§1What this business is

The unit buys large jumbo reels of coated thermal paper and runs them through a slitting-rewinding machine that cuts and rewinds them into small rolls — POS, ATM, cash and fax rolls. A one-colour online flexo unit on the machine can print the back of the roll. No paper is made here; it is converting work.

Capacity: 1,200 rolls a day (8-hour shift, 300 days); year 1 at 50% — 1,80,000 rolls.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A trader or stationery supplier who already sells to shops, banks or POS dealers and wants to make rolls in-house.

Who it is not for

Someone without a buyer network — rolls sell on price and trust, through repeat orders.

Advantages

  • Every shop with a billing machine, every ATM and card terminal uses these rolls
  • One machine does the whole job
  • Small team and modest power
  • Can print bank or shop names on rolls for extra value

Drawbacks

  • Very thin profit in year 1 (₹0.98 lakh)
  • Jumbo reel price decides the margin
  • Digital receipts are cutting paper use, as the report notes
  • Short-length rolls by rivals spoil market trust

Skills you need

  • Slitter-rewinder operation
  • Buying jumbo reels well
  • Selling to retailers, banks and POS vendors
  • Quality checks on roll length and core

Why difficulty 2/5: One machine and a simple process; selling and buying reels well decide profit.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Supermarkets, grocery and retail shops with billing machines
  • Banks and ATM service firms
  • Ticketing, lottery and logistics firms

How it sells

  • Stationery and office-supply distributors
  • POS machine dealers
  • Direct supply to banks and chains

Good to know

  • The report lists POS systems, lottery and gaming, labels and tags, and ATM receipts as uses.
  • It also notes that BPA concerns and digital receipts may slow demand.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
ATM/POS/thermal roll slitting-rewinding machine with one-colour online flexo printing (unwind up to 1,000 mm reel, 8 sets of rotary cutters, 5 HP AC drive with PLC)1₹8.50 lakh

From: PMEGP sample project report — Thermal Paper Roll (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Jumbo thermal paper reels900 reels a year at full capacity at ₹8,000 each (₹72 lakh)
  • Cores and packing material

From: PMEGP sample project report — Thermal Paper Roll (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. Fire and pollution clearances as required
  4. Trademark for the brand
  5. Legal Metrology registration for packaged rolls

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

The report is drawn up for PMEGP (beneficiary margin 10% general, 5% special); MUDRA can fund up to ₹20 lakh; CGTMSE gives collateral-free cover.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Sample report total ₹15.30 lakh: plant & machinery ₹8.50 lakh, furniture & fixtures ₹1.25 lakh, working capital ₹5.55 lakh; land and 2,000 sq ft shed own or rented. Finance: term loan ₹8.78 lakh, working capital ₹5.00 lakh, own share ₹1.53 lakh.

Working capital: Working capital ₹5.55 lakh (bank ₹5.00 lakh) for jumbo reel stock and buyer credit.

Year not printed on the sample report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Thermal paper rolls are mostly sold in the home market; check the ITC(HS) code with DGFT before any export order.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Jumbo reel price rises
  • Shift to e-receipts
  • Health concerns over BPA in thermal paper
  • Price war with other converters

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working thermal paper roll making (pos/atm rolls) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Thermal Paper Roll Making (POS/ATM Rolls)?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Thermal Paper Roll (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.