The Element RW337D is a 9-pin impact kitchen printer that does two things a thermal printer cannot: it survives the heat of a working kitchen, and it prints up to three carbon copies in a single pass. Characters are struck through an ERC-38 ribbon into plain bond paper, so a docket clipped over a grill is just as readable at the end of service as it was when it printed.
All three interfaces are fitted as standard, Ethernet, serial and USB, and the power supply sits inside the chassis rather than in a separate adapter. At $339 it undercuts both the Epson TM-U220IIB and the Bixolon SRP-275III while being the only one of the three rated for 3-ply.
Three copies from one print
Multi-part paperwork is the reason impact printers are still specified in 2026, and the RW337D is unusually capable here. It takes standard 2-ply and 3-ply carbonless bond, so a single print produces two or three physically separate dockets that cannot drift out of sync the way a reprint can.
Where that pays off:
- Takeaway and delivery: kitchen copy, bag copy, driver copy, printed together.
- Dry cleaning and laundry: customer ticket, garment ticket, office copy.
- Dispatch and trade counters: one copy with the goods, one signed, one filed.
- Hospitality: pass copy and kitchen copy without a second printer on the bench.
Both the Epson TM-U220 range and the Bixolon SRP-275III stop at one original plus one copy, so the third sheet is genuinely a point of difference rather than a specification footnote. Single-ply plain bond runs on it as well if you only need the one docket.
Key features
- 9-pin serial impact mechanism at 80 x 144 dpi, up to 4.7 lines per second
- Ethernet, serial (RS-232) and USB all fitted as standard
- 1-ply, 2-ply and 3-ply plain carbonless bond
- Four paper widths: 80mm, 76mm, 69.5mm and 57.5mm
- Black and red printing from a two-colour ERC-38 ribbon
- Internal power supply, no external adapter to mount or lose
- Partial and full auto-cutter that clears its own errors
- Clamshell cover and drop-in loading for quick roll changes
- Anti-jam design plus a paper-saving mode
- Cash drawer kick-out port for one or two drawers
- 17 codepages and a 64KB receive buffer
Specifications
| Brand | Element |
| Model | RW337D |
| SKU | PRELRW337D001 |
| Print method | 9-pin serial impact dot matrix |
| Print speed | Up to 4.7 lines per second |
| Resolution | 80 x 144 dpi |
| Columns | 33 (Font A) or 40 (Font B) on 76 mm paper |
| Paper widths | 80 mm, 76 mm, 69.5 mm and 57.5 mm |
| Paper type | Plain bond, single-ply 0.06 mm to 0.085 mm |
| Carbon copies | Standard 2-ply and 3-ply carbonless bond, 0.05 mm to 0.08 mm per sheet |
| Colour | Black and red from a two-colour ERC-38 ribbon |
| Ribbon | ERC-38 cartridge, the same one the Epson TM-U220 range uses |
| Ribbon life | About 3,000,000 characters black, or 1,500,000 black plus 750,000 red |
| Interfaces | Ethernet, serial (RS-232) and USB, all fitted |
| Cash drawer | Kick-out port for 1 or 2 drawers |
| Auto-cutter | Partial and full cut with automatic error recovery |
| Codepages | 17 |
| Receive buffer | 64 KB |
| Power supply | Internal. AC 100-240V 50/60 Hz, no external adapter |
| Print head life | 150,000,000 characters |
| Mechanism life | 10,000,000 lines |
| Cutter life | 800,000 cuts |
| Operating range | 5°C to 45°C, 20% to 90% RH |
| Dimensions | 160 (W) x 245 (D) x 154 (H) mm |
| Weight | 3.0 kg |
| Warranty | 12 Months Return to Base |
Specifications are taken from Element's RW337D brochure and Receipt Service Manual. Element's marketing summary quotes higher reliability headlines than the technical table in the same brochure; the engineering figures are used here, as confirmed by the service manual.
How it compares
| Printer | Interfaces | Speed | Power | Copies | Paper widths | Price |
| Element RW337D (this printer) | Ethernet, serial, USB | 4.7 lps | Internal | Up to 3-ply | 4 widths | $339.00 |
| Epson TM-U220IIB | Ethernet | 6.0 lps | PS-180 external adapter | 2-ply | 3 widths | $465.00 |
| Bixolon SRP-275III | USB, serial, Ethernet | 5.1 lps | Internal | 2-ply | 76.5 mm only | $455.00 |
All three are impact printers on plain bond running the same ERC-38 ribbon, so consumables do not change if you switch. The Epson is the quickest and the safest bet for POS compatibility, the Bixolon is the shallowest on a tight counter, and the Element is the cheapest while being the only one that handles 3-ply and offers a choice of four widths.
Setting it up in a kitchen
Commission it on Ethernet and it becomes a network device with its own IP address, which is what most cloud and tablet POS platforms expect from a kitchen printer. Orders from any terminal land at the pass on paper that will not fade. Fit a black and red ribbon and push allergens and modifiers to red so they cannot be skim-read, and load 2-ply or 3-ply where copies have to leave the kitchen with the order.
The noise is a feature rather than a fault. Staff hear a docket land over the extraction, which is exactly the failure mode of a silent thermal printer on a busy line.
What's in the box
- Element RW337D impact kitchen printer in black
- Mains lead, since the power supply is internal
- User guide and warranty card
Ribbons and paper are ordered separately so you can match them to the width and number of copies you actually run.
Keep it stocked
The RW337D needs plain bond, never thermal. Loading a thermal roll gives you a blank or barely visible docket.
Where it is used
- Restaurant and cafe kitchens: dockets that outlast the service.
