5 ms·

This is a fun idea, but I've read thermal paper is surprisingly nasty stuff. [Edit: unless it's advertised as "phenol-free".] It's not just paper. It contains p

This is a fun idea, but I've read thermal paper is surprisingly nasty stuff. [Edit: unless it's advertised as "phenol-free".] It's not just paper. It contains plastics (BPA or BPS) that you absorb through your skin when handling it. I'd avoid working with receipts at my desk all day. (I'd also avoid being a grocery store cashier...) https://www.pca.state.mn.us/green-chemistry/bpa-thermal-paper https://www.pca.state.mn.us/green-chemistry/bpa-thermal-pape...

turtlebits 5y ago
BPA free thermal paper has been around for a while. A few years ago, I bought a box of it for a similar project (JIRA events -> Receipt printer)
- scottlamb 5y ago
  I think "BPA free" means "BPS". I think that's less-studied but not necessarily better. [Edit: but "phenol-free" is likely actually safe, thanks for pointing that out. I should read my own link fully!]
  - flotzam 5y ago
    Yeah they're "BPA free" in roughly the same sense that 1P-LSD is "LSD free" Those blue receipt papers seem okay though: https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/products/Thermal-paper/Blue4est-thermal-paper.php https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/products/Thermal-paper/Blue4...
  - outworlder 5y ago
    The article linked in the comment says this: "If you must give paper receipts, look for “phenol-free” paper, which is safer for human health and has fewer environmental effects. Three types that do not contain BPA or BPS and are competitively priced contain either ascorbic acid (vitamin C), urea-based Pergafast 201, or a technology without developers, Blue4est. The latter uses a coating that reveals an underlying dark layer when heat is applied."
- CodeWriter23 5y ago
  BPA is hardly alone as a hormone disruptor in the world of plastics.
darkhorse222 5y ago
that explains why it tastes so bad
- juancb 5y ago
  How do you know how it tastes?
  - cinntaile 5y ago
    He was joking. But maybe you are too?
  - giaour 5y ago
    What do you do with your receipts? If they weren't meant to be edible, you wouldn't get a complimentary one with every restaurant meal.
- cridenour 5y ago
  There's a great I Think You Should Leave skit about why it might taste so bad.
aschmelyun 5y ago
Yeah, the machine came with a few spools of BPA-free paper, but that just means there's a less-tested alternative like some of the responses are saying. I was a cashier for 4 years though, so this is probably a drop in the bucket for what's already in my system.
- hh3k0 5y ago
  > Yeah, the machine came with a few spools of BPA-free paper [...] Or so they said on AliExpress.
_8j50 5y ago
We would have a lot of cancer victims who happen to be cashiers in that case?
- CameronNemo 5y ago
  I found this in two minutes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29778011/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29778011/
  - otterley 5y ago
    Insulin resistance isn't cancer (though I admit it's still troubling).
    - scottlamb 5y ago
      My threshold for "nasty" isn't "carcinogen". Not sure how that goalpost got moved, but let's move it back. The link I posted says this: > The chemicals have been shown to be hazardous to reproductive systems in humans and animals and are linked with obesity and attention disorders.
    - CameronNemo 5y ago
      If you spend more than two minutes looking into it you might find a link to cancer. I don't know. That is just the most concerning research I found in the short time I allotted to the task.
  - _8j50 5y ago
    Interesting but that is n=54 and for a specific geomarket (common supply chain).
samstave 5y ago
cinntaile 5y ago
Why do they use thermal printing for receipts? Is it just cheaper because you don't have ink that runs out? Less moving parts so less maintenance?
- postalrat 5y ago
  Fast, reliable, inexpensive, relatively quiet. Hard to beat.
- otterley 5y ago
  That, and also speed. Thermal printing is fast compared to the alternatives.
- RankingMember 5y ago
  As someone who once worked a job in retail where we printed receipts on dot matrix printers on triplicate paper, we longed for thermal printing at the time. Noise, speed, and jams were a common occurrence.
- tyingq 5y ago
  No trying to get cashiers to refill ink properly is, I assume, the main business benefit. The only thing they refill is paper, which should be dead simple on a decent thermal printer.
- drewzero1 5y ago
  Pros: faster, quieter, better quality, don't need to know how to load ribbon when it runs out. Cons: fancy paper, fades over time, destroyed by even minor heat. We switched from dot matrix receipts to thermal a few years ago and there were several very vocal complaints about the relative impermanence of a thermal receipt.
  - chucksmash 5y ago
    Reading the thread for "minor hear" There was essentially no reasonable distance at which we could store the to-go pizzas from their accompanying thermal receipts where information the receipts contained would be recoverable.
doublepg23 5y ago
As a retail worker of 6 yrs I’m raising my eye at this…
- mwcremer 5y ago
  no child labor laws where you live?
  - doublepg23 5y ago
    No, knowing obscure open source tech doesn't look great on a resume
sejad 5y ago

