POS Supply Solutions Blog - End of Roll Warning Stripe

How Do You Know When It's Time to Replace Your POS Paper Roll?

About the End of Roll Warning Signal:

Also referred to as a low paper warning mark or strip, the end of roll warning signal is a stripe of color at the end of any Point of Sale thermal paper, bond paper, or carbonless paper roll that tells the user it’s time to change it before the machine runs out of paper. The stripe is applied with either an ink wheel or a marking pen, and is typically on the last 3-6 feet of the paper roll.

Visibility:

Although most end of roll warning stripes are red, they can sometimes show up as pink, green or any other color. Occasionally, you can see the ink near the core of the paper roll when looking at it from the side (see image on the right.) However, that isn’t always the case. Just because you can’t see it when the roll is full doesn’t mean it isn’t there!

Placement:

Placement of the the warning stripe may also vary. Sometimes, it is located at the very the end of the roll, while other times it is placed a few inches or feet before the actual end – leaving the last bit of the paper without any markings at all. The stripe can appear on the edges of a paper roll, or down the middle.

The Bottom Line?

As soon as you see the end of roll warning stripe, replace your receipt paper right away. Since not every warning appears exactly the same each time, it’s important to teach your employees what to look for, and to act quickly.

You can think of it kind of like your car’s gas tank – when it is almost time to fill up, the warning light will go off. If you wait too long, the signal may turn off and you could find yourself running out of gas at the last minute!