Receipt Image Printer

A Node.js SDK that converts receipts to images for thermal printers. Solves the language encoding problem by rendering text as images instead of relying on printer character sets.

Perfect for printing receipts in Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Thai, or any language without worrying about printer encoding support.

Why Use This?

Traditional thermal printer libraries rely on the printer's built-in character sets, which often don't support:

• Arabic (RTL languages)
• Chinese/Japanese characters
• Hebrew, Thai, Korean, etc.

This library renders everything as an image, so any language that can be displayed in a browser font will work perfectly on your thermal printer.

Features

• ✅ Any language support - Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Thai, etc.
• ✅ RTL (Right-to-Left) support - Perfect Arabic/Hebrew rendering
• ✅ Bilingual receipts - Mix languages freely
• ✅ 80mm thermal printer support (ESC/POS)
• ✅ Generate receipt images (PNG buffer)
• ✅ Direct USB printing
• ✅ Cash drawer control - Open drawer with custom kick codes
• ✅ Barcode support (CODE128, EAN13, etc.)
• ✅ Customizable layout
• ✅ TypeScript definitions included

Installation

npm install receipt-image-printer

Requirements

• Node.js >= 14.0.0
• USB thermal printer (80mm)

Quick Start

const ThermalReceiptPrinter = require('receipt-image-printer');

const printer = new ThermalReceiptPrinter();

const receiptData = {
  storeNameArabic: "المتجر الكبير",
  storeName: "Big Shop Store",
  storeInfo: {
    address: "123 Main Street, Cairo",
    phone: "Tel: +20 123 456 7890"
  },
  receiptInfo: {
    date: "2025-10-01 14:30",
    receiptNumber: "1234567",
    cashier: "Ahmed"
  },
  items: [
    { nameArabic: "كولا", name: "Cola", qty: 2, price: 5.00 },
    { nameArabic: "خبز", name: "Bread", qty: 1, price: 3.50 },
    { nameArabic: "حليب", name: "Milk", qty: 3, price: 8.00 }
  ],
  subtotal: 29.50,
  tax: 4.13,
  taxRate: 14,
  total: 33.63,
  currency: "EGP",
  payment: {
    method: "Cash",
    change: 6.37
  },
  thankYouMessageArabic: "شكراً لزيارتكم",
  thankYouMessage: "Thank you for your visit!",
  barcode: "1234567890",
  website: "www.bigshop.com",
  logo: true
};

// Print to USB thermal printer
await printer.print(receiptData);

// Print and open cash drawer
await printer.print(receiptData, { openDrawer: true });

// Get image buffer (for preview/display)
const imageBuffer = printer.getImage(receiptData);

API Reference

Constructor

new ThermalReceiptPrinter(options)

Options:

• width (number): Receipt width in pixels. Default: 512 (80mm)
• tempDir (string): Directory for temporary files. Default: process.cwd()

Methods

print(receiptData, options)

Prints receipt to USB thermal printer.

Parameters:

• receiptData (ReceiptData): Receipt configuration object
• options (PrintOptions): Print options
  • density ('s8' | 's24' | 'd8' | 'd24'): Print density. Default: 'd24'
  • openDrawer (boolean): Open cash drawer after printing. Default: false
  • kickCode (string): Custom kick code for drawer (e.g., "27,112,0,148,49")

Returns: Promise<PrintResult>

openCashDrawer(options)

Opens cash drawer without printing.

Parameters:

• options (DrawerOptions): Drawer options
  • kickCode (string): Custom kick code (e.g., "27,112,0,148,49")
  • pin (number): Pin number (0 or 1). Default: 0
  • onTime (number): ON time in milliseconds. Default: 120ms
  • offTime (number): OFF time in milliseconds. Default: 240ms

Returns: Promise<{ success: boolean, message: string }>

getImage(receiptData)

Returns receipt as PNG image buffer (for preview/display).

Parameters:

• receiptData (ReceiptData): Receipt configuration object

Returns: Buffer - PNG image buffer

Receipt Data Structure

interface ReceiptData {
  // Store information
  storeName?: string;
  storeNameArabic?: string;
  storeInfo?: {
    address?: string;
    phone?: string;
  };

  // Receipt metadata
  receiptInfo?: {
    date?: string;
    receiptNumber?: string;
    cashier?: string;
  };

  // Items (required)
  items: Array<{
    name?: string;
    nameArabic?: string;
    qty: number;
    price: number;
  }>;

  // Totals
  subtotal?: number;
  tax?: number;
  taxRate?: number;
  total: number; // required
  currency?: string;

  // Payment
  payment?: {
    method?: string;
    change?: number;
  };

  // Footer
  thankYouMessage?: string;
  thankYouMessageArabic?: string;
  barcode?: string | {
    value: string;
    format?: 'CODE128' | 'CODE39' | 'EAN13' | 'EAN8' | 'UPC';
  };
  website?: string;
  logo?: boolean;
}

Examples

Print Receipt

const ThermalReceiptPrinter = require('receipt-image-printer');

const printer = new ThermalReceiptPrinter();

const receiptData = {
  storeName: "My Store",
  items: [
    { name: "Item 1", qty: 2, price: 10.00 }
  ],
  total: 20.00
};

// Print to thermal printer
await printer.print(receiptData);

// Print and open cash drawer
await printer.print(receiptData, { openDrawer: true });

Get Image Buffer (for preview/display)

// Get image as buffer
const imageBuffer = printer.getImage(receiptData);

// Use in web server, display in UI, etc.
// Or save to file if needed
const { writeFileSync } = require('fs');
writeFileSync('./preview.png', imageBuffer);

Open Cash Drawer

// Open with default settings
await printer.openCashDrawer();

// Open with custom kick code
await printer.openCashDrawer({
  kickCode: '27,112,0,148,49'
});

// Open with custom timing
await printer.openCashDrawer({
  pin: 0,
  onTime: 120,
  offTime: 240
});

Print with Custom Density

await printer.print(receiptData, {
  density: 's24' // Lower density for faster printing
});

Arabic Only Receipt

const receiptData = {
  storeNameArabic: "متجري",
  items: [
    { nameArabic: "منتج", qty: 1, price: 15.00 }
  ],
  total: 15.00,
  thankYouMessageArabic: "شكراً"
};

await printer.print(receiptData);

With Custom Barcode Format

const receiptData = {
  storeName: "My Store",
  items: [{ name: "Item", qty: 1, price: 10.00 }],
  total: 10.00,
  barcode: {
    value: "123456789012",
    format: "EAN13"
  }
};

await printer.print(receiptData);

Troubleshooting

Printer Not Found

Make sure your USB printer is connected and drivers are installed:

# Linux - Install libusb
sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev

# macOS - No additional setup needed

# Windows - Install zadig driver

Arabic Text Issues

The library handles Arabic RTL rendering automatically. Make sure to use the nameArabic fields for Arabic text.

Image Too Large

Adjust the width option:

const printer = new ThermalReceiptPrinter({
  width: 384 // For 58mm printers
});

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.