Samsung Bixolon SRP-500 Receipt Printer Review
June 25, 2010
Samsung Bixolon SRP-500 Receipt Printer Review
If you are looking for a cost effective receipt printer, the Bixolon SRP-500 inkjet printer is a great choice and the successor to the Ithaca POSjet 1000. TransAct’s Ithaca POSjet 1000 was a very popular printer and was rolled out by many large restaurant chains, banks and casinos. When TransAct Technologies stopped producing the Ithaca POSjet 1000 inkjet printer 2007, it left a large void in the industry.
Inkjet printers rose in popularity very quickly for several reasons:
1. Clear print for the entire life of the ink cartridge, unlike ribbons whose print becomes lighter over time.
2. Ink cartridges don’t need to be changed as frequently. The ratio is about 8 ribbons to 1 ink cartridge.
3. The shelf life of ink cartridges is better. Ribbons have a poor shelf life. Even when sealed in plastic bags, ribbons often dry out over time, which is a deterrent to purchasing them in bulk to save money. Ink cartridges on the other hand are well sealed and have a longer shelf life.
4. Unlike dot-matrix printers, there is no print head or motor to wind the ribbon to go bad over time. The reduction of moving parts translates into fewer break-downs. Bottom line, inkjet printers have less maintenance issues and often last longer than dot-matrix printers.
Bixolon introduced the SRP-500 in 2006, however it received very little fanfare due to the popularity of the Ithaca POSjet 1000. But now that the Ithaca POSjet 1000 printer is off the market, the Bixolon SRP-500 is pretty much the only game in town when it comes to inkjet receipt printers. Companies already using the Ithaca POSjet 1000 can easily switch to the Bixolon SRP-500, because it uses the same HP ink cartridges and roll paper sizes. POS Shopper services a number of large Pizza Hut franchise organizations who have been slowly replacing their POSjet 1000 printers with the Bixolon SRP-500. So whether you are looking for a replacement printer for your POSjet1000, or just a better solution to replace your current dot-matrix printer, the Bixolon SRP-500 might be the answer you have been looking for. Let’s take a closer look.
Strengths
With automatic receipt cutting, clear printing, drop-in paper loading and long life ink cartridges, Samsung Bixolon’s SRP-500 receipt printer is an excellent alternative to dot-matrix and thermal printers. This is a durable printer, used frequently in harsh restaurant environments and demanding retail settings. Bixolon produces the printer in parallel, serial RS-232, USB and Ethernet interfaces. In addition, the printer can emulate Epson, Star and Citizen printers making it quite versatile for any point-of-sale system.
The Samsung Bixolon SRP-500 receipt printer comes in either ivory or dark gray to match whatever environment it is placed in. At less than 8 lbs and with a dimension of 6.8 X 8.9 X 6 inches, the printer can be placed nearly anywhere. Because of its durable case, it can even be used in harsh, high volume kitchen environments.
The Bixolon SRP-500 inkjet printer comes with two ink cartridge slots which provides several ink color choices, including black, red, blue and green. This range in color allows for dynamic receipt printing, coupons, specials, logos and more. Some restaurants use the colored ink to distinguish between orders placed over the internet versus those placed in the restaurant. Red ink is often used as a second color to highlight special items, order types or custom orders. Businesses that use different colored papers for various departments or fulfillment can eliminate the high cost of colored paper by using different colored ink instead.
Low maintenance and long life are among the most desirable qualities in a printer. POS Shopper’s customers report that the SRP-500 has had less need for repair than other printer models they currently use. Our staff has found monitors incoming repair calls and agrees that we receive few repair calls for the Bixolon SRP-500. This is a sturdy receipt printer that should last a long time.
Weaknesses
A few customers have had issues with certain paper roll brands, which have caused the rolls to jam as they get below 1/4 roll of paper. Our experience has been that this only seems to occur with low quality 3-inch paper rolls. This has not been an issue for any of the large retail chains who continue to purchase quantities of the Bixolon SRP-500 each month. The only other complaint received by POS Shopper has been from business owners whose POS software does not yet support the Bixolon SRP-500.
Conclusion:
The sales and support staff at POS Shopper really like the Bixolon SRP-500 inkjet printer for both the quality and cost savings it represents. It is an excellent replacement for dot-matrix printers and the Ithaca POSjet 1000. If your current point-of-sale software doesn’t natively support the Bixolon SRP-500, you can take advantage of the printer’s ability to emulate Epson, Star and Citizen print modes. The SRP-500 receipt printer is just one more reason that Bixolon has been consistently winning both industry award and high consumer review ratings for the last three years.
