SAM4s 900 series review

SAM4s last year released the highly anticipated ER-900 series of cash registers. There are four registers in this series. two are made for retail stores and two designed with food service in mind.

The SAM4s ER-925, ER-945 For Retail Merchants Applications like Retail, Gift Shops, convenience Stores, Beer/Wine/Liquor, Specialty Food, Produce, Meat, Main Street Merchants. The traditional raised-key keyboard provides 21 keyboard PLU keys and can be expanded by your SAM4s dealer to
63 PLU keys. Keyboard PLUs act like traditional departments for open-priced entries or can be set as preset price keys. Large key size ensures easy-to-read key labels. Merchants who wish to scan can build their PLU file on the fly using the not-found PLU registration feature.

The SAM4s ER-920, ER-940 For Food Service Applications Cafeterias, Quick Service, Concessions, Ice Cream /Frozen Yogurt Stands, Hamburger Sandwich, Pizza, Coffee, Bakery, Deli’s, Bars Preset PLUs facilitate fast and accurate registrations. With 150 key locations, the flat, spill-resistant keyboard can easily accommodate large menus with preset keys for each item. Where menus change daily with breakfast, lunch or dinner times the paper key-sheet under the overlay is easily exchanged. A simplified check tracking feature is available for bars and cafes

Thermal Printer choices include a single printer or traditional receipt and journal model. Both versions provide fast, quiet thermal printing. Drop-in loading simplifies paper changing and
virtually eliminates paper jamming. Receipt & Journal Printer Models; ER-940, ER-945. Use a two-printer model when a  customer receipt and a traditional real-time printed journal is needed for sales archival. Single Printer Models; ER-920, ER-925 Single printer models are best for receipt-only or
journal-only applications. If you choose a single printer model for printing receipts, you can record your journal electronically in the register’s memory.

Integrated Credit, Debit and Gift Card Payments. Electronic payment sales can be processed in a single step at the SAM4s ER-900 with an optional DataTran™ integrated payment appliance.  The ER-900 Series is electronic payment and gift card processing ready – no additional software
modules are required. Free gift card processing is available through selected processing partners.  Transactions can be processed in two seconds or less using the latest IPTran or TwinTran technology and a persistent internet connection.

Need help selecting which one would work best for you call us at 1-800-863-2274

SAM4s SPS-320 cash register review

The SAM4s SPS-320 is a welcome new release to the SAM4s line up of powerful registers. The SPS-300 series is replacing the popular SAM4s ER-650 with some great new features. The first huge improvement started in creating a series instead of two models like the 650 and the 650R which had some big limits. The 300 series includes models with flat keyboards and raised but also with receipt only and receipt and journal models. The series is made up of the following:

• SAM4s SPS-320 with flat keyboard and single printer
• SAM4s 340 Flat Keyboard and dual printers (receipt and journal)
• SAM4s SPS-345 raised keys and dual printers 9receipt and journal)

The keyboard on the SPS-320 is much larger than the 650 making it more attractive for restaurants. One of the biggest advances is the SD card port which has been lacking in cash registers in the past. The SD card will let you back up and restore programming, update firmware and download sales reports. Giving the register more scalability they have included 2 serial ports and have 2 additional available as options. These serial ports allow you have more options than the 650 did. For example now you can have a PC interface, a bar code scanner, a credit card interface and still have a port left over!

You will love the easy programming with the 8 line LCD display or if you would like to use it the register comes with free programming software however make sure and buy the cables need to interface.

Overall this is a great model and should be around for a long time! Call if you have any questions about buying 1-800-863-2274

Adding a Datacap TwinTran to your cash register

Datacap TwinTran w/built in MSR attached to Sharp cash register

We get a lot of people calling to get information regarding the Datacap TwinTran or one of their other Tran products that turn your cash register into a credit card machine as well.

Datacap's are great products and once set up and working you'll forget they are ever even there. First you need to decide which model you want from the three choices of DialTran, IPTran, and the most popular TwinTran model. You then decide if you need a built in magnetic card reader or not. Then the most crucial choice is Single lane or multi-lane and with or with out gift card support.

