POS Hardware Checklist: Everything You Need at Checkout

On this page 7 sections

1. Core POS Hardware: The Terminal and the Card Reader
2. Receipt Printers, Cash Drawers and Barcode Scanners
3. Kitchen Printers and Display Screens for Restaurants
4. Customer-Facing Displays and Signature Pads
5. POS Hardware Compatibility: Check These Before You Buy
6. A POS Equipment List by Business Type
7. Get the Hardware List Confirmed in Writing

Key takeaways

• A cash drawer usually opens through the receipt printer, so buy those two as a matched pair.
• A secondhand terminal or one from a previous provider may be locked to another processor. Confirm it can be set up for your account before you pay.
• List every device, port and network drop by station before ordering. The list shows where one all-in-one unit can replace two pieces.
• Get your provider to confirm software support, processor setup and support life for each device in writing.

Most checkouts need four pieces of POS hardware. You need a device that runs the point-of-sale software, a card reader that accepts chip and tap, a receipt printer, and a cash drawer if you take cash. Whether you also need barcode scanners, kitchen printers, customer-facing screens or scales depends on what you sell and how orders move through your business. You can leave out any piece that doesn't match how you work, and you'll spend less if you make those decisions before you shop.

Merchants rarely regret skipping an optional device. The expensive mistake is buying gear that won't work together. The list below covers what each device does, when you can do without it, and what to check so every piece works on day one.

Core POS Hardware: The Terminal and the Card Reader

The terminal is the brain of the counter. It runs the software that rings up items, applies discounts, tracks inventory and sends the payment to your processor. It comes in three common forms:

• Countertop POS stations have a fixed screen, often with a second screen facing the customer. They fit stores and restaurants with a permanent checkout counter.
• Smart terminals combine a touchscreen, the card reader and often a built-in receipt printer in one unit. They suit small counters and businesses that want one device instead of four.
• Mobile and handheld terminals go where the customer is: tableside, on the sales floor, at a pop-up or down the line during a rush.

Types of POS Systems: Which Kind Fits Your Business? compares these formats in more detail.

If you take cards, the card reader is the one piece you can't skip. It should accept EMV chip cards, contactless taps from cards and phones, and a magstripe swipe as a fallback. Chip support has real money behind it. Under the card networks' EMV liability shift, a merchant who swipes a chip card on a reader that can't read the chip can end up responsible for counterfeit fraud on that sale. EMV Liability Shift: Who Pays for Counterfeit Card Fraud? explains who pays in each scenario.

When you can skip a separate reader: if your smart terminal or POS station has a reader built in and the customer can reach it. If your register sits behind a counter, add a customer-facing PIN pad for debit and contactless payments so shoppers can tap or enter a PIN without handing over their card.

Receipt Printers, Cash Drawers and Barcode Scanners

These three devices make up most of a retail counter, and some businesses can skip any of them.

Receipt Printers

Thermal receipt printers are the front-of-house standard. They're quiet and fast, and they use no ink. Paper is a recurring cost, and thermal receipts fade with heat and time. Many customers now prefer an emailed or texted receipt. A printer still earns its spot if you handle returns, print gift receipts, or need paper records for card refunds and end-of-day reports.

Skip it if: you run a mobile service business where digital receipts are the norm, or your smart terminal already prints.

Cash Drawers

A cash drawer usually connects to the receipt printer, not to the POS itself. When a cash sale closes, the printer sends a signal that opens the drawer. So the drawer has to match the printer's connector and voltage rating, which is a compatibility question as much as a purchasing one. When you compare drawers, look at the bill and coin slots, a removable till insert if you swap tills between shifts, and a media slot for checks or large bills.

Skip it if: you're fully cashless. Some states and cities have rules about whether businesses must accept cash, so check the rules where you operate and confirm them with a qualified professional before you drop cash. If you keep cash, How to Balance a Cash Drawer walks through the end-of-shift count.

Barcode Scanners

A scanner pays for itself once you carry more products than a cashier can find quickly on a screen. Handheld scanners work well for apparel tags and bulky items. Hands-free presentation scanners sit on the counter and speed up high-volume lanes. A 1D scanner reads standard barcodes. A 2D scanner also reads QR codes and barcodes on a phone screen, which matters if you scan digital coupons or loyalty codes.

Skip it if: you sell a short menu or a small set of items that fit on a few screen buttons. Most cafés and service businesses never need one.

Retailers who create their own product codes should also budget for a label printer to make price tags and barcode stickers. Grocery and deli counters that sell by weight need a scale that integrates with the POS. Scales used to price goods by weight may be subject to state weights and measures rules, so check with your state before you buy one.

Kitchen Printers and Display Screens for Restaurants

Restaurants have a second checkout problem: once an order is placed, it has to reach the kitchen. There are two ways to get it there.

Kitchen printers print a ticket at each prep station. Many kitchens use impact printers on the hot line because thermal paper darkens near grills and fryers. Bars often get their own printer, so drink orders go to the bartender while food goes to the line.

