What Star Micronics does

Star Micronics is a global manufacturer of point-of-sale (POS) hardware, established around 1990 and operating as a privately held subsidiary of the Japanese parent Star Micronics Co., Ltd. The EMEA business is headquartered in Stoke Mandeville, UK, and serves European, Middle Eastern, and African markets with a multi-language website and channel-led distribution. The company describes itself as one of the world's largest POS printer providers and positions the largest available product range across POS, mPOS, label, and mobile thermal printers.

The product portfolio spans receipt printers (TSP100IIU+, TSP100III, TSP100IV, mC-Print2, mC-Print3, TSP700II, TSP800II, SP700 matrix printer), the combined mPOP printer-and-cash-drawer terminal, mobile Bluetooth printers (SM-S230i, SM-T300i, SM-T400i), direct thermal label printers (mC-Label2, mC-Label3, TSP100IVSK), kiosk printers (SK1-211, SK1-311, SK1-41, SK4, SK5), cash drawers and controllers (CD4, CB2002, mC-Connect Drawer), barcode scanners (BSH-20U, BSH-32U), and accessories including tablet stands and customer displays. The portfolio is unified by proprietary connectivity and software layers: CloudPRNT for direct cloud-to-printer communications, SteadyLAN and SteadyLAN+ for USB-C and Lightning network/charging tethering to tablets, TetherLAN for 4G/5G sharing, futurePRNT software for receipt design, and the StarIO.Online and Star Cloud Services platforms for managed device management and browser-based printing.

The business model is predominantly one-time hardware sales distributed through an indirect channel network (software and hardware solution partners, ISV design-ins) formalized under the StarVIP Partner Programme, with supplementary direct sales for mid-market enquiries and developer support for integration partners. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Reference customers span UK enterprise retail and hospitality (Costa Coffee, Premier Inn, New Look, Specsavers, Argos, Hamleys, Prezzo), with additional ISV and SMB references (Evoke, SKY POS, Dinnerly, Kodypay, FS Holding). Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the entity operates as a subsidiary of the Japanese parent with no venture or private equity funding.

Name

Star Micronics

Legal name

Star Micronics

Website

https://star-emea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

POS Printers

NAICS

Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (334118)

SIC

Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577)

akta.pro primary industry

POS Terminals & All-in-One Retail Computers (HDACAKAA)

Keywords

• POS printers
• Receipt printers
• Mobile printers
• Label printers
• Kiosk printers

Headquarters

HQ city

High Wycombe

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. POS Hardware Sales: Sale of point-of-sale hardware including receipt printers, mobile printers, label printers, kiosk printers, cash drawers, barcode scanners, tablet stands, and accessories. One-time purchase model with no recurring software fees for core functionality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Star Micronics manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of POS hardware including direct thermal receipt printers, mobile printers, label printers, kiosk printers, cash drawers, and barcode scanners. The hardware is complemented by proprietary cloud printing technology (CloudPRNT), tablet connectivity solutions (SteadyLAN), and managed cloud services (StarIO.Online, Star Cloud Services). Products are designed for retail, hospitality, logistics, healthcare, transport, and self-service kiosk applications, sold primarily through channel partners and direct enterprise sales.

Product overview

Star Micronics is a global manufacturer of POS hardware with one of the largest portfolios of printing solutions, cash management, and customer engagement products. The offering spans multiple interconnected product lines: receipt printers (TSP100 series including TSP100IIU+, TSP100III, TSP100IV, and TSP100IVSK linerless variant), compact mC-Print series (mC-Print2 and mC-Print3), the combined mPOP POS terminal, mobile printers (SM-S230i, SM-T300i, SM-T400i), label printers (mC-Label3, mC-Label2), kiosk printers (SK5, SK4, SK1-311, SK1-211, SK1-41 series), cash drawers (CD4, CB2002, mC-Connect controller), and barcode scanners (BSH-20U, BSH-32U). These products are unified by Star's proprietary technologies including CloudPRNT for cloud printing, futurePRNT for receipt design, and SteadyLAN for USB-C tablet connectivity. The ecosystem is complemented by cloud services (StarIO.Online, Star Cloud Services) and supported by multi-platform SDKs (StarXpand, StarPRNT) for integration into retail, hospitality, logistics, and kiosk applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mCollection: Star's product line of compact, modern POS printers including mC-Print series, mC-Label series, and mPOP combined printer-cash drawer solutions.
• futurePRNT
• CloudPRNT
• SteadyLAN
• Star Cloud Services

Products and services

• TSP100 Series Receipt Printers Industry-leading direct thermal POS receipt printer series with 80mm paper width, available in USB, Ethernet LAN, WLAN, and Bluetooth variants. Features futurePRNT software for receipt redesign and marketing tools. Includes TSP100IIU+, TSP100III, and TSP100IV models with 4-year warranty.
• mC-Print Series Receipt Printers Compact thermal receipt printers in cube design including mC-Print2 (58mm, 100mm/s) and mC-Print3 (80mm, up to 400mm/s). Features SteadyLAN technology, multi-connectivity, CloudPRNT, and IP22 splash-proof design for tablet POS and retail environments.
• mPOP POS Terminal

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 year warranty as standard on TSP100 series printers including print head and cutter
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Star Partner Programme (StarVIP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStar Partner Programme offering extensive network of software and hardware solution partners providing POS, Labelling and Self-Service applications. Partners receive dedicated integration support, sales and marketing support, and access to Star resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Epson: Global market leader in POS thermal receipt printers (TM-T20, TM-m30 series) directly competing with Star's TSP100 and mC-Print families across retail, hospitality, and mPOS use cases with comparable connectivity options.
• Brother: Major POS and mobile printer manufacturer (RJ/TD/PT series) competing head-to-head with Star in retail receipt, mobile, and label printing with similar mPOS and Bluetooth connectivity offerings.
• Bixolon: Korean POS printer specialist offering thermal receipt (SRP), mobile (SPP-R series), and kiosk printers that compete directly with Star's TSP, SM, and SK product lines for retail and hospitality customers globally.
• Custom Group: Italian POS hardware manufacturer with receipt printers, fiscal printers, and kiosk solutions competing directly with Star's EMEA portfolio, particularly strong in European retail and fiscal print markets.
• Citizen Systems: POS thermal printer manufacturer (CT-S line) targeting similar retail, hospitality, and self-service kiosk segments with comparable desktop and mobile printer offerings to Star's portfolio.
• SII (Seiko Instruments): Japanese competitor producing thermal POS printers (RP and DPU series) including mobile and embedded kiosk printers, with a similar vertical mix to Star's products in retail and self-service.

Broad incumbents

• Zebra Technologies: Enterprise barcode/mobile computing and print giant whose ZD and ZQ receipt/label printers overlap with Star's label and mobile lines, but operates at a much larger scale across broader enterprise mobility.
• NCR Voyix: Major retail POS platform provider whose hardware ecosystem includes receipt printers; competes with Star indirectly as a platform vendor that often dictates or recommends peripheral hardware.
• POSIFLEX Technology: POS terminal and peripheral manufacturer producing all-in-one POS systems and printers, overlapping with Star at the intersection of POS hardware and integrated solutions for retail/hospitality.

Emerging players

• CognitiveTPG: Smaller US-based POS receipt printer specialist focused on retail and hospitality thermal printers, providing an alternative to Star and Epson with comparable connectivity and integration focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/staremea
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/StarPOSPrinters?feature=mhee
• Facebookfacebook.com/StarMicronicsEMEA
• Instagraminstagram.com/starmicronicsemea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/star-micronics-emea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Star Micronics