Duluth, Ga.-based NCR Corp. is now making its patented two-sided thermal printing technology a standard on all NCR SelfServ 20- and 30-series ATMs that are delivered in North America.

Through intelligent deposit, check images are printed on the ATM receipt to validate the deposit. According to a news release, NCR’s 2ST printing technology improves the efficiency of the printing process by allowing simultaneous printing on both the front and back side of a receipt, label or other media. By printing on both the front and back side, 2ST printing also provides significant environmental benefit, using as much as 45 percent less paper.

ATMs with 2ST printers also can print intelligent deposit receipts up to 73 percent faster than competing technology. NCR recently added 2ST printing in combination with a dual-roll printing feature, further reducing paper use and increasing cost savings to the ATM deployer. 

The adoption rate of 2ST is growing, NCR says. New 2009 2ST printer installations are on track to more than double from the current installed base in retail, financial and other industries —installations include BNZ, one of New Zealand’s largest financial institutions. 

All North American financial institutions ordering NCR SelfServ 20- or 30-series ATMs will receive integrated 2ST printers based on network support. Certifications for this technology among the major networks are scheduled, and most should be complete by the end of 2009 for U.S. APTRA Edge v3.01.

“Two-sided printing is the new standard for receipt printing around the world, and we believe printing on both sides of the receipt is a natural extension of any intelligent deposit program,” said Michael O’Laughlin, vice president and general manager of NCR Financial Services. “By making 2ST a standard offering on NCR SelfServ, we will help our customers improve uptime and availability, reduce paper waste and supply chain costs, and give consumers a better — and complete – intelligent deposit experience.”

Worldwide, retailers and other institutions use more than 508,200,000 pounds of paper each year to print receipts. In the U.S. alone, receipt paper consumption is as high as 228,690,000 pounds per year. 2ST can help financial institutions meet their environmental goals and reduce worldwide paper consumption, while improving customer experience, by printing on both sides of the receipt.

In addition, NCR SelfServ ATMs help reduce the maintenance carbon footprint compared to older generations as they require less energy and paper and fewer engineer call-outs. A 25 percent reduction in the physical cabling over previous generations of ATMs, combined with LED lighting, also helps reduce power wastage.