Most customers use Mercury Payments for merchant processing when interfacing with a Datacap however you do not have to. Datacap devices work with most every major provider of merchant services on the market.

I caution not to try and deploy a Datacap without a cash register dealer such as our company to assist you. Many cash registers can be installed very well by yourself but don't try the same thing with a Datacap. Pay the dealer for the support because you will be much happier in the long run.

Yes Datacaps are not cheap, however they are worth the expense. They speed up your cash register lines, they decrease or eliminate errors as well as help bring fraud to a screeching halt. My company has deployed hundreds of Datacaps and I can't remember being ask to take any of them off a cash register!

So here is a great place to buy a Datacap TwinTran and get some information about them. You can also just call us if you are serious about buying a twinTran or you have one and need it reprogrammed for a different merchant services.

SAM4s SPS-530F 7" Graphic Display

SAM4s make a really great device you can add to your cash register that provides advertising and promotions to your customers right there in line with their wallet in hand! The item I'm talking about is the 7"Graphic Display. This device shows the customer their sale details on one third of the screen while the remaining two thirds rotates through jpeg images that you have loaded that are only limited by your creativity.

The SAM4s 7" Graphic Display works with many of the SAM4s cash registers not just the SPS-500 series cash registers. Easy to install and can be added after the fact so don't worrry if you did not add this when you bought your cash register.

What you need to know before buying a cash register

Here is a quick buyers guide to consider when buying a new cash register for a retail operation. Make a list of your answers to give to the company you end up calling to make sure you get the right register.

Questions to answer before buying a new cash register for a retail store.

1. Do I need a receipt and journal or receipt only?
2. How many departments/groups do I need?
3. Will I use a bar code scanner or just key prices into open departments.
4. If scanning how many UPC's will my register need to hold.
5. How many tax rates do I need?
6. Will I have more than one register in my store?
7. Do I need to connect to a PC for any reason?
8. Do I want to interface my cash register to a credit card terminal?
9. Do I want to program the cash register myself or prefer a turnkey solution

So these are the basic questions to answer before you begin shopping. There are more however the above questions should lead to more questions if needed like how much memory you will need, what type of scanner you may need etc.

This questions work rather you are looking at a SAM4s cash register, or a commercial grade Sharp cash register. If you have any questions about buying your new register give us a call at 1-800-863-2274

SAM4s cash register support

We support SAM4s cash registers all over North America. Most register dealers made a transition into POS systems years a go and forgot all about cash registers and in most cases getting out of the register business. We did kind of the opposite we grew our POS business but also grew our cash register business until we started selling and supporting SAM4s cash registers all over North America. Many people are surprised to find that we sell SAM4s cash registers into Canada all the time!

We have service technicians that are experts on the current SAM4s line up as well as the older discontinued models. We can support SAM4s credit card interfaces with Datacap TwinTrans, PC POLL, SAM software, bar code scanning, kitchen printing and even kitchen video.

Many problems are really just a matter of support and instruction. Of course sometime you may have a broken machine that needs to be repaired and we can do that too.

We have been in business since 1972 and we look forward to working with you call us at 1-800-863-2274

Replace your cash register keyboard cover

When your keyboard cover gets cloudy and difficult to see through it is time for a new one. If you wait to long there will start to rip and leave your register unprotected.

Here are links to buy covers for the popular new models from SAM4s

• SAM4s SPS-520F cash register keyboard cover
• SAM4s SPS-530F cash register keyboard cover
• SAM4s SPS-320 cash register keyboard cover
• SAM4s SPS-340 cash register keyboard cover
• SAM4s ER-920 cash register keyboard cover
• SAM4s ER-940 cash register keyboard cover

Buy two so you have one to replace the old one and one on hand when you need it. And when you install a new cover you might as well print yourself a new keyboard overlay. If you wish to order via phone just call 1-800-863-2274