turtlebits 5y ago

BPA free thermal paper has been around for a while. A few years ago, I bought a box of it for a similar project (JIRA events -> Receipt printer)

scottlamb 5y ago
I think "BPA free" means "BPS". I think that's less-studied but not necessarily better. [Edit: but "phenol-free" is likely actually safe, thanks for pointing that out. I should read my own link fully!]
- flotzam 5y ago
  Yeah they're "BPA free" in roughly the same sense that 1P-LSD is "LSD free" Those blue receipt papers seem okay though: https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/products/Thermal-paper/Blue4est-thermal-paper.php https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/products/Thermal-paper/Blue4...
- outworlder 5y ago
  The article linked in the comment says this: "If you must give paper receipts, look for “phenol-free” paper, which is safer for human health and has fewer environmental effects. Three types that do not contain BPA or BPS and are competitively priced contain either ascorbic acid (vitamin C), urea-based Pergafast 201, or a technology without developers, Blue4est. The latter uses a coating that reveals an underlying dark layer when heat is applied."
CodeWriter23 5y ago
BPA is hardly alone as a hormone disruptor in the world of plastics.

darkhorse222 5y ago

that explains why it tastes so bad

juancb 5y ago
How do you know how it tastes?
- cinntaile 5y ago
  He was joking. But maybe you are too?
- giaour 5y ago
  What do you do with your receipts? If they weren't meant to be edible, you wouldn't get a complimentary one with every restaurant meal.
cridenour 5y ago
There's a great I Think You Should Leave skit about why it might taste so bad.

aschmelyun 5y ago

Yeah, the machine came with a few spools of BPA-free paper, but that just means there's a less-tested alternative like some of the responses are saying. I was a cashier for 4 years though, so this is probably a drop in the bucket for what's already in my system.

hh3k0 5y ago
> Yeah, the machine came with a few spools of BPA-free paper [...] Or so they said on AliExpress.

_8j50 5y ago

We would have a lot of cancer victims who happen to be cashiers in that case?

CameronNemo 5y ago
I found this in two minutes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29778011/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29778011/
- otterley 5y ago
  Insulin resistance isn't cancer (though I admit it's still troubling).
  - scottlamb 5y ago
    My threshold for "nasty" isn't "carcinogen". Not sure how that goalpost got moved, but let's move it back. The link I posted says this: > The chemicals have been shown to be hazardous to reproductive systems in humans and animals and are linked with obesity and attention disorders.
  - CameronNemo 5y ago
    If you spend more than two minutes looking into it you might find a link to cancer. I don't know. That is just the most concerning research I found in the short time I allotted to the task.
- _8j50 5y ago
  Interesting but that is n=54 and for a specific geomarket (common supply chain).

samstave 5y ago

cinntaile 5y ago

Why do they use thermal printing for receipts? Is it just cheaper because you don't have ink that runs out? Less moving parts so less maintenance?

postalrat 5y ago
Fast, reliable, inexpensive, relatively quiet. Hard to beat.
otterley 5y ago
That, and also speed. Thermal printing is fast compared to the alternatives.
RankingMember 5y ago
As someone who once worked a job in retail where we printed receipts on dot matrix printers on triplicate paper, we longed for thermal printing at the time. Noise, speed, and jams were a common occurrence.
tyingq 5y ago
No trying to get cashiers to refill ink properly is, I assume, the main business benefit. The only thing they refill is paper, which should be dead simple on a decent thermal printer.
drewzero1 5y ago
Pros: faster, quieter, better quality, don't need to know how to load ribbon when it runs out. Cons: fancy paper, fades over time, destroyed by even minor heat. We switched from dot matrix receipts to thermal a few years ago and there were several very vocal complaints about the relative impermanence of a thermal receipt.
- chucksmash 5y ago
  Reading the thread for "minor hear" There was essentially no reasonable distance at which we could store the to-go pizzas from their accompanying thermal receipts where information the receipts contained would be recoverable.

doublepg23 5y ago

As a retail worker of 6 yrs I’m raising my eye at this…

mwcremer 5y ago
no child labor laws where you live?
- doublepg23 5y ago
  No, knowing obscure open source tech doesn't look great on a resume

sejad 5y ago