A receipt font is a typeface used on printed receipts like shopping lists, bills, transaction slips, or even receipt numbering fonts used for serial numbers and order IDs. They usually from POS systems or thermal printers. Unlike regular fonts, receipt fonts are optimized to stay clear and readable on low-resolution printers.
Most receipt fonts are simple, clean, and monospaced, which means every letter and number takes up the same space—so prices, items, and totals line up neatly on receipt paper.
Most customers rarely notice the font on their receipts, but it makes a big difference. The right font for receipt keeps prices and items clear and well-aligned, reduces checkout errors, and makes the process smoother.
Whether you're a business owner, a retailer, or a developer of POS printers, understanding receipt fonts will help you deliver a better customer experience.
Broadly, receipt fonts fall into two categories: resident fonts that come pre-installed in the printer, and downloadable external fonts that can be added for customization.
Typical fonts for receipts include:
Standard in most thermal printers, these two built-in fonts for receipt are used every day in retail, restaurants, convenience stores, and service counters. Both are simple monospaced designs, made for fast and clear thermal printing. Their main difference is font size.
Makes important details stand out. POS printers use this large, bold font for the store name, receipt number, and total, so customers can spot them instantly.
Saves paper while keeping receipts readable. Its smaller, compact style fits long, itemized lists and bills efficiently.
International standards for machine and human readability, widely used in banking and ticketing.
An early font with a mechanical, blocky look, designed for primitive scanners in the 1960s. It is highly recognizable by machines, but its sharp shapes make it less comfortable for everyday reading.
A newer version with smoother, more natural letters. It's still easy for machines to scan but also comfortable for people to read, which is why it's now widely used on bank receipts, tickets, and other official documents.
Some high-end receipt printers support TrueType fonts like Arial and Helvetica, which can be loaded through drivers or font libraries. As sans serif fonts, they look clean and modern, often used in digital receipts, invoices, and premium retail or hospitality settings.
However, since these fonts are not built into the printer, the driver has to convert them into images before printing, which makes the process slower than using native fonts like Font A or Font B.
The best fonts for receipts are the ones that keep text clear, quick to print, and easy to align. For most thermal POS printers, the best and most widely used options are Font A and Font B, as they are built-in, reliable, and optimized for everyday receipt printing.
In industries like banking or ticketing, OCR-B is often the preferred choice because it is easy for both people and machines to read. Some premium printers also support fonts such as Arial or Helvetica, although these are less common in everyday receipts.
If the default built-in receipt fonts are not ideal, businesses and developers often turn to free fonts that can be installed on PCs or software systems and printed through drivers (rasterized as images). Popular choices include:
A modern, clean monospaced font widely used in SaaS receipts and web-based POS systems. Released by Google under an open-source license, it supports multiple weights and offers excellent compatibility. Its clear character design and balanced spacing make it well-suited for numbers and structured layouts.
A simple, eye-friendly monospaced font originally designed for code and numerical data. With slightly wider letterforms, it remains sharp even at small sizes, ideal for receipts and ticket printing. It is free and open-source, and is especially popular among developers and designers.
Open-source alternatives to Courier, optimized for Linux and other open systems. Both are monospaced fonts that support a wide range of character sets, thus suitable for mixing numbers and text in receipt printing. They are free for both commercial and personal use.
Printing professional receipts takes more than the right font. You also need a POS printer you can trust. With the right match, every receipt comes out clear, neat, and easy to read—leaving customers with a better impression.
Need a reliable POS printing solution for your business? Check out HPRT receipt printers. They deliver crisp, professional receipts every time. With high-speed output and stable performance, they handle retail, F&B, logistics, and more—while keeping maintenance simple.
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