Archived New Card Readers

[pellinore]

One of my GSAs said that the card reader pens can write on receipt paper. I have not yet had an opportunity to try it. Does it work?

Yes, it works. The paper is a thermal paper of some type and when someone "writes" using any sharp object the "writing" shows up on the paper.
When our card readers aren't working then as I hand the guest the receipt I tell them to use the "pen" but to press a little harder then they usually do when they write.

Lots of stores use this same kind of paper (Home Depot is one) as we do. The paper actually has the BPH (? correct letters) that used to be in lots of plastic items.....so, don't put your fingers in your mouth after touching the receipt.....you may end up with some sort of long term problem! haha.

 

[pellinore]

^This.
When the thermal printer bar begins to degrade, the printer has to be replaced. There's no snapping in a new bar, etc.
We used to swab the bar down with alcohol to squeak a little more life out of it but they eventually had to go.
Best way to check printers is do print out a speed slip & look at the large "TARGET". If it's got a lot of white lines through it, it's time to replace it because the slips that it prints out won't scan anywhere.
Imagine getting someone approved for credit or debit & they can't scan the temp slip.

Oh yes.....the temp Redcard slip that doesn't scan......had that happen a few too many times!

 

[mrknownothing]

Lots of stores use this same kind of paper (Home Depot is one) as we do. The paper actually has the BPH (? correct letters) that used to be in lots of plastic items.....so, don't put your fingers in your mouth after touching the receipt.....you may end up with some sort of long term problem! haha.

From Wikipedia:

Some thermal papers are coated with BPA, a chemical considered to be an endocrine disruptor. This material can contaminate recycled paper.[1][2] BPA can transfer readily to the skin in small amounts:

When taking hold of a receipt consisting of thermal printing paper for five seconds, roughly 1 μg BPA (0.2–0.6 μg) was transferred to the forefinger and the middle finger if the skin was rather dry, and about ten times more than this if these fingers were wet or very greasy. Exposure to a person who repeatedly touches thermal printer paper for about ten hours per day, such as at a cash register, could reach 71 micrograms per day, which is 42 times less than the present tolerable daily intake (TDI).[3]

Uh-oh, both of my jobs use thermal printers for receipts. I hope our paper is BPA-free...

 

[RedCashier]

Any news on these new card readers?

 

[daninnj]

We have them. They are big, black, and sexy much like my boyfriend. Seriously I wonder why they aren't red. The screen is huge though.

 

[Dr Laytex]

The screen is huge though.

Dirty.