Kitchen display systems (KDS) replace paper tickets with screens. Each station sees its orders, the modifiers, and how long each ticket has been waiting. Cooks clear finished orders with a touch or a bump bar. A KDS needs wall or shelf mounts, power at each station and a reliable network connection, so plan for all three before installation day.

Skip both if: the person who takes the order also makes it. That's common in coffee carts, single-window food trucks and counter-service shops with one prep area. Full-service restaurants should also plan for handheld terminals for tableside payments, so the card never leaves the guest's sight.

Customer-Facing Displays and Signature Pads

A customer-facing display shows items and totals as you ring them up, which cuts down on "that's not the price on the shelf" disputes. The same screen usually handles tip prompts, loyalty sign-ups and receipt choices. If you want to build an email list, this screen is where shoppers type their address. How to Collect Customer Emails at Checkout Without Slowing Lines covers how to ask without holding up the line.

Standalone signature pads are mostly a holdover. Signatures play a much smaller role at checkout than they used to, and most modern terminals can capture one on screen if your business or processor still wants it. Before you pay for a separate pad, ask your provider whether your account requires signatures.

POS Hardware Compatibility: Check These Before You Buy

This is where merchants lose money. A device that works fine in someone else's store may not work in yours. Run through these checks before you buy anything.

1. Processor lock. Many card terminals are encrypted or provisioned for a specific processor or platform. A secondhand terminal, or one from a previous provider, may not work on your new account even though it looks identical to a working unit. Confirm the device can be set up for your processor before you buy it.
2. Your software's supported list. POS software supports specific printer, scanner and scale models. "Works with most printers" is not a commitment. Ask for the supported hardware list and buy from it.
3. Connection types and ports. Printers and scanners connect by USB, Ethernet, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Tablet-style POS stations often have only a few ports. Count what you're plugging in and confirm each connection type is supported.
4. Printer-to-drawer match. The drawer cable and voltage rating must match the printer's drawer port.
5. One platform across devices. If you add a handheld for the patio or a kiosk later, it should run the same software as your countertop. Otherwise your menus and reports will split across two systems.
6. Support life. Terminals eventually stop getting security updates and processor certification. Ask how long the model will be supported, especially for older or discounted units.
7. Contract terms. If the hardware comes with a lease, read the term and cancellation clauses before you sign. Leasing vs. Buying a Credit Card Machine covers what to look for.

Don't forget the unglamorous items. You'll want a stable router with wired connections where possible, a battery backup for the main station, and a cellular or backup internet option if a dropped connection would stop sales. Add paper rolls, charging docks and stands to the list too. MannyPay offers POS accessories on its accessories page. Ask which of the items on your list are available there.

A POS Equipment List by Business Type

The table below gives starting points. Adjust it for your volume and layout.

Grocers who want to accept SNAP/EBT should check the federal authorization and equipment requirements before ordering hardware. That way the terminals you buy can handle those transactions from the start.

Illustrative Example: Counting Gear for a Two-Register Café

This example is hypothetical. Picture a café with two registers at the front counter, an espresso bar and a sandwich line. It takes cash at one register only and gives digital receipts by default.

• Front counter: two POS stations, each with a customer-facing display for tips and receipts. That's two stations and two displays.
• Printing: one receipt printer per station, for customers who ask for paper and for daily reports. That's two printers.
• Cash: one drawer on the cash register only, connected to that station's printer. That's one drawer, not two.
• Espresso bar: one small ticket or label printer so drink orders print at the machine.
• Sandwich line: one KDS screen with a mount, because the line handles many modifiers and paper tickets get lost.
• Skipped: barcode scanner (short menu), signature pad (on-screen capture is enough), kiosk (worth reconsidering only if lines regularly back up).

The total is two stations, two displays, three printers, one drawer and one KDS. The café also needs two wired network drops at the counter, one at the sandwich line, and a battery backup for the cash register. A written count like this tells you exactly which ports and connection types you need. It also shows where an all-in-one device could replace two pieces.

Get the Hardware List Confirmed in Writing

Before you order, sketch your counter and prep areas, mark every station, and list the devices each one needs. Then send that list to your provider and ask for written confirmation of three things: each device is supported by your POS software, each card reader can be set up for your processor, and each model has a stated support life. How to Choose a POS System: A Feature Checklist by Business Type helps you match the software side to the same list.

MannyPay sells Clover, Valor, Dejavoo and PAX hardware, including countertop POS systems, smart terminals, handhelds and kiosks. If you'd like a review of your hardware list, request a free quote. A MannyPay specialist responds within one business day.

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About the author

Daniel Foster

Daniel Foster is Product & Payments Technology Editor for Beyond the Swipe, covering POS systems, payment gateways, virtual terminals, mobile payments and integrations.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Card network rules and state laws change; confirm current requirements for your business.