Bixolon SRP-S300 Linerless POS Printer: Specs and Buying Guide
Every roll of self-adhesive labels you have ever used came with a second roll of waste attached to it. The silicone-coated backing paper that carries the labels is thrown away the moment the label is peeled, and it takes up roughly half the diameter of the roll on the way.
The Bixolon SRP-S300 is a 3-inch direct thermal printer built to run linerless media, which removes that backing entirely. It prints both receipts and adhesive labels from the same unit, connects over USB and Ethernet, and weighs 4.4 lbs. For food service, delivery and grocery operations it solves a daily problem that standard receipt printers cannot touch.
What linerless actually means
Conventional label stock is a sandwich. The label material carries the adhesive, and a silicone-coated liner stops it sticking to itself on the roll. When you apply the label, the liner becomes waste.
Linerless media removes the liner and instead coats the printed face of the material with a release layer. The adhesive on the back of one wrap sits against the release coating of the wrap beneath it, so the roll unwinds cleanly without a carrier.
Three practical consequences follow, and they are the whole reason the format exists.
More label on the same roll. With no liner occupying space, a roll of the same outside diameter holds substantially more printable length. Fewer roll changes per shift, and less storage space for the same number of labels.
No liner waste. A busy takeaway kitchen producing several hundred order labels a day generates a bin of silicone-backed paper that cannot go in normal paper recycling. Linerless produces none of it.
Variable label length. Because there are no die-cut label boundaries, the printer cuts wherever you tell it to. A short item label and a long allergen label come off the same roll without changing stock.
Bixolon SRP-S300 specifications
| Part Number | SRP-S300TXOEK |
| Manufacturer | Bixolon |
| Product Family | SRP-S300 |
| Product Type | Thermal POS Receipt and Linerless Label Printer |
| Print Method | Direct Thermal |
| Paper Width | 3 inches |
| Media Types | Standard thermal receipt paper roll and linerless label media |
| Connectivity | USB, Ethernet |
| Weight | 4.4 lbs |
| Condition | Refurbished, function-tested |
| Warranty | 30-day Tech Seller USA warranty |
You cannot run linerless media in a standard receipt printer
This is the single most common and most expensive misunderstanding in this category, so it is worth stating plainly: putting linerless stock in a normal thermal receipt printer does not work, and it will cost you the printer.
The adhesive is exposed on the back of the media as it travels through the mechanism. In a standard printer it sticks to the platen roller, the paper path and the cutter blade. Within a few dozen labels the platen is coated, feed becomes erratic, and the cutter jams. Cleaning it out is a service call.
A linerless printer differs in three specific places. The platen roller carries a non-stick coating. The paper path is designed so the adhesive face touches as little as possible. And the cutter is coated and usually of a different type, because a standard guillotine gums up almost immediately.
The reverse is not a problem: this printer runs ordinary thermal receipt rolls as well, which is why it works as a general POS printer that can also produce labels when needed.
SKU: SRP-S300TXOEK | Refurbished & function-tested | USB & Ethernet | 30-day warranty
View Details & Request a Quote →Where linerless earns its place
Food service and takeaway. Order labels applied to bags, containers and cups. Variable length matters here because an allergen statement is longer than an item name, and a kitchen printing several hundred labels a day feels the roll-change saving immediately.
Delivery and dark kitchens. High label counts, tight bench space, and no one available to empty a liner bin mid-service.
Grocery and deli counters. Weighed-item labels of varying content, where the same roll has to serve short price labels and longer ingredient panels.
Coffee and quick service. Cup labels with drink modifications, printed one at a time, all shift.
It is the wrong printer where you need a die-cut label of an exact fixed size with precise registration, such as a shelf-edge label that has to sit inside a rail, or a compliance label with a required physical footprint. For those, a conventional label printer with die-cut stock is correct. Our linerless labels explained guide goes deeper on where the format fits, and label media selection covers choosing stock generally.
