Which card machine paper roll fits your terminal

Most card machines take a thermal paper roll 57mm or 58mm wide and 40mm in diameter. Ingenico specifies 58mm wide x 40mm diameter (25mm diameter option) for the Move/5000 and Verifone 57mm wide x 40mm diameter for the V400m. The exceptions are larger countertop and EPOS printers, such as the PAX A80 (outer diameter 50mm) and the Clover Station (3⅛ inch wide by 230 feet).

Sizes from manufacturer datasheets and provider guides, checked 1 November 2026.

Card machine paper roll sizes by model

Each terminal links to the document the size was read from. PAX's datasheets give the roll's outer diameter but not its width, so we have not filled the width in.

The diameter matters more than the width

The 57mm and 58mm widths you will see on sale describe the same slot in practice: Ingenico's FAQ calls its roll 58mm wide, and Barclaycard's guide for an Ingenico portable calls the same roll 57mm. The figure that stops a printer cover closing is the diameter. Barclaycard's guide is blunt: "Attempting to fit rolls of a different size may damage your card machine." Every handheld in the table above takes a 40mm roll, so check the cage before buying anything bigger.

How to change a card machine till roll

1. Lift and release the printer cover with two fingers.
2. Peel away the end of the new roll, leave the end free and place the roll in the printer compartment.
3. Hold the free end and close the cover firmly until it locks.
4. At the ready screen, press and hold the paper feed key to check the paper feeds correctly.

Those are Barclaycard's steps for its portable machine; check your own guide for the paper feed key. If the receipt comes out blank, check the roll has not gone in the wrong way round. Elavon's fix for faint or jammed printing: check the paper is loaded correctly and the roller on the printer cover is clean and moves freely; if needed, wipe the compartment with a dry cloth and clear dust with compressed air.

Do you need to print receipts at all?

Not always. A shop taking £5,000 a month in £25 sales prints £5,000 ÷ £25 = 200 merchant slips a month, double that if every customer takes a copy. Barclaycard's portable prints only the merchant receipt unless the cardholder asks for one, and phone-based Tap to Pay has no printer at all. If paper is a recurring cost or nuisance, see taking card payments on your phone.

Frequently asked questions