The hardware we use in our POS system is nothing but the best. Most of the POS companies will tell ELO makes the best touch screen monitors on the planet, and we agree. In terms of image quality, color, contrast ratio and sharpness, driver support and features, nothing else even comes close. Yes, they cost a little more but like most things in life, you get what you pay for. ELO touch screen monitors are the de facto standard in the POS industry.

In those case where the added expense of a touch screen monitor is not desirable, we use Benq 19" LCD monitors. In terms of sharpness and clarity, they are among the best available and are very highly rated. While not in the same class as the ELO touch screen monitor, they are superb for any mouse-driven application where high resolution, sharpness and clarity are desirable traits.

In those instances where mounting monitors to a wall or other surface is required, we have that covered as well. Whether it be a vertical or horizontal surface, we can handle it and will create whatever kind of working environment around your POS system that works best for you. There are a variety of monitor mounting systems available that can adapt to virtually any scenario. All you have to do is show is where you want it and we'll do the rest.

The Epson TM-T88IV receipt printer is the most rugged and long lasting receipt printer on the market today. Yes, there are other receipt printers on the market, but none of them have the track record of the TM-T88IV. It is a true work horse of the printer and will last thru many years of hard use.

The Epson TM-T88IV receipt printer is a thermal printer. We like thermal printers because there are no ink cartridges to run dry or replace and because they provide a very high quality printer output.

The Epson software driver for this printer is extremely flexible and powerful and allows us to interface seamlessly with cash register drawers. pole displays (for displaying totals to your customers) and a variety of other peripheral devices.

We also like the USB version because cabling is so much simpler and our vendor provides it with a FREE USB cable, which is hard to beat. We have found an excellent source of low-cost thermal receipt printer roll paper and can supply that as well. Or, if you prefer, you can provide your own.

Printing receipts for your customers is what a POS system is all about. Trying to save a few dollars on a printer is like using inferior construction materials in a house. If you do that, sooner or later that house will come crashing down. So, why NOT get the best receipt printer on the planet? I just makes sense.

At Meal Tikit Pro, we are firm believers in NOT putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. What we mean by that is this: if you're using one of the all-in-one touch screen computers and touch screen monitor stops working, you have to box up and send off the whole thing --- computer and all --- for repair. If the hard drive or power supply or ANY part of the system fails, you're dead in the water. If one part of the system fails, the entire system is useless.

We are also believers in SMALLER is better. By that mean the computer case and building a computer that is as small as possible, yet very powerful. The case pictured to the right is a mere 7.5" high by 11.5" deep by 8" wide. That's small.

With a Meal Tikit Pro POS system, the workload is distributed --- NOT all-in-one. The monitor is a separate piece of hardware from the computer and the computer is built from off-the-shelf components that ANY computer tech can replace.

The components we use (CPU, RAM, hard drives, CD/DVD burners (for backups) are nothing but the best and are of extremely high quality. When WE build a computer, we build it to last and the only way to make that happen is by using the best quality components available.

We primarily use Intel CPUs. Specifically, the Core 2 Duo (dual-core) Wolfdale 45nm processors, the latest generation from Intel. They are the most highly rated and efficient processors Intel has ever created and they are energy misers. We don't believe in building a slug to handle one of THE most important jobs to your business. So, we don't skimp on anything.

We put 1 gigabyte of very high quality, performance oriented RAM in your system (Corsair, Crucial or OCZ). Since the video demands are fairly low, we choose an appropriate motherboard with built-in graphics chip (typically Intel GMA950) and the take the same approach with every aspect of the computers we build.

When all is said and done, you end up with a computer that is as powerful and reliable as any computer you'd want at home. That may seem on the surface to be over-kill, but when we're talking about a system to handle every sale your business generates, why would you want anything less?

There isn't a huge assortment of POS peripheral equipment out there but the more useful list of devices include;

Cash Drawer: a cash drawer is very useful if you want to use your POS system as a cash register. There are cash drawers that interface directly to the Epson receipt printers and when you print a receipt, the driver for the printer can be configured to automatically open the cash drawer. These are very high quality drawers that are available with multiple locks and can be mounted securely either under or on top of a counter.

Pole / Customer Display: a pole or customer display give your customers a warm fuzzy feeling. They allow your customers to actually see what their total charges are. There are pole and customers display that directly interface with the Epson line of POS hardware, which makes them very simple to implement.

There are other POS devices available, such as magnetic card readers (used to gift or rewards cards) and credit card processing terminals. These types of device are best support by a local merchant services providers, such as Bill Johnson of Western Merchant Services. Bill offers the best credit card processing services in Southern Oregon, as well as his famous Gift Card system. Give Bill a call. You won't regret it.