Receipt Printer Printing Blank? 7 Causes and How to Fix Them

Nine times out of ten, a blank receipt means the thermal roll is in upside down. Thermal paper only prints on its coated side, so if that side faces away from the print head, nothing appears. Flip the roll so the paper feeds from underneath and try again. If that does not fix it, the usual culprits are the wrong paper type, a dried-out ribbon on a kitchen printer, a dirty print head, or old stock that has been stored somewhere hot.

Work down this list in order. Most fixes take under a minute.

In this guide

• How do I tell which side of thermal paper prints?
• What are the 7 causes of blank or faint receipts?
• My thermal receipt printer prints blank. What should I check first?
• My kitchen printer prints faint or blank. What is wrong?
• My card machine prints blank receipts. How do I fix it?
• FAQ

How do I tell which side of thermal paper prints?

Use the fingernail test. Scratch the paper quickly and firmly with your fingernail.

• A dark grey or black mark appears: that is the coated side, and it must face the print head.
• No mark on either side: the paper is not thermal. It is bond paper, which needs an ink ribbon.

This one test solves most blank receipt problems, and it tells you if you have been sent the wrong paper type.

What are the 7 causes of blank or faint receipts?

1. Roll loaded upside down. The most common cause by far. On most printers and card machines the paper should feed from underneath the roll. Flip it and reload.
2. Bond paper in a thermal printer. A thermal printer has no ink, so plain bond paper comes out blank. Check with the fingernail test.
3. Dried-out or missing ribbon in a kitchen printer. Impact printers, such as the Epson TM-U220 and Star SP700, print through an ink ribbon onto bond paper. When the ribbon is worn, print goes faint and then disappears.
4. Dirty print head. Paper dust and residue build up over time and cause faint or streaky print. See how to clean a receipt printer head.
5. Old or badly stored rolls. Thermal paper reacts to heat. Rolls kept in a hot van, next to an oven or in direct sun can pre-darken or print weakly. Store them somewhere cool and dry.
6. Lid not fully closed. Many printers only press the paper against the head when the lid clicks shut. Close it firmly.
7. Print density set too low. Some EPOS systems and printers have a density or darkness setting. If someone has turned it down, receipts look washed out.

My thermal receipt printer prints blank. What should I check first?

• Flip the roll so the paper feeds from underneath.
• Do the fingernail test to confirm it is thermal paper.
• Close the lid until it clicks.
• Try a roll from a different box.

If a new roll prints perfectly, the old roll was the problem. If new rolls also print faint, clean the head, then check the printer's density setting.

My kitchen printer prints faint or blank. What is wrong?

Kitchen printers are usually impact printers. They need two things: bond paper and a working ink ribbon.

• Faint print that gets worse over days: the ribbon is running dry. Replace it.
• Nothing at all: check the ribbon is fitted and seated properly, and that the paper is bond, not thermal.
• Print only on the top copy of a 2 ply roll: the paper is fine. The copies underneath are carbonless and should still show the text. If they do not, the roll may be the wrong type.

The Epson TM-U220 takes the ERC-38 ribbon, which shares a code with ERC-30 and ERC-34. The Star SP700 has its own ribbon. More detail in kitchen printer rolls: impact vs thermal.

My card machine prints blank receipts. How do I fix it?

Card terminals are thermal, so the same rules apply. Open the paper door, take the roll out and put it back so the paper comes off the bottom of the roll towards you. There is a step-by-step walkthrough in how to put a roll in a card machine.

If the terminal says "paper out" with a roll in, the roll may be too small in diameter to trigger the sensor, or the door is not fully shut. Check your roll size in our card machine roll finder.

Paper jamming rather than printing blank? See troubleshooting POS printer paper jams.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my receipt printer printing blank paper?

Usually because the thermal roll is loaded upside down. Flip it so the coated side faces the print head, which on most printers means the paper feeds from underneath.

How do I know which side of thermal paper to use?

Scratch the paper with your fingernail. The side that shows a dark mark is the thermal side and must face the print head.

Why are my receipts so faint?

A dirty print head, old or heat-damaged rolls, a low density setting, or, on kitchen printers, a worn ink ribbon.

Can you put bond paper in a thermal printer?

No. Thermal printers have no ink, so bond paper comes out blank. Use thermal rolls.

Why is my kitchen printer not printing?

Check the ink ribbon first. Kitchen impact printers need a ribbon and bond paper. A dry or badly fitted ribbon gives faint or blank dockets.