Using Fiscal Printer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

First cash registers and now this? Not quite!
Since there are a couple of things that many people confuse, let's clear those issues first.

1.    Cash registers and fiscal printers are not the same thing and you are not required to buy them both. Both perform the same job, so you will either buy a cash register of a fiscal printer, not both.
2.    Physical printers are not normal printers. When most people start a business,
they buycomputers, printers, scanners and other office equipment. So most people will say, if I am going to buy a printer later, why don’t I buy the fiscal printer now and its ‘two birds with one stone’. You can NOT do that because fiscal printers are strictly used for payment purpose and they can’t be used to print other office documents.

Unlike a cash register, you will perform all your operations on a computer when using a fiscal printer. This is where a POS software comes into play. I’m sure you’ve heard many advertisements on the TV or the radio from POSLAND software, Haron Computer and CNET. These companies and few others develop and sell POS software all over Ethiopia. This POS (point of sale) software is used to print receipts, generate z-report, print attachments and other operations that you are required to perform. This means that you must buy the software to use the fiscal printer.
I have seen samples of most of the POS software and I really liked the POS software developed by POS Land, PEDS (Professional Electronic Data Systems Plc) and CNET. But that’s just me and I’m sure somebody might prefer POS software from Victory software solutions, Haron Plc or Hilmark Ethiopia Plc.
Some of these POS systems come packaged with other software modules which allow you to control inventory, manage clients and many more. Most super markets and some factories around Addis Ababa are using fiscal printer. The fiscal printer is ideal for super markets because it allows for control of inventory items.

If you would like to buy a fiscal printer, head on to the nearest Ethiopian revenues and customs authority office and ask for a list of suppliers.