Kitchen Printers
We tested 21 kitchen printers that were touted as the "best-of-the-best" and boiled it down to the top 5.
You know by now that a kitchen printer is the key to running a smooth restaurant operation but it is difficult to buy the right one that will be optimal for your unique business by just looking online.
For that reason, our list below of winners will save you time and money. Read through these 5 and select the best one for you.
The 6 Best Kitchen Printers
Quick Answer:
Looking for a new kitchen printer for your restaurant? We understand it can be overwhelming with the amount that are on the market. Choosing the right one for your restaurant will go a long way in how well your kitchen will run and how quickly your customers will be served their food orders. Right now there are five main printers on the market that are best for a restaurant. From printing receipts to providing kitchen orders, make sure you know what your needs are.
Each of the 5 printers that we will discuss have their own pros and cons with how well they might suit your needs in the restaurant industry. Shopping around is a great way to eliminate certain brands from your list and add ones that you may not have considered before. Note that the following printers were picked based on their brand and features. Your specific needs may differ.
Its impact design makes it perfect for the kitchen.
Able to handle spills and dents, it can hold up against whatever your kitchen may throw at it.
It's non thermal so can heat the heat coming from the stove.
What might be a downside for some is this printer requires a wired connection to the router to run efficiently.
This printer also lacks some of the other connect styles such as Bluetooth.
The traditional and kitchen printer, it is able to handle all your kitchen and receipt needs. It is compact so it can be easier placed in tight spaces.
This printer is also more on the budget friendly side as it has less flashy features as some of the others on this list. and does use an external power supply and in need of wired connected to router.
For all my non techy people this means cords and cords and a kitchen do not always mix. This printer is impact designed so it is meant for spills, sticky things and heat, which is why it is continuously picked as top choice.
This is an improved model, coming in 30% smaller.
Compact with several connection options; Bluetooth, USB, wired, and ability to connect to most POS systems, this printer is great for both front and back of house.
Equipped with a splash guard to keep it safe from kitchen accidents and an external power supply, it is sure to survive whatever your restaurant might throw at it.
Specifically built to withstand heat, humidity and spills, this little printer works great in most restaurant environments.
Boasting small size and an internal power supply means it will not take up much space. Easy front loading style equates to less time spent changing rolls and less frequent paper jams.
This Square compatible printer works with most POS systems and does require an ethernet connect, no Wi-Fi here.
Hard working, reliable and from a trusted brand and impact design this printer could easily fit into any restaurant.
Fast enough to be a receipt printer in front of house but solid enough to take all the bumps and bruises a kitchen can throw at it, this kitchen printer can handle it all.
Able to connect to the common POS systems and small design, with option to be wall mounted, you won't have to worry about space.
It will require a wall and access to the router to stay powered so keep that in mind for placement and how you can keep the wires out of the way of workers.
Another perfect example of kitchen printers from Epson.
This sturdy guy is able to handle the kitchen environment, including the heat.
Small but power it needs an external power supply but can handle online or app based ordering.
Able to handle any POS system it can also connect apple and android products and forward receipts to other printers in the restaurant.
Equipped with 2 USBs, and a built in processor, this guy can run its own system, separate from front of house, perfect if far from router to connect ethernet.
Factors To Consider When Buying
Unless you have ever worked at a restaurant or a particularly busy restaurant you might not understand the need for having a great and reliable kitchen printer. The reality is that a great kitchen printer in both the Front of House, FOH, and Back of House, BOH, is all that stands between you and a total kitchen failure. What kind of kitchen failures could occur? Well, it can range from something as simple as a few missing orders to a massive kitchen back up, meaning you would have to slow your seating and taking of orders to a total kitchen melt down and subsequent early closing of the restaurant. Whether you are a new business or have been established for years this kind of incident can be such a bummer, and possibly lead to talk of your reputation and a hit to your bottom line.
How you can you avoid such a travesty? Easy, make sure your kitchen printer can hand even the most insane sounding amounts of orders and you can do this by using the following five features in this article. And of course, make sure whatever kitchen printer you go with also works with your current POS system and within your budget. Knowing these two pieces of information will make picking a kitchen printer an easy process.
1. Having Multiple Connection Options
When looking to buy a kitchen printer one that has several connection options is a great way to cut down on printer issues. From cables to Wi-Fi to USB, the more options there are to keep your kitchen printer connected the easier it will be to keep your kitchen from crashing. Your staff and customers will thank you. Having less cords running through your restaurant is also important because it means its less likely the printer will lose power or come off the network, leading to a loss of orders and slowly your kitchen down.
2. A Front-Loading Design
It might seem silly but having a kitchen printer that loads paper from the front can save time and energy. These kitchen printers are easy to load and can be done in matter of seconds, meaning you wont have any downtime in receiving your orders. Front-loading can also make it less likely to have a paper jam, meaning less chance of holding up the kitchen to fix the printer or pull out a receipt. Speed is the name of the game when working in the kitchen and you need a printer that is up to the task.
3 .Go Impact Design Extend Kitchen Printer Life
Picking a design might seem silly for a printer that will be in a kitchen but the right type can save you time and money over the years. BOH is a dirty and dangerous place for a tech filled kitchen printer so you need one that can take dings, spills and bits of food. An impact design is perfect for a kitchen printer. These kitchen printers can handle heat and are rugged and durable enough for spills and stains. This design means you won't have to replace your kitchen printer constantly and won't fret every time water is spilled.
4. Easy to Use Software and Technical Support with your POS System
Things happens, and this is especially true when using a network to power your items and a kitchen printer is now an exception. A kitchen printer that is easy to hook up to your current POS system and comes with easy install software and tech support is a winning combination. Last thing you need is to wait on a specialist if, and when the time comes to trouble shoot a kitchen printer. It is also better to buy a kitchen printer that can be added to your current POS system, you do not want to switch POS systems just to fit your printer needs
5. Internal Power Supply
It might seem odd to consider power supply options when purchasing a printer for your kitchen but it is actually really important. When using printers that have external power supply, this means access to an outlet and cords to power up.
Having cords running across can dangerous, not only could employees trip on them they can easily be pulled out.
An internal power supply can save your kitchen from losing orders and having to slow down and not being able to print receipts for your customers.
The Final Verdict
Picking a kitchen printer can be a confusing and stressful process, and we totally understand it. If you use the features and brands that we have listed in this article then it can help to streamline the process.
The key factors into buying the best kitchen printers is knowing your needs and your budget. You can get the a simple set up going for the low hundreds, depending on style and how many you plan to use for the restaurant.
It is better to buy and use the same one across both front and back of house but as long as you can connect them to your current POS system and they can work with each other you can try two different models if you wish.
The best thing you can do is be prepared and take the advice given. And do not think you are stuck with the printer you choose, if it is not suiting your needs find a different one. Sometimes it will take a little trial and error with kitchen printers.
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author