Direct thermal, and what it rules out
The SRP-S300 prints direct thermal, so there is no ribbon and no ink. Heat darkens the coated media directly. For receipts and short-life labels that is exactly right, and it is why POS printing has used the method for decades.
The limitation is durability. Direct thermal output fades with heat, light and abrasion over weeks to months. A food label consumed the same day, an order ticket, a receipt and a delivery label are all fine. An asset tag, a long-term inventory label, or anything living in a warm kitchen for months is not, and those need thermal transfer with a ribbon.
The other thing worth knowing is that direct thermal media varies enormously in quality, and cheap stock is the most common cause of poor print and premature printhead wear. Our guide on direct thermal versus thermal transfer printing sets out the trade-off properly.
USB and Ethernet, and why the network port matters
Both interfaces are fitted, and the choice between them is worth thinking about rather than defaulting.
USB is simplest for a single till where the printer sits beside the POS terminal. It needs no network configuration and no IP address to manage.
Ethernet becomes the better option as soon as more than one device needs to send to the printer, or the printer is not next to the terminal that drives it. A kitchen label printer fed by orders from three front-of-house tills has to be on the network. So does any printer driven by a cloud or tablet POS, where there is no host PC to plug into.
Ethernet also makes the printer survivable. If a till fails, a USB printer attached to it is out of service until the till is replaced; a networked printer keeps working from any other device. Our guide on print server versus direct IP printing covers how to set this up, and multi-site POS hardware rollout covers doing it across several locations.
Running costs: the part that surprises people
Linerless media generally costs more per roll than conventional label stock. Buyers see that and stop.
The comparison that matters is cost per label, not cost per roll, and the roll holds more labels. On top of that sit the savings that never appear on a media invoice: fewer roll changes, which is staff time during service; no liner waste handling and disposal; and less storage space for the same label count.
Whether it comes out ahead depends entirely on volume. A site printing a few dozen labels a day will not recover the media premium and should stay with conventional stock. A kitchen printing several hundred a day usually does. Work it out on your own numbers before switching a whole estate. Our guide on managing label consumables and spares covers the ordering side.
The printhead is the wear item, as on any thermal printer. Cleaning at every roll change is the single thing that extends its life most, and it takes seconds. See thermal printer maintenance.
Ordering
We supply the SRP-S300 refurbished and function-tested with a 30-day warranty, as single units or for a full estate. Tell us your daily label volume, your POS platform, and whether you need receipts, labels or both, and we will confirm the right configuration and media before you order. Browse our Bixolon range or the full printers and scanners catalogue.
Common questions
What is a linerless label printer?
It is a thermal printer designed to run adhesive label media that has no silicone backing paper. The printed face carries a release coating instead, so the roll unwinds without a liner. It needs a non-stick platen, a modified paper path and a coated cutter, which standard receipt printers do not have.
Can I put linerless media in my existing receipt printer?
No. The exposed adhesive sticks to the platen roller, paper path and cutter, and within a few dozen labels feed becomes erratic and the cutter jams. Clearing it is usually a service call. Linerless media needs a printer built for it.
Can the SRP-S300 also print normal receipts?
Yes. It runs standard thermal receipt rolls as well as linerless label media, which is why it works as a general POS printer that can produce adhesive labels when required.
Is linerless media more expensive?
Per roll usually yes, but the roll holds more label length because no liner takes up space, so compare cost per label rather than per roll. Add the saved roll changes and the absence of liner waste handling. High-volume sites typically come out ahead; low-volume sites usually do not.
Should I connect it by USB or Ethernet?
USB for a single till with the printer beside the terminal. Ethernet when several tills send to one printer, when the printer is not next to its host, or when the POS is cloud or tablet based. Ethernet also keeps the printer working if one till fails.
Send us your daily label count and POS platform and we will confirm whether linerless makes sense for your site before quoting.
