Printing

PAX A920 / A920 Pro / A80: load a receipt paper roll and which paper size to buy

Paper roll sizes for the PAX A920, A920 Pro and A80 (58 mm thermal) and how to load the roll the right way round so receipts print.

Applies to
PAX A920, A920 Pro, A80
Last reviewed
Oct 26, 2026 by Abdul Rashid

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Exact messages this covers

  • NPM

Check first

  • Is the paper thermal? Only one side of thermal paper prints (scratch it with a fingernail: the printing side marks).
  • Is the roll diameter small enough for the printer door to close?

Paper sizes and loading for the three PAX printers Allstar ships most: A920, A920 Pro and A80.

Before you start

  • Use thermal paper only. The A920 and A920 Pro take 58 mm x 40 mm rolls; the A80 takes 58 mm x 50 mm. An oversized roll will stop the door closing.
  • A new roll of the wrong orientation prints blank. Loading direction matters.

Steps

  1. Order the correct roll: A920 / A920 Pro 58 mm (2.28 in) x 40 mm (1.57 in) diameter; A80 58 mm (2.28 in) x 50 mm (1.97 in) diameter. These are 2-inch thermal printers with a manual tear bar. Expected: the roll fits and the door closes.
  2. Open the paper door on the back and remove the old core. Expected: empty compartment.
  3. Place the roll so the paper feeds off the top of the roll toward the cutter with the printing side facing out, and pull about 3 inches out. Expected: the tail lies under the cutter edge.
  4. Close the door over the paper and tear off the excess at a 45-degree angle against the cutter. Expected: door latched, clean paper edge.
  5. Print a test (Function > Reprint > Last Cust. Receipt, or a live transaction). Expected: printed text. Blank paper means the roll is backwards; turn it around.

If that did not work

If NPM (No Paper Mode) stays on screen with paper correctly loaded, see "PAX A920 / A920 Pro: receipt prints blank or will not print". A sensor fault or a door that will not latch needs Allstar support.

Sources

Stop and contact support if

  • NPM stays on screen with paper correctly loaded: the paper sensor may be faulty. Contact Allstar support.
  • Printer mechanism damaged or door will not latch: contact Allstar support.

Contact Allstar support (support@allstarterminals.com, 888-403-7066) with the model, serial number and a description of what prints.

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Notes

  • The paper size table on the PAX page is an image (six screenshots of PAX's 'Printer Specifications' page); values were read from the image. The A920 FAQ gives the A920 roll as 2 1/4 in wide x 1 1/2 in diameter x about 50 ft, which matches 58 x 40 mm.
  • PAX's own pages disagree on wording: the A920 FAQ says the paper should pull from the top of the roll; the Receipt Paper page says it feeds from underneath the roll. Both describe the roll placed so the thermal side faces the print head. If a test print is blank, turn the roll around.
  • The pax.us quick setup guides give no paper loading steps; only the A80 and A920Pro Duo guides mention tearing at 45 degrees.
  • The Function > Reprint path is inside the payment application and may differ by app.

Sources

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