- Takeaway and delivery: three copies, one print.
- Bars and clubs: drink dockets in a warm, wet environment.
- Dry cleaners and laundries: customer and garment tickets.
- Workshops and dispatch: multi-part job paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
How many copies can the RW337D print at once?
Up to three. It runs standard 2-ply and 3-ply carbonless bond, so one pass gives you two or three separate dockets rather than a single sheet. In a takeaway that means the kitchen copy, the bag copy and the driver copy printing together. In a workshop or dispatch bay it means one copy that travels with the job, one that gets signed and one for the file. No thermal printer can do this, because a thermal head only marks the sheet it heats.
Is 3-ply really supported on this model?
Yes, standard 3-ply carbonless bond runs on the RW337D. That puts it ahead of the impact printers it sits between on price: Epson rates the TM-U220 range for one original plus one copy, and the Bixolon SRP-275III is a 2-ply machine, so if a third copy is part of your paperwork the Element is the one that covers it. Pair it with our 76x76 3-ply bond rolls and keep to plain paper, since an impact mechanism will not mark thermal stock. Ring 1300 026 062 if you want us to check a roll before you commit to a box.
Why put an impact printer in a kitchen at all?
Because heat destroys thermal paper. A thermal docket relies on a coating that darkens when warmed, so a ticket clipped above a grill or sitting near a heat lamp can grey out or go solid black before the plate leaves the pass. The RW337D inks the characters into plain bond through a ribbon, which nothing in a kitchen environment can undo. The mechanism is also noisy enough to be heard over extraction and a full section, which a silent thermal unit is not.
Does it need a power brick?
No, the supply is inside the chassis. It takes a normal mains lead and that is the whole installation, with nothing extra to mount, hide or lose. Worth knowing if you are replacing an Epson TM-U220, which uses a separate PS-180 adapter that tends to disappear whenever a printer is moved between sites.
Which ribbon and paper should I order?
The ribbon is an ERC-38 cartridge, shared with the Epson TM-U220 range, so it is cheap and easy to keep spares of. Black suits most sites; the black and red version lets you throw allergens, modifiers and urgent items into red so they cannot be skimmed past. For paper, use plain bond in whichever of the four widths your dockets need, with 76mm being the usual kitchen choice, and switch to 2-ply or 3-ply carbonless when you want the extra copies.
What connections does it come with?
All three are built in: Ethernet, serial RS-232 and USB. You commission it on whichever one the site needs, so a single part number covers a networked kitchen printer addressed by IP, a USB unit beside the terminal, or a serial connection into an older purpose-built system. That flexibility is useful for multi-site operators who would rather hold one spare printer than three.
Will it run with my POS?
It is ESC/POS compatible with 17 codepages and the three standard interfaces, so it generally drops into anything already set up for a TM-U220 class kitchen printer. Platforms vary, though, so confirm it against your provider's hardware list or call us on 1300 026 062 and we will check your setup before you order.
Can it drive a cash drawer?
Yes, there is a kick-out port and it can control one or two drawers, so the same unit can cover a front counter as well as the kitchen if that is how your floor is laid out.
How long does it last, and what cover does it come with?
Element rates the mechanism at 10 million lines, the print head at 150 million characters and the cutter at 800,000 cuts. It also clears cutter errors by itself and has an anti-jam design, both of which matter more than headline figures when you are mid-service. Cover is 12 Months Return to Base.
RW337D or the Epson TM-U220IIB?
Take the Epson if raw speed and maximum POS compatibility decide it: 6.0 lines per second against 4.7, and it is the model most Australian venues and POS providers were built around. Take the Element if you want 3-ply, four paper widths, all three interfaces on one unit and no external adapter, at a lower price. Both use the same ERC-38 ribbon and the same bond rolls, so the running costs are identical either way.
The Element RW337D is a tri-interface 9-pin impact kitchen printer for Australian hospitality, retail and trade counters. It prints black and red on plain bond at up to 4.7 lines per second, takes 1-ply, 2-ply and 3-ply stock across four widths, has an internal power supply and an auto-cutter, and runs the common ERC-38 ribbon. Supplied with a 12 Months Return to Base warranty and shipped Australia-wide by POS Sales Australia. See more Kitchen Printers and Impact / Dot Matrix Receipt Printers.
Interface:
Ethernet
Interface:
Serial
Interface:
USB
Print Method:
Impact Dot Matrix (9-pin)
Brand:
Element
Model:
RW337D
SKU:
PRELRW337D001
Print Speed:
Up to 4.7 lines per second
Print Resolution:
80 x 144 dpi
Paper Type:
Plain bond (not thermal)
Paper Widths:
80 mm, 76 mm, 69.5 mm, 57.5 mm
Multi-Ply Support:
Standard 2-ply and 3-ply carbonless bond
Columns:
Font A 33 / Font B 40 at 76 mm
Colour Support:
Black
Colour Support:
Red
Ribbon:
ERC-38 cartridge
Auto-Cutter:
Partial and full cut, automatic error recovery
Cash Drawer:
Kick-out port, drives 1 or 2 drawers
Power Supply:
Internal, AC 100-240V 50/60 Hz (no external adapter)
Codepages:
17
Receive Buffer:
64 KB
Print Head Life:
150,000,000 characters
Print Mechanism Life:
10,000,000 lines
Cutter Life:
800,000 cuts
Dimensions:
160 (W) x 245 (D) x 154 (H) mm
Weight:
3.0 kg
Operating Temperature:
5C to 45C
Colour:
Black
Warranty:
12 Months Return to Base
1300 026 062
