Thermal adding machine and point-of-sale paper rolls can be used in thermal printers, which use heat transfer instead of ink to make printouts. They are less likely to smudge than standard paper rolls. They can be used for recordkeeping purposes, such as calculating expenses in small business applications. They can also be used in point-of-sale printers to provide printed copies of receipts.

Standard adding machine and point-of-sale paper rolls are suitable for printers that use ink ribbons or cartridges to make printouts. They may also be used for recordkeeping purposes, such as calculating expenses in small business applications, or with point-of-sale printers to provide printed copies of receipts.