How to Reduce Receipt Paper Waste in a Busy Cafe

Table of Contents

• Where does receipt paper waste come from in a cafe?
• Should a cafe stop printing a receipt for every sale?
• How do I set up my receipt printer to use less paper?
  • What should stay on a cafe receipt?
  • Does a smaller font or line spacing help?
• How do jams and reprints waste receipt paper?
• Which till roll size wastes less paper in a busy cafe?
• Is BPA-free or phenol-free paper better for a cafe?
• Can you recycle thermal receipt paper in Ireland?
• How do I stop running out of rolls or overstocking?
• How do I get staff to waste less receipt paper?
• Where can a cafe in Ireland order till rolls?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: October 15, 2026

To reduce receipt paper waste in a busy cafe, stop printing receipts nobody asked for, cut the extra lines off the ones you do print, use the right roll for your printer, and stop binning rolls with paper still on them. None of it needs new equipment. Most of it is a few EPOS settings and a word with staff.

I'm Bernard, and we've been supplying till rolls to Irish cafes, pubs and shops from our Dublin 12 warehouse since 2007. Here's where the paper goes and how to stop it.

Where does receipt paper waste come from in a cafe?

Most of it comes from five places: receipts printed automatically that nobody takes, extra lines on every receipt, reprints after mistakes or jams, rolls changed early and binned, and old stock that faded before it was used. Fix those five and you use fewer rolls without changing how you serve.

Should a cafe stop printing a receipt for every sale?

For most sales, yes. If your EPOS prints a customer receipt for every coffee, a lot of them end up on the counter or in the bin. Set it to print on request, or to offer an email receipt, and you save paper without losing a single record. Your EPOS keeps the sale either way.

• Card sales: if your EPOS or card terminal can email or text a receipt, offer that first.
• Card machine slips: ask your payment provider whether your terminal can skip the customer copy unless someone asks for it.
• Kitchen tickets: leave these alone. This is only about the customer copy.
• Customers who need one for expenses: print it. Nobody should have to ask twice.

The change is mostly habit. Get staff to ask "Do you want a receipt?" every time. If you want to know how long you need to hold on to your own records, see how long a business should keep receipts in Ireland.

How do I set up my receipt printer to use less paper?

Go into the receipt layout settings on your EPOS and cut anything the customer doesn't need. Every extra line is only a few millimetres, but across every receipt in a busy week that's a fair amount of roll. Print a test receipt after each change.

What should stay on a cafe receipt?

• Keep: business name and address, date and time, items and prices, payment method and total, and anything your accountant tells you must be on it.
• Trim: a large logo (a small one or text only uses less paper), long promo text, duplicate lines.
• Cut: the extra blank lines many printers feed at the end of each receipt.

If you do want a marketing line, keep it to one or two lines. Our receipt marketing ideas guide has examples that earn their space.

Does a smaller font or line spacing help?

Yes, if your EPOS lets you change it. Drop it one step and check the total is still easy to read. One thing you can't change is roll width. The printer is built for one width, usually 80mm on an EPOS receipt printer and 57mm on a card machine, and the wrong width will jam.

How do jams and reprints waste receipt paper?

A jam usually means a torn receipt, a reprint, and a length of paper pulled out to clear it. The usual causes are the wrong roll size, a badly wound or damaged roll, or a dirty print head. Each of those is easy to fix.

• Match the roll to the printer. Roll sizes are width x diameter in mm, so 80x70mm is 80mm wide and 70mm across the roll. Our Epson, Star and Citizen printer roll guide lists sizes model by model.
• Keep the print head clean. Dust and residue cause faint print and reprints. See how to clean POS receipt printer heads.
• Sort out repeat jams. Our POS printer paper jams guide covers the common causes.

Which till roll size wastes less paper in a busy cafe?

The biggest diameter your printer takes. If it takes an 80mm diameter roll, an 80x80mm holds more paper than an 80x70mm, so staff change rolls less often and fewer part-used rolls get binned at the end of a shift. Check your printer's maximum roll diameter first, as not every 80mm printer takes an 80x80.

The 80x80mm is 80gsm paper with 10-year fade resistance, so it's the one I'd put in a busy cafe printer that takes it. The 80x60mm holds the least paper, so it only makes sense if your printer won't take a 70mm roll. Not sure what yours takes? Ring us on 01 443 3964 and we'll tell you.

Is BPA-free or phenol-free paper better for a cafe?

Neither changes how much paper you use, but it matters for staff who handle receipts all day. Our 80x70mm phenol-free rolls are BPA-free as well. For the full difference, read Is receipt paper BPA-free in Ireland?

Can you recycle thermal receipt paper in Ireland?

Thermal paper has a heat-sensitive coating, so it isn't always handled like ordinary paper. Ask your waste contractor which bin it should go in. The bigger win is upstream: every receipt you don't print is one you never have to dispose of.

How do I stop running out of rolls or overstocking?

Count the rolls you use in a normal week, then order enough for your busiest month. Run out mid-service and the wrong paper ends up in the printer. Overstock and boxes sit in a warm storeroom and fade. Our guide to calculating thermal paper usage for small cafes takes you through it in a few minutes.

Store rolls somewhere cool, dark and dry, and use the oldest box first.

How do I get staff to waste less receipt paper?

• Ask "Do you want a receipt?" every time.
• Check the order and total on screen before printing, not after.
• Void or correct the sale on screen instead of printing it again.
• Change rolls when they run out, not before a rush. Keep a spare beside each printer instead.
• If a printer keeps jamming, tell whoever orders the rolls so it gets sorted.

Explain why: fewer rolls means less spend on paper.

Where can a cafe in Ireland order till rolls?

DiscountTillRolls.ie has supplied till rolls to Irish cafes, pubs, restaurants and shops since 2007, from Unit 4, Naas Road Ind. Park, Dublin 12. Order before 1pm, shipped at 2pm. You can also call and collect in Dublin 12.

Browse our thermal till rolls, go straight to the 80x80mm 80gsm Long Life rolls, or ring us on 01 443 3964 if you're not sure what fits.