kitchen.
How to choose
Decide what you print (receipts, labels, or both), on what device, and over which connection — then pick printers your POS explicitly supports. The safest path is a POS that already works with common ESC/POS receipt printers, Sunmi terminals and ZPL/TSPL label printers, so you’re not locked to one brand.
Printing that just works
RushFlow supports ESC/POS receipt printers, built-in Sunmi printing, and ZPL/TSPL label printers over USB, Bluetooth and network — so receipts and barcode labels print cleanly. See the live demo, or read POS on Android.