Samsung Bixolon SRP-500 Receipt Printer Review
If you are looking for a cost effective receipt printer, the Bixolon SRP-500 inkjet printer is a great choice and the successor to the Ithaca POSjet 1000. TransAct’s Ithaca POSjet 1000 was a very popular printer and was rolled out by many large restaurant chains, banks and casinos. When TransAct Technologies stopped producing the Ithaca POSjet 1000 inkjet printer 2007, it left a large void in the industry.
Inkjet printers rose in popularity very quickly for several reasons:
1. Clear print for the entire life of the ink cartridge, unlike ribbons whose print becomes lighter over time.
2. Ink cartridges don’t need to be changed as frequently. The ratio is about 8 ribbons to 1 ink cartridge.
3. The shelf life of ink cartridges is better. Ribbons have a poor shelf life. Even when sealed in plastic bags, ribbons often dry out over time, which is a deterrent to purchasing them in bulk to save money. Ink cartridges on the other hand are well sealed and have a longer shelf life.
4. Unlike dot-matrix printers, there is no print head or motor to wind the ribbon to go bad over time. The reduction of moving parts translates into fewer break-downs. Bottom line, inkjet printers have less maintenance issues and often last longer than dot-matrix printers.
Bixolon introduced the SRP-500 in 2006, however it received very little fanfare due to the popularity of the Ithaca POSjet 1000. But now that the Ithaca POSjet 1000 printer is off the market, the Bixolon SRP-500 is pretty much the only game in town when it comes to inkjet receipt printers. Companies already using the Ithaca POSjet 1000 can easily switch to the Bixolon SRP-500, because it uses the same HP ink cartridges and roll paper sizes. POS Shopper services a number of large Pizza Hut franchise organizations who have been slowly replacing their POSjet 1000 printers with the Bixolon SRP-500. So whether you are looking for a replacement printer for your POSjet1000, or just a better solution to replace your current dot-matrix printer, the Bixolon SRP-500 might be the answer you have been looking for. Let’s take a closer look.
Strengths
With automatic receipt cutting, clear printing, drop-in paper loading and long life ink cartridges, Samsung Bixolon’s SRP-500 receipt printer is an excellent alternative to dot-matrix and thermal printers. This is a durable printer, used frequently in harsh restaurant environments and demanding retail settings. Bixolon produces the printer in parallel, serial RS-232, USB and Ethernet interfaces. In addition, the printer can emulate Epson, Star and Citizen printers making it quite versatile for any point-of-sale system.
The Samsung Bixolon SRP-500 receipt printer comes in either ivory or dark gray to match whatever environment it is placed in. At less than 8 lbs and with a dimension of 6.8 X 8.9 X 6 inches, the printer can be placed nearly anywhere. Because of its durable case, it can even be used in harsh, high volume kitchen environments.
The Bixolon SRP-500 inkjet printer comes with two ink cartridge slots which provides several ink color choices, including black, red, blue and green. This range in color allows for dynamic receipt printing, coupons, specials, logos and more. Some restaurants use the colored ink to distinguish between orders placed over the internet versus those placed in the restaurant. Red ink is often used as a second color to highlight special items, order types or custom orders. Businesses that use different colored papers for various departments or fulfillment can eliminate the high cost of colored paper by using different colored ink instead.
Low maintenance and long life are among the most desirable qualities in a printer. POS Shopper’s customers report that the SRP-500 has had less need for repair than other printer models they currently use. Our staff has found monitors incoming repair calls and agrees that we receive few repair calls for the Bixolon SRP-500. This is a sturdy receipt printer that should last a long time.
Weaknesses
A few customers have had issues with certain paper roll brands, which have caused the rolls to jam as they get below 1/4 roll of paper. Our experience has been that this only seems to occur with low quality 3-inch paper rolls. This has not been an issue for any of the large retail chains who continue to purchase quantities of the Bixolon SRP-500 each month. The only other complaint received by POS Shopper has been from business owners whose POS software does not yet support the Bixolon SRP-500.
Conclusion:
The sales and support staff at POS Shopper really like the Bixolon SRP-500 inkjet printer for both the quality and cost savings it represents. It is an excellent replacement for dot-matrix printers and the Ithaca POSjet 1000. If your current point-of-sale software doesn’t natively support the Bixolon SRP-500, you can take advantage of the printer’s ability to emulate Epson, Star and Citizen print modes. The SRP-500 receipt printer is just one more reason that Bixolon has been consistently winning both industry award and high consumer review ratings for the